Brazil has large reserves of rare earths, allowing it to become a key exporter in the future as well as a supplier to its nascent technology industry, Mr Mercadante said.

梅尔卡丹特表示，巴西拥有庞大的稀土储量，这让它可以成为未来的重要出口国，并且为其新生的科技行业提供供应。

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Construction, however, appears to have wrapped up ahead of schedule, with Mercadante claiming that iPad shipments will begin in December.

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In Agencia Brasil, Mercadante said the investment would generate 100, 000 jobs and require the hiring of as many as 20, 000 engineers.

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All told, 5m Brazilians live in danger zones, at the mercy of rogue weather, according to Aloizio Mercadante, the science minister.

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