Brazil court orders work on Amazon dam suspended

A federal court in Brazil has ordered a halt in construction at the controversial $11 billion Belo Monte hydroelectric dam, saying it would disrupt fishing by local indigenous people.

More than 150 indigenous people are occupying one of the construction sites for the huge Belo Monte hydro-electric dam across the Xingu River in the Brazilian Amazon, a local spokesman said Tuesday.

A judge in Brazil on Friday revoked his own order to halt work on a controversial $11 billion dam in the Amazon region, a project that has been criticized by environmentalists and native groups.

Brazil's Belo Monte hydroelectric dam in the heart of the Amazon will have fewer environmental effects than fossil-fuel alternatives and will be cheaper than other renewable energy sources, state media said Sunday.

Brazilian environmental officials on Wednesday gave their blessing to construction of what will be the world's third largest hydro-electric plant and dam project to be built in the Amazon rainforest.

Thai opponents of a planned multi-billion dollar dam in Laos submitted a lawsuit to a court in Bangkok on Tuesday seeking to prevent their country buying power from the hydropower project.

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