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Brazil's New Middle Class Faces Plunge back to Poverty

Brazilian Monica de Oliveira thought she'd forever left behind those days of worrying about getting her daughter new clothes.

As part of a wave of poor Brazilians to enter a basic sort of middle class in recent years, de Oliveira was a Latin American success story. But for how much longer?

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France Economy to Shake off Paris Shock

France can withstand the financial shock of the Paris attacks, analysts say, despite people deserting big stores, shunning concert halls and cancelling hotel bookings.

Beyond the incalculable human cost, the experience of attacks in New York in 2001, Madrid in 2004, London in 2005, and Mumbai in 2008 shows the economic impact may be fleeting.

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S&P Raises the Netherland's Back to Top AAA Credit Rating

Standard and Poor's raised The Netherlands back to its top AAA credit rating on Friday, saying the eurozone nation's economic recovery has gained traction.

"The upgrade reflects our view of the strengthening of the economic recovery in The Netherlands, with domestic demand growing strongly as a result of increases in real disposable income, employment, and investment activity," the ratings agency said in a statement.

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China Busts Biggest ever 'Underground Bank'

Chinese authorities have uncovered an "underground bank" which illegally transferred money overseas in a case valued at $64 billion, said to be the country's largest ever, according to a police statement.

Police in the eastern city of Jinhua found that the chief suspect, whose surname was given as Zhao, set up shell companies in Hong Kong and then made transfers from the mainland through a network of more than 800 bank accounts, said a Jinhua police statement posted on Friday.

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Rich, Famous to Get Special Terminal at Los Angeles Airport

Los Angeles International Airport officials have approved opening a special terminal for the rich and famous to wait for their flights far from the paparazzi and riffraff.

The lounge, which was given the green light on Thursday, eclipses even the business class and first class areas available at major airports.

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Draghi: ECB Will 'Do What we Must' to Lift Inflation

ECB chief Mario Draghi said Friday the bank will "do what we must" to lift inflation as quickly as possible, in a new sign it could boost its anti-deflation defences.

In a speech at the Frankfurt European Banking Congress, Draghi warned that inflation was stubbornly way below the target of close to 2 percent even though the bank has deployed a 1.1 trillion euros ($1.2 trillion) scheme to help lift consumer prices.

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Oil Prices Slightly up in Asia but Gains Limited

Oil prices were higher in Asia Friday, but gains were limited in a market burdened by a persistent oversupply.

A continued rise in U.S. commercial crude inventories further confirmed predictions the glut will last well into next year, with Iran also expected ramp up production when Western sanctions are lifted under a deal with major powers to curb its nuclear program.

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Volkswagen, amid Scandal, Keeps Low Profile at U.S. Auto Show

German car giant Volkswagen, tainted by an emissions scandal, is keeping a low profile as it attends a major auto show in the United States and prepares to meet with regulators.

Gone were the company's flashy presentations and pompous speeches at the Los Angeles Auto Show Wednesday when Volkswagen's chief executive in America, Michael Horn, made an appearance.

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ABN Amro Eyes Record-Breaking Return to Dutch Bourse

Seven years after being nationalized in a 2008 bailout, ABN Amro bounces back onto the stock market Friday in what is being billed as one of the biggest IPOs by a European lender since the financial crisis.

ABN Amro said it would offer 20 percent of its capital to investors in a first tranche.

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U.S. Bank Issues First Debit Cards for Use in Cuba

A U.S. bank announced Thursday it has begun offering its American clients debit cards they can use in Cuba for the first since the two Cold War foes moved to normalize relations nearly a year ago.

Florida-based Stonegate bank said its U.S. clients can use the Mastercard debit card at hotels, restaurants and other businesses on the communist-ruled island.

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