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The number of people officially registered as unemployed in Spain has edged up toward 5 million as the country’s recession shows few signs of abating and its struggling banks await crucial bailout cash.

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The number of people officially registered as unemployed in Spain has edged up toward 5 million as the country’s recession shows few signs of abating and its struggling banks await crucial bailout cash.Daniel Ochoa De Olza/The Associated Press

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Spain’s Labor Ministry said Tuesday that unemployment rose a monthly 74,296 in November, or 1.5 per cent, to a record 4.9 million.Daniel Ochoa De Olza/The Associated Press

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A shoeshine reads a newspaper as he waits for customers in a street in Madrid, Dec. 4, 2012. Spain’s unemployment rate stood at 25 per cent at the end of the third quarter, with the youth unemployment rate standing well above 50 per cent.Emilio Morenatti/The Associated Press

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A volunteer packs items in boxes at a food bank in Pamplona, northern Spain, Dec. 4, 2012.Alvaro Barrientos/The Associated Press

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Health workers, front, and several patients seen on a balcony at San Juan de Dios hospital, protest against austerity measures, in Pamplona, northern Spain, Dec. 4, 2012.Alvaro Barrientos/The Associated Press

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Spanish policemen drag away anti-eviction supporters before an eviction in Madrid , Dec. 4, 2012.JUAN MEDINA/Reuters

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Sagrario Urena, right, smokes next to a member of the Mortgage Victims Platform and her mother Agustina Moreno, centre, as she waits for her eviction in Madrid, Dec. 4, 2012. Ms. Urena, a former phone operator for a taxi company, lived as a tenant in a house from 1992 to 2010 with her parents and two sisters, but the family was kicked out when Ms. Urena became unemployed and stopped making the monthly rent payments two years ago.JUAN MEDINA/Reuters

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Ms. Urena, 41, reacts next to policemen during her eviction. After her layoff the family started squatting in the house. They were evicted on Tuesday morning.JUAN MEDINA/Reuters

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Ms. Urena pushes a chest of drawers during her eviction.JUAN MEDINA/Reuters

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Ms. Urena carries chairs during her eviction.JUAN MEDINA/Reuters

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Ms. Urena is comforted by her father Gregorio next to Spanish policemen after being evicted from the home.JUAN MEDINA/Reuters

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Ms. Urena cries next to Spanish policemen after being evicted from the home where her family had been squatting for the past two years.JUAN MEDINA/Reuters

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