Brazilian Finance Minister Guido Mantega said Friday the country's gross domestic product (GDP) would grow at least seven percent this year, the highest in 24 years if achieved. In a separate statement, Central Bank President Henrique Meirelles said the Brazilian economy would grow 7.3 percent this year. In the first half of 2010, Brazil's year-on-year GDP growth reached a record high of 8.9 percent, surpassing that of most other countries in the world. (Brazil-GDP) HOUSTON -- BP's total cost of its response to the massive oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico has climbed to 8 billion U.S. dollars as the oil giant undertakes measures in order to resume work on its relief well and seal the damaged oil well for good. BP said in a statement released on Friday the total costs include cost of the spill response, containment, relief well drilling, static kill and cementing, grants to the Gulf states, claims paid and federal costs. It also had made 127,000 claims payments totaling about 399 million dollars. The company previously agreed to create a 20-billion-dollar third-party account to cover some of the costs and obligations arising from the spill triggered by the explosion of BP-leased Deepwater Horizon drilling rig off the Louisiana coast in late April. It had made an initial payment of 3 billion U.S. dollars into the fund. (BP-spill costs) NEW YORK -- The closely-watched monthly jobs report released on Friday turned out to be a big bang for the market, sending U.S. stocks much higher for the day and the week. The Dow Jones industrial average rose 127.83 points, or 1.24 percent, to 10,447.93. The Standard & Poor's 500 index gained 14. 41 points, or 1.32 percent, to 1,104.54 and the Nasdaq rallied 33. 74 points, or 1.53 percent, to 2,233.75. For the week, the Dow gained nearly three percent, while S&P and Nasdaq jumping more than 3.5 percent. And it is the first weekly gain for the equity market in a month. (U.S.-Stocks) 