The Brazilian air force has found wreckage of the Air France plane that crashed into the Atlantic with 228 people onboard.

A seat and traces of oil and kerosene were found several hundred kilometres off the coast of Brazil, according to an air force spokesman.

Banco Itau Holding Financeira SA agreed to acquire Uniao de Bancos Brasileiros SA, creating Brazil's biggest bank.

Brazilians were still trying to digest Monday the hard blow they took a day earlier, when they saw the Formula One world championship - which they have not celebrated since Ayrton Senna's triumph in 1

Ferrari's Felipe Massa took pole position for for Sunday's Brazilian Grand Prix at the Interlagos circuit in qualifying Saturday while championship leader Lewis Hamilton starts from fourth on the grid

Ferrari's Felipe Massa took pole position for for Sunday's Brazilian Grand Prix at the Interlagos circuit in qualifying Saturday while championship leader Lewis Hamilton starts from fourth on the grid

Fernando Alonso was fastest in the final practice session ahead of qualifying later Saturday for Sunday's Brazilian Formula One Grand Prix.

The Renault driver clocked a time of 1 minute 12.141 seconds in for the 4.309-kilometres lap at the Interlagos circuit in Sao Paulo.

Unemployment in Brazil dropped to 14.1 per cent in September, its lowest level for that month since 1998, the trade- union research institute Dieese said Wednesday in Sao Paulo.

The Brazil government will not bailout large conglomerates that have lost money in foreign exchange operations, Finance Minister Guido Mantega said Monday.

These firms may have lost up to 20 billion dollars in the ongoing global financial crisis, he said, but added that this loss "is perfectly absorbable" by the companies, without help from the government.