Royal Dutch Shell Plc, the world’s biggest distributor of bio-fuels, is shifting research to waste from sugar-cane farming after ending an algae project in Hawaii. Shell, Iogen Corp. and Codexis have been researching enzymes to produce cellulose ethanol from wheat stalks and sugar-cane bagasse, a sugar industry waste product.
Argentina’s hurdles to imports don’t help European Union /Mercosur trade negotiations and generate “uncertainty” warned the EU head of delegation in Argentina Alfonso Diez Torres. He also criticized the “one to one” Argentine policy that forces the local assembly plants to match every import-dollar with export dollars.
Changes made to the US military’s Unified Command Plan shift geographic boundaries and stress the growing importance of the Arctic, US Pentagon officials said in an American Forces press service
Euro zone finance ministers told Portugal that it would have to implement new economic reforms that went beyond those proposed by its outgoing government if it hoped to secure aid from the EU and IMF.
Spain has gone from being another domino to an insurmountable dam that it protecting the Euro zone due to its tough economic reforms, the government said Friday.
Brazilian inflation accelerated more than economists expected in March from a year earlier, led by food and transportation costs, taking the annual rate near the upper limit of the government’s target range. On Thursday the Brazilian currency Real also further strengthened to a record 1.58 to the US dollar in spite of the latest measures.
Brazil doubled a tax on consumer credit as the administration of President Dilma Rousseff’s shifts its focus to fighting inflation. Beginning Friday consumer loans, excluding mortgages, will be subject to a 3% annual tax, up from a previous rate of 1.5%, according to a Finance Ministry statement.
China will introduce tax measures to ensure sufficient fuel production if global oil prices exceed 130 US dollars a barrel, China National Radio reported Thursday. Domestic prices of gasoline and diesel may not be increased after crude reaches that level the state broadcasting system said quoting a National Development and Reform Commission official
“Argentina is not a great trade partner for the European Union in absolute terms, but the EU is a crucial partner for Argentina”, pointed out the head of the EU delegation in Buenos Aires Alfonso Diez Torres.
The FAO Food Price Index has dropped for the first time after eight months of continuous price spikes, FAO announced Thursday. The Index averaged 230 points in March 2011, down 2.9% from its peak in February, but still 37% above March 2010.