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These headlines this morning make it sound like Europe's economy is up and running again:

— "Euro Area Exits Longest Recession on Record." (Bloomberg News)

— "Euro Zone Emerges from Recession." (The Wall Street Journal)

— "Euro Zone Economy Grew 0.3% in 2nd Quarter, Ending Recession." (The New York Times)

They're all based on the news that Eurostat, the keeper of economic statistics for the European Union, says GDP grew 0.3 percent within the EU's borders from the end of March through June.

The stories may turn out to be right. But, unfortunately, reports of the European recession's death are (to borrow from Mark Twain) greatly exaggerated.

As Olli Rhen, Eurostat's vice president, writes on his blog: "I hope there will be no premature, self-congratulatory statements suggesting 'the crisis is over.' " He calls the GDP report only another sign of "a potential turning point in the EU economy."

The quick conclusion by some economists and some in the news media that a slight rise in one quarter's GDP means a recession is over ignores how experts figure out when an economy is either in a significant downturn (a recession) or enjoying steady growth (an expansion).

In Europe, just as in the U.S., the official arbiter is a committee of economic researchers who look at much more than just quarterly GDP data. As the European Centre for Economic Policy Research says of its business cycle dating committee's work:

"First, we do not identify economic activity solely with real GDP, but use a range of indicators, notably employment. Second, we consider the depth of the decline in economic activity. Recall that our definition includes the phrase, 'a significant decline in activity.' "

Egypt suffered a day of terrible violence Wednesday, and the bloodshed was compounded by several developments that suggest more confrontations are ahead.

Egypt's security forces reasserted their authority on a number of fronts and gave every appearance that they would press ahead with a crackdown against the Muslim Brotherhood and other opposition groups.

Here are several examples:

State Of Emergency: The interim government declared a state of emergency for a month, which includes a 7 p.m. curfew. Egyptians have a long and painful history with emergency laws and are sure to be skeptical about the timetable. The former president, Hosni Mubarak, maintained virtual martial law for three decades until he was ousted in 2011.

Mohammed Morsi, the elected president who was removed by the military on July 3, declared a monthlong state of emergency back in January, giving the security forces broad powers to arrest and detain people.

More On Egypt

The Two-Way

'Bloodbath' In Cairo As Troops Move On Morsi Supporters

There were 320,000 first-time claims for unemployment insurance filed last week, the Employment and Training Administration reports.

Not only is that 15,000 fewer than had been filed the week before, it's also the lowest number for any single week since before the U.S. economy officially slipped into its most recent recession in December 2007.

According to historical data kept by the agency, the last time claims for jobless benefits were lower in any single week was in October 2007. The last time claims for a single week were within a couple thousand of last week's level was in January 2008, just after the recession began, when they totaled 322,000 one week and 321,000 the next.

During the recession, which officially ended in June 2009, claims reached a peak of 670,000 one week in March 2009. For most of the past two years, they stayed in a range of 350,000 to 400,000 per week.

Bloomberg News says the decline last week signals that "the U.S. job market continues to mend."

Reuters writes that the data are "hinting at a pick-up in job growth in early August." It also notes that:

"The four-week moving average for new claims, which irons out week-to-week volatility, fell 4,000 to 332,000, the lowest level since November 2007."

"It's difficult to see a path out of this crisis, at least not without more people dying."

That's how NPR's Cairo bureau chief, Leila Fadel, ended her Morning Edition report Thursday. After Wednesday's deadly crackdown by the army on supporters of ousted President Mohammed Morsi — a crackdown that according to latest estimates left more than 500 people dead and 3,500 or so wounded — the fear is that there will be much more bloodshed.