A court in southeastern China's Fujian province has ordered the country's biggest gold miner, Zijin Mining Group, to pay a criminal fine of $4.6 million for toxic mine spills that highlight the challenges of policing heavy polluters with close ties to local authorities. A company vice president and the manager, deputy manager and environmental protection officer of the mine were detained in connection with the spills ...which poisoned a river, killing off fish and devastating the area...As public awareness grows ...authorities have been tightening controls and shutting down some of the heaviest polluters. But fines imposed are often just a pittance for big, government-backed companies... Chinese media have questioned Zijin's links with local officials, many of whom own stock in the company.