Society

A lack of Sha'ria-compliant finance products in Ireland prevents equal funding access by the country's 50,000-strong Muslim population. By Sandy Hazel.

The lack of access to suitable finance arrangements for Ireland's Muslim community was highlighted at a global summit on entrepreneurship in Dublin on 27 April, at which US President Barack Obama spoke via webcast. President Obama called for more economic engagement with the Muslim community globally, but admitted that sourcing finance is still a “challenge”.

(Pictured: Central Bank)

The show down between HSE management and IMPACT members has the potential to cause mayhem in the health system, as well as increasing the likelihood of union