Bruised bananas
The week's news at a glance.
Washington, D.C.
Chiquita Brands International last week admitted it paid “protection money” to paramilitary organizations that had threatened workers on its banana plantations in Colombia. From 1997 to 2004, the Cincinnati-based company said, it paid millions of dollars to the AUC, a right-wing organization that financed its operations through extortion and drug dealing. When left-wing rebels took control of Chiquita’s Colombian banana-growing territory, Chiquita paid off the leftist groups. Chiquita pleaded guilty in federal court to aiding terrorist organizations and agreed to pay a $25 million fine. The company called the outcome “a reasoned solution to the dilemma the company faced several years ago.”
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
![https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516-320-80.jpg)
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
-
The lab-made meat that 'could kill the EU'
Under The Radar Concerned at 'unintended consequences for farming' some farmers are 'turning rabid' over the rise of cultured meat
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published
-
Magazine solutions - August 2, 2024
Puzzles and Quizzes Issue - August 2, 2024
By The Week Staff Published
-
Magazine printables - August 2, 2024
Puzzles and Quizzes Issue - August 2, 2024
By The Week Staff Published