Google has faced several lawsuits recently. Earlier in July, Google offered to settle antitrust claims [JURIST report] with the European Competition Commission [official website]. In June the company reached a settlement [JURIST report] with a group of French authors to end a lawsuit challenging its book-scanning initiative [Google Books search website], which displayed scanned images of select pages of books. A few days earlier, the Supreme Court of Switzerland [official website, in German] ruled [JURIST report] partially for Google in a case over privacy violations through its Street View service, holding that the company is not compelled to completely blur all faces and license plates but should do so manually if someone files a complaint. In March of last year, a Berlin high court ruled [JURIST report] for Google holding that the company's controversial service is legal in Germany. On the other side, the French National Commission of Information Technology and Liberty (CNIL) [official website, in French] fined [JURIST report] Google 100,000 euros (USD $141,300) for violating the country's data privacy laws.

The continuing violence in the Ivory Coast has been the subject of criticism by international human rights groups. On Tuesday the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) [official website] announced that it is sending human rights officials to investigate [JURIST report] the recent attack on a relocation camp for internally displaced persons in Nahibly. The attack took place last Friday when around 300 individuals attacked the camp resulting in seven people being killed, 67 individuals being injured and 5,000 inhabitants being forced to leave the site. Earlier this month the country's justice ministry announced [JURIST report] that two allies of former president Laurent Gbagbo [BBC profile; JURIST news archive] have been charged with genocide relating to the violence that followed Gbagbo's refusal to step down after his defeat in the November 2010 elections. Gbagbo was captured and forced to surrender [JURIST report] in April of last year after French tanks moved in on his residence while Outtara's forces surrounded it. The confirmation of charges hearing against him was postponed in mid-June by the International Criminal Court (ICC) [official website] amid a request by his lawyers for more time.

Earlier this week Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez [BBC profile; JURIST news archive] announced that his country would withdraw from the IACHR [JURIST report] after the court concluded that the prison conditions of a man convicted in multiple bombings were a violation of his human rights. In 2011 Chavez also criticized the IACHR [JURIST report] for ruling in favor of presidential hopeful Leopoldo Lopez, allowing him to run for office despite a separate court ruling barring him from the election. In March the IACHR ruled that the Supreme Court of Chile [official website] violated a Chilean woman's right to equality and non-discrimination when it took away her children on the basis of her sexual orientation [JURIST report]. The decision marked the first time the IACHR affirmed that discrimination based on sexual orientation violates international law.

LGBT rights have been a contentious issue worldwide. Three weeks ago, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon [official profile] called for an end to discrimination based on sexual orientation [JURIST report]. In June, Human Rights Watch (HRW) [advocacy website] urged [JURIST report] Bulgarian Justice Minister Diana Kovacheva to denounce calls to violence by anti-gay groups in anticipation of a LGBT pride parade in Sofia, Bulgaria. During the same month, Ugandan Minister of State for Ethics and Integrity Simon Lokodo said [JURIST report] that the government was not discriminating based on sexual orientation. The statement came days after the government had announced [JURIST report] that it would ban at least 38 non-governmental organizations that are accused of recruiting children to homosexuality. Earlier that month, a prominent Russian gay rights activist filed a complaint [JURIST report] with the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) challenging a St. Petersburg city ordinance that prohibits the spreading "homosexual propaganda" to minors. The ECHR ruled that a Moldova law banning gay groups from protesting in front of the country's parliament violated citizens' rights [JURIST report] to peacefully assemble and to be free from discrimination. Last month, the National Coalition of Anti-Violence Programs (NCAVP) released a report [JURIST report] concluding that in the US, incidents of hate-based murders against LGBT individuals increased in 2011.

In 2007, the UN General Assembly [official website] approved a resolution calling for a worldwide moratorium [JURIST report] on the death penalty. The resolution was reaffirmed by resolution twice: in 2008 and 2010, [UN materials]. It was criticized by countries [JURIST report] that use the death penalty, which alleged that the resolution would infringe nations' sovereignty. Iraq, one of the countries that did not implement the moratorium, has been subject to criticism for violating various human rights including unlawfully detaining and repeatedly torturing thousands of detainees without warrants [JURIST reports].

The Tyumen Federal Arbitration Court ordered a new hearing for the rejected lawsuit [JURIST report] in June. The minority shareholders were originally seeking damages of USD $12.5 billion. That figure was later cut to $8.8 billion, nearly three times the damages actually awarded by the court. BP has faced numerous lawsuits and is still involved in litigation, especially in the wake of the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill [BBC backgrounder; JURIST news archive] in the Gulf of Mexico. In May the US District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana [official website] signed a case management order [JURIST report] for the upcoming trial between BP and the oil spill victims in 2013. In April the judge accepted the terms of a settlement reached in March [JURIST reports] between BP and the plaintiffs, in which BP is required to pay around $7.8 billion in two separate arrangements, one to resolve economic loss claims and another to resolve medical claims.

