Last week a Brazilian judge issued a 180-day suspension to Belo Sun, the mining company that had planned an open-pit gold mine, which would be Brazil’s largest. The judge found that the company had improperly purchased the land from several owners and had yet to obtain an environmental permit. Further, the company is not permitted to develop the mine until pre-existing land rights issues in the area have been solved. The residents of the area are concerned about the environmental impact of the toxic waste impoundment dam that would accompany the mine. Two years ago a similar dam collapsed, spilling toxic iron ore waste into the Doce River; this has been cited as Brazil’s largest environmental disaster. For the full story see https://news.mongabay.com/2017/02/judge-halts-excavation-plans-for-larg…;