Shell admits Nigeria liability

BBC News, August 12, 2011

Oil giant Shell has accepted responsibility for two devastating oil spills in Nigeria's Ogoniland region.

The Bodo fishing community sued Shell in the UK, alleging that spills in 2008 and 2009 had destroyed the environment and ruined their livelihoods. Their lawyer said they would seek hundreds of millions of dollars in compensation for one of the world's "most devastating oil spills". Read more...

Reversing roles, farmers sue Monsanto over GMO seeds

Grist, March 31, 2011

Genetically modified seed giant Monsanto is notorious for suing farmers [PDF] in defense of its patent claims. But now, a group of dozens of organic farmers and food activists have, with the help of the not-for-profit law center The Public Patent Foundation, sued Monsanto in a case that could forever alter the way genetically modified crops are grown in this country. But before you can understand why, it's worth reviewing an important, but underreported aspect of the fight over GMOs. Read more...