Khadr was charged after being captured subsequent to a firefight in Afghanistan in 2002 in which he threw a hand grenade that killed one US soldier and wounded another. In August 2010 a military judge rejected Khadr's claim that his confession was a byproduct of torture [JURIST report]. Earlier that month the same judge ruled that Khadr's confession was admissible at trial [JURIST report]. Canada had previously declined to seek Khadr's repatriation [JURIST report] after his former lawyers obtained a ruling in the Supreme Court of Canada [official website] that the interrogation of Khadr by Canadian officials while in detention violated section 7 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms [text]. According to the ruling, Canadian officials questioned Khadr, even though they knew he was being indefinitely detained and that in March 2004 he was questioned with knowledge that he was subjected to three weeks sleep deprivation by US authorities. Regardless that ruling did not force the government to seek his repatriation.

The district court did not clearly err when it found the defendants were reasonably likely to commit future RICO violations despite the passage of the Tobacco Control Act. Nor did the court abuse its discretion when it refused to vacate its injunctions under the primary jurisdiction doctrine.

Tobacco regulations have long been a contentious subject. Two weeks ago, the US Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit [official website] struck down [JURIST report] requiring stores to display graphic anti-tobacco ads where tobacco products are sold. In March the US Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit ruled that graphic cigarette label warnings [JURIST news archive] are constitutional. The court decided unanimously that the portions of the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act (FSPTCA) [HR 1256 text] designed to limit the tobacco industry's ability to advertise to children, including a ban on distributing clothing and goods with logos or brand names, as well as sponsorship of cultural, athletic and social events requiring cigarette packaging and advertisements, is a valid restriction of commercial speech. Earlier that month, a judge for the US District Court for the District of Columbia ruled that the FDA regulation recommending warning labels is unconstitutional [JURIST report], issuing a permanent injunction. US President Barack Obama signed [JURIST report] the FSPTCA into law in 2009, granting the FDA certain authority to regulate manufactured tobacco products. The legislation heightens warning-label requirements, prohibits marketing "light cigarettes" as a healthier alternative and allows for the regulation of cigarette ingredients. The proposed implementation of new tobacco warning labels has also drawn criticism abroad.

Myanmar has been unsuccessful in resolving the sectarian violence prevalent in the country despite attempts by its President Thein Sein [BBC profile; official website, in Burmese] to bring peace to the communities. Earlier this month, spokesperson for the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) [official website] Melissa Fleming reported that 10 UN staff and aid workers had been arrested [JURIST report] in the northwestern Rakhine state and three of them are facing unknown criminal charges. In June, Human Rights Watch (HRW) [advocacy website] had urged [JURIST report] the Chinese government to provide basic food and shelter needs to refugees from Myanmar after finding refugee abuse. Earlier in June, HRW also called on [JURIST report] Bangladesh to open its borders to Myanmar refugees a day after it demanded Myanmar ensure the safety of communities in the Arakan State subject to the violence between Arakan Buddhists and ethnic Rohingya Muslims. In March, HRW reported [JURIST report] that violence and rights abuses continue in Myanmar's northern state of Kachin due to the conflict between Myanmar's armed forces and the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) [BBC backgrounder]. During the same month, Tomas Ojea Quintana [official profile], the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Myanmar urged [JURIST report] the country to ensure the protection of human rights. In November, Human rights group Partners Relief and Development [advocacy website] issued [JURIST report] a report [text, PDF, graphic content] which alleged that the army may be committing war crimes including torture and forced labor against ethnic communities in Kachin state.

Murder and wilful killing, whether committed by government or opposition forces, may constitute crimes against humanity or war crimes. Torture, likewise, is prohibited under all circumstances. While such conclusions can only ultimately be reached in a court of law, it is my belief, on the basis of evidence gathered from various credible sources, that crimes against humanity and war crimes have been, and continue to be, committed in Syria. Those who are committing them should not believe that they will escape justice. The world does not forget or forgive crimes like these.

Pillay's comments came after 19 bodies were found, including unarmed men and one child, in Damascus earlier this week. Amnesty International on Wednesday accused government forces and rebels in Syria of summarily capturing and killing [JURIST report] opposition forces in violation of international humanitarian law. Syria has recently been facing international criticism for human rights violations. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon on Monday expressed his concern that Syria could potentially use chemical weapons [JURIST report] in its ongoing conflict, even though the Syrian government has stated it would not use such weapons against its own citizens. Last Friday the UN Security Council extended the UN monitoring mission in Syria [JURIST report] for an additional 30 days. The mandate for the UN Supervision Mission in Syria (UNSMIS) [official website], deployed as part of the peace plan of UN Joint Special Envoy Kofi Annan, received a unanimous vote for a 30-day extension in the Security Council.

Ni and her husband, Dong Jiqin, were sentenced [JURIST report] in April by a lower court on charges of fraud and inciting disturbance. The sentence faced criticism by human rights organizations such as Amnesty International (AI) [advocacy website], which for their immediate release. AI condemned the sentence stating that the charges were false and that Ni was only beingpunished for her activist work [AI report]. China is known for its strict policy against dissidents. This month, Beijing's Chaoyang District Court rejected [JURIST report] the appeal brought by dissident artist Ai Weiwei [BBC profile; JURIST news archive] challenging the government's imposition of 15 million yuan (USD $2.4 million) tax evasion penalty. Last month, he was banned from attending the first hearing in the case brought by his company, Fake Cultural Development Ltd., against Beijing tax authorities, a month after the court agreed to hear [JURIST reports] the case. Also last month, a Chinese court in the southwestern city of Chongqing quashed [JURIST report] the sentence against a Chinese blogger and former forestry employee for lack of evidence. With the annulment the Third Intermediate Court held that the one-year detention of Fang Hong in a police-run labor camp was illegal.

The Sri Lankan government has faced various allegations of human rights violations and war crimes by civil rights organizations and the UN since the end of its civil war. Earlier in July, Human Rights Watch [advocacy website] urged Sri Lanka to stop arresting journalists who criticized the government [JURIST report]. In May, Rajapaksa pardoned [JURIST report] former Sri Lankan army chief Sarath Fonseka [BBC profile; JURIST news archive]. In November the Sri Lankan government was subjected to criticism for its failure to investigate [JURIST report] issues of torture for past human rights violations and to enforce laws against continued torture and ill-treatment by government officials against civilians. In April 2011 a UN panel of experts on Sri Lanka found credible allegations of war crimes [JURIST report] committed during the country's war with the LTTE, warranting further investigation. In June 2010 UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay [official website] called for an international inquiry [JURIST report] into the conduct of the Sri Lankan government during its civil war.

Microsoft and Motorola has been in litigation against each other around the globe. Earlier this month, both companies filed [JURIST report] a joint motion in the US District Court for the Western District of Washington [official website] asking the court to suspend three patent cases between the parties until a trial is held on a licensing disagreement. Microsoft had alleged that Motorola failed to license Google [corporate website], which owns the company since 2010, certain video and Wi-Fi technology on reasonable and non-discriminatory (RAND) terms. In May the US International Trade Commission (ITC) [official website] concluded [JURIST report] its investigation into a complaint that a number of Motorola mobile phones infringed on several Microsoft patents.

Concerns about the nature of Bin Laden's death and his subsequent burial at sea have arisen since the announcement of his death [JURIST report] in May 2011, while US officials have maintained that their actions were lawful. US State Department Legal Adviser Harold Koh defended the killing [JURIST report] saying it was "consistent with the laws of armed conflict and US military doctrine." Days after the killing, human rights experts from the UN called on the US to disclose further details [JURIST report] of the killing, in order "to allow an assessment in terms of international human rights law standards." UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay insisted [JURIST report] on "a full disclosure of the accurate facts" surrounding the killing of Bin Laden after the White House altered the official account of the killing from its original announcement. US Attorney General Eric Holder told the US Senate Judiciary Committee that the killing of Bin Laden was lawful and justified [JURIST report], testifying that the shooting of Bin Laden was "consistent with our values," and that the soldiers who killed him "conducted themselves totally appropriately."

[B]y requiring municipalities to violate their comprehensive plans for growth and development, [Act 13] violates substantive due process because it does not protect the interests of neighboring property owners from harm, alters the character of neighborhoods and makes irrational classifications—irrational because it requires municipalities to allow all zones, drilling operations and impoundments, gas compressor stations, storage and use of explosives in all zoning districts, and applies industrial criteria to restrictions on height of structures, screening and fencing, lighting and noise.

Fracking has been a contentious issue both in the US and abroad. Three weeks ago, North Carolina Governor Beverly Perdue vetoed a bill [SB 820 materials; JURIST report] that would have lifted the state's ban on fracking. In May, Vermont Governor Peter Shumlin signed into law [JURIST report] a bill outlawing fracking in the state. In January the New Jersey Legislature passed an amendment to a bill that establishes a one-year ban on fracking [JURIST report]. Legislators re-introduced the bill this year after New Jersey Governor Chris Christie conditionally vetoed legislation last June that would have permanently banned fracking in New Jersey [JURIST report]. In October the Environmental Protection Agency announced plans to develop standards [JURIST report] for wastewater discharge from fracking. Last June New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman sued the US government [JURIST report] for its alleged failure to study the risks of fracking. In May 2011 France's lower house approved a nationwide ban on fracking [JURIST report].

Israel captured the West Bank from Jordan in the 1967 Mideast war and claims that it has a legal right to settle the territory because it is not legally occupied. In contrast the Palestinians and most of the international community argue that the West Bank was controlled by Jordan at the time of its capture, making it occupied territory that does not belong to Israel. Earlier this month more than 40 prominent American Jewish leaders and scholars sent an appeal letter [JURIST report] to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu [official website] urging him to reject a recent report advocating legitimizing West Bank settlements. The letter's signatories predicted that Israel's international image would be damaged by endorsing the report, which was written by a government-commissioned panel [JURIST report] that included former Supreme Court Justice Edmond Levy. Also this month the Israeli Supreme Court postponed the demolition of other illegal West Bank settlements [JURIST report], with 30 apartments having had been scheduled for demolition on July 1. West Bank settlements have caused tension between Israel and Palestinian authorities, as well as criticism by international groups, despite the Israeli parliament's vote [JURIST report] against legalizing the unauthorized settlement last month. Also last month the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the occupied Palestinian territories Richard Falk demanded [JURIST report] Israel cease its demolition [press release] of Palestinian buildings in the West Bank settlements after finding that the demolition of Palestinian structures such as houses, animal shelters, water cisterns and roads have risen by 87 percent from last year.

International arms distribution continues to trouble governments and rights groups. Earlier this month in anticipation of the conference, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), called on the participants [JURIST report] to adopt an effective arms treaty in order to save lives and aid in the enforcement of international law. In June Amnesty International called for an end to the supply of arms [JURIST report] to groups in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) after a report highlighted the flaws in Congolese security, which AI says leads to the availability and misuse of weapons and ammunition. In April Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout [BBC profile; JURIST news archive] was sentenced in a US court to 25 years imprisonment [JURIST report]. Bout was convicted in November [JURIST report] on four counts of conspiracy for his proposed sale of anti-aircraft missiles to drug enforcement informants posing as potential buyers for a designated foreign terrorist organization.

Redistricting maps have been a subject of controversy recently. In February, the US District Court for the Western District of Texas [official website] issued new voting maps [materials] for use in the 2012 elections. The new maps were issued after the US Supreme Court [official website] rejected [JURIST report] Texas's interim redistricting maps in an emergency appeal [JURIST report] filed to challenge an interim map drawn up by the US District Court for the Western District of Texas. The Supreme Court rejected the initial interim maps, finding that, "it is unclear whether the District Court for the Western District of Texas followed the appropriate standards." In January, the US District Court for the Southern District of West Virginia [official website] rejected [JURIST report] West Virginia's congressional redistricting plan on the grounds that the plan did not account for changes in population.

We [have] held that district courts have original jurisdiction over travelers' substantive challenge to inclusion on the List. Today, we take another step toward providing an answer. We hold that the district court also has original jurisdiction over Plaintiffs' claim that the government failed to afford them an adequate opportunity to contest their apparent inclusion on the List. We leave it to the district court to determine whether to require joinder of TSA on remand. We hold only that [there is] no barrier to adding TSA as an indispensable party.

The ACLU filed the lawsuit [JURIST report] in 2010. The Ninth Circuit ruled in 2008 that those placed on the government's "no-fly list" can challenge their inclusion on the list [JURIST report] in federal district courts. The court held that the Terrorist Screening Center, which actually maintains the list, is a subsection of the FBI and is therefore subject to review by the district courts. Also in 2008, the DOJ Office of the Inspector General (OIG) [official website] issued a report [text, PDF] saying that the FBI had submitted inaccurate information to the list [JURIST report], that the information was rarely reviewed before its submission and even if discrepancies became apparent they were often left unchanged. In 2006, the FBI and the TSA agreed to pay the ACLU $200,000 in attorney's fees to settle a case brought by the civil rights organization in 2003 challenging the government's no-fly list [JURIST report] and requesting the disclosure of records. The documents noted that construction of the list was based on "two primary principles," but that there were "no hard and fast" rules governing decisions of who was put on the list.