Blackwater Fined

The BBC reports that the private defence company Blackwater has been fined $42M for violating US export and arms traffic laws.

The nearly 300 breaches include the export of illegal weapons to Afghanistan and the unauthorised training of foreign nationals.

The settlement means that Blackwater, now known as XE Services, will be able to bid for government contracts.

"XE has not commented on the settlement of this case. But its directors have recently stressed that XE is a different company to Blackwater, having implemented a number of management and procedural changes."

So that's alright then!