Stories for August 2011

Saturday, August 27th 2011 - 07:19 UTC
Unemployment in Brazil falls to its lowest level this year, 6%

Brazil’s unemployment rate fell in July to its lowest level this year, 6% from 6.2% in June, reported the National statistics office. Average real wages rose 4% from a year ago to 1.613 Real (999.50 dollars) a month.
Saturday, August 27th 2011 - 07:17 UTC
Brazil en route to comply comfortably with budget planned primary surplus

Brazil’s budget primary surplus widened in July to a record for the month pushing the year-to-date total to almost 80% of the government’s 2011 target, according to the Central bank.
Saturday, August 27th 2011 - 07:12 UTC
Further turbulence for embattled President Rousseff: this time two blondes

Two further headaches for embattled Brazilian president Dilma Rousseff who in eight months of government has seen four ministers and two deputy ministers step down under serious suspicions of corruption.
Saturday, August 27th 2011 - 07:09 UTC
S&P upgrades Brazil’s ratings based on “good long-term growth prospects”

Brazil local-currency credit rating is being reviewed for an upgrade by Standard & Poor’s, which cited the country’s economic stability. The rating was affirmed at BBB+, the third-lowest investment grade, S&P said in a statement.
Saturday, August 27th 2011 - 07:04 UTC
Brazil ‘unofficially’ lowers 2011 growth estimate to 3.7% from 4%

The Brazilian government has unofficially cut its outlook for 2011 GDP growth given a slowing world economy and unsustainably fast expansion last year, a local newspaper reported on Friday.
Saturday, August 27th 2011 - 07:01 UTC
Tim Cook, the man who replaces Steve Jobs as Apple’s CEO

Steve Jobs took home 1 dollar a year for serving as Apple's CEO. The company's new leader, Tim Cook, is getting a richer deal. Apple's board has given Cook a restricted stock grant of 1 million shares, Apple reported late Friday in a regulatory filing. Those shares have a market value of 383.6 million dollars, based on the stock's closing price on Friday.
Saturday, August 27th 2011 - 06:25 UTC
Police capture the brains behind Brazil’s largest ever bank robbery: 72m dollars

Brazilian authorities announced this week the capture of one of the brains of what is considered the country’s biggest ever bank robbery.
Friday, August 26th 2011 - 16:56 UTC
Argentina blocks sale of Paraguayan power to Uruguay

“Argentina wants to charge 49 dollars per KW of power transferred from Paraguay to Uruguay, which is five times what it charges Brazil” claims Paraguayan Vice President Federico Franco who described the pretension as “inadmissible and preposterous”.
Friday, August 26th 2011 - 15:56 UTC
Bernanke defers announcement; sends US Congress strong message on fiscal deficit

The chairman of the Federal Reserve, Ben Bernanke, has signalled that the US central bank will not take any immediate action to boost growth. In a keenly anticipated speech, Mr Bernanke simply said the Fed had a “range of tools that could be used to provide additional monetary stimulus”.
Friday, August 26th 2011 - 15:53 UTC
Boy 14 shot in the chest, becomes first death in months of social unrest in Chile

Chilean teenager died early Friday, a day after being shot in the chest during massive protests in the capital Santiago against President Sebastian Piñera, police said, the first fatality in months of social unrest.