Chiquita, the US’s leading banana distributor, was fined $38 million for the funding of the United Self-Defence Forces of Colombia (AUC), a designated terrorist group operating in Colombia. The firm had to pay out compensation to the families of 8 victims of the AUC, who Chiquita had funded to the tune of $1.7 million over the course of 7 years. Victory for Human Rights Advocates Colin Lloyd/Unsplash This is a major victory for international human rights advocates as it’s the first time a US corporation has been held legally accountable for human rights violations abroad. A spokesperson for Earthrights, a…
Author: Benjamin Carter
For various reasons stretching back centuries, humans have added substances to food. Additives such as vinegar, sugar and salt have allowed for longer-lasting and better looking and tasting foods. However, in the past few decades there has been a rise in ultra-processed foods (UPFs), which are industrially-produced edible substances that regularly contain both natural and artificial additives. Some of these additives can lead to dangerous side effects and, while often banned elsewhere, can still be found on our shelves. Artificial Sweeteners May Make You Eat More Alexander Grey/Unsplash Artificial sweeteners use chemicals to simulate the familiar sweet flavour we get…
Alex Lundberg, a fossil hunter in Florida, has found an extremely well-preserved Mastodon tusk while diving off the Florida coast. The experienced diver found the huge fossil back in April at Manasota Key, in southern Florida. The Mastodon is an ancient, excinct relative of modern-day elephants. A Significant Find Pawan Sharma/Unsplash The fossil is rare not just for the animal it belonged to, but for the condition it remains in. The tusk is notable for being largely intact despite its age. As Lundberg puts it, “Finding small pieces and chunks of tusk is common, but finding one this large and…