Júlia Carneiro

Ten years ago, the dam collapse in Mariana released the tsunami of sludge, killing 19 people, destroying villages and devastating hundreds of miles along the Doce River in northeast Brazil.

Now, London's High Court has ruled that BHP was responsible.

The group owns half of Samarco, the company operating the mine.

The other half belongs to Brazil's mining giant, Vale.

The damage to be paid will be set by a separate ruling.

This comes a year after the companies reached a $23 billion settlement for compensations in Brazil, but were found not guilty in a criminal lawsuit.

Victims saw the ruling in the UK as a landmark in their fight for justice.

For NPR News, I'm Júlia Carneiro.

Rubio and Brazil's Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mauro Vieira, agreed to meet in Washington soon to discuss both countries' trade and economic relations, following Monday's conversation between President Trump and Brazil's President, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.

In the call, Lula asked Trump to reduce the 50% tariffs imposed on Brazilian goods and to lift sanctions on Brazilian authorities.

U.S.-Brazil relations had nosedived in the wake of the former Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro's coup trial, seen by Washington as unjust.

Bolsonaro, a Trump ally, was sentenced to more than 27 years in prison.

For NPR News, I'm Júlia Carneiro in Rio de Janeiro.