In 2005, United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan stated at the International Summit on Democracy, Terrorism, and Security that terrorism is a
direct attack on the core values of the United Nations: "the rule of law; the protection of civilians; mutual respect between people of different faiths and cultures; and peaceful resolution of conflicts." In fighting terrorism, he continued, "human rights and the rule of law must always be respected." (
UN.org, Mar. 10, 2005)
Following the deadly attacks in Paris on November 13, 2015, news outlets worldwide have
questioned the
effectiveness of current international law in preventing and addressing terrorism. In the past several months, several nations have put forth new laws in attempts to counter these kinds of attacks, but many of these laws have been criticized as too broadly defining terrorism or too harshly treating perpetrators of these acts.
Maybe the devil really does wear Prada...or at least works there. You might remember hearing about a discrimination lawsuit back in 2010 brought by a former Prada employee against her employer in Japanese court. The employee alleged being told by HR that her employer was ashamed of her ugliness, to lose weight and to change her hairstyle. The former Prada employee further alleged that Prada demoted and transferred 15 female employees, many of them top saleswomen, because they were "old, fat, ugly, disgusting, had bad teeth, bad bodies or did not have the Prada look.” Thirteen employees "were transferred to other locations, but most of them ended up quitting instead."
Despite its victory, Prada countersued its former employee "for harming the firm’s image." The former employee plans to "pitch the $780,000 countersuit as discrimination against employees." A panel from the UN's Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women will hold a hearing on the case later this month. The hefty media coverage since the lawsuit's inception has ranged from sympathetic to skeptical, where do you fall?
