Five decades after the idea was born in the aftermath of World War II, the European Union is being tested by 21st century challenges. Above, the Euro monument is illuminated in front of the European Central Bank in downtown Frankfurt, Germany.
Bernd Kammerer/AP
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When oil washed ashore in Pensacola, Fla., it left an ugly stain that brought out hundreds of BP workers to clean the beach. It is uncertain how much money BP will have to pay in compensation, cleanup and penalties for the oil spill.
Dave Martin/AP
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An employee at the General Motors Lordstown Assembly Plant in Lordstown, Ohio, assembles a test model of the new Chevrolet Cruze. About 70 percent of Lordstown's tax revenue comes form workers at the GM plant.
Mark Duncan/AP
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On Grand Isle, La., a fence built by the Louisiana National Guard prevents access to booms collecting oil from the Deepwater Horizon spill.
AP
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