Amazon radar failure deepens Brazil air travel woes

(Reuters) - The radar glitch came just four days after the country's
worst plane crash and hours after President Luiz Inacio Lula da
Silva promised swift action to improve air safety.




Four American Airlines flights headed for Brazil turned
back to Miami and two of the company's aircraft en route to the
United States were grounded in the city of Manaus for several
hours before the radar was restored, local media reported.


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Business Books: Shoeshine boy dishes Wall Street dirt

(Reuters) - "They're respecting me a lot more," he said in an interview. "They think I'm like a celebrity." But he still declined to give his real name for fear of reprisals.




The book, written by Doug Stumpf, an editor at Vanity Fair magazine, paints a racy picture of a trading floor where sex, drugs and insider trading run rampant.


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UAE bans Togo, Czech, poultry imports over bird flu

(Reuters) - The United Arab Emirates banned on Saturday the import of all live birds and poultry products from the Czech Republic and Togo after an outbreak of the deadly H5N1 virus in both countries, the official WAM news agency said.

It said Environment and Water Minister Mohammed Saeed al-Kindi had issued the ban to prevent the spread of the deadly virus to animals or humans in the Gulf Arab country.


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U.K. Pound Advances for Sixth Week on GDP Report, Outlook for Higher Rates

(Bloomberg) -- The pound posted its longest winning
run against the dollar in more than a year after a report showed
U.K. economic growth unexpectedly quickened in the second
quarter, fueling expectations of higher interest rates.

The U.K. currency rose to a 26-year high on speculation the
Bank of England will raise rates half a percentage point from
5.75 percent by year-end while the Federal Reserve stays on hold.
The pound also advanced as the Fed trimmed its forecasts for
economic growth and Bear Stearns Cos. reported losses on hedge
funds that bet on bonds backed by subprime loans.


Read more at Bloomberg Currencies News

Tunisair Q2 passenger traffic down 7 pct

(Reuters) - Tunisian flag carrier Tunisair's second-quarter passenger traffic fell 7 percent but turnover per passenger grew, helping maintain overall revenues close to last year's level, the airline said on Friday.

Revenue per passenger from scheduled and charter flights grew 3 percent and 6.7 percent respectively in the April-June period compared with a year earlier.


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S.African mining minister unhappy with De Beers

(Reuters) - South Africa's mining minister criticised a top official of diamond group De Beers on Friday for reportedly doubting the viability of boosting the local polishing industry.

South Africa and other regional diamond producers have been pressuring De Beers to distribute more rough diamonds locally to create jobs in the polishing and jewellery sectors.


Read more at Reuters Africa