77.725-000 Colmeia, TO, Brazil. The number of unemployed in Sao Paulo in April reached an all time record of 1.342 million according to the Seade Foundation. The figure represents an increase of 104 thousand on the previous month. Seade surveyed 38 municipalities in the Greater Sao Paulo area. If in absolute terms the unemployment figures are the highest ever when the number is taken as a percentage of the economically active population the situation is slightly better.
Trends are basically similar in other large Brazilian cities.
Within the last two months the popularity of President Fernando Henrique Cardoso fell by 13 percentage points in Sao Paulo. Cardoso has his political base there. Freeing of prisoners accused of massacre of children brings protests. Jorge Liaffa Coelho, Nelson Oliveira, Claudio Luiz dos Santos, Marcelo Ferreira Cortes and Jurandir Gomes de Franca were freed last week by judge Jose Geraldo Antonio. The move on the part of the judge came after Emmanuel and two other accused - Marcos Alcantra and Nelson Cunha admitted guilt and claimed that others in prison accused of the crime were innocent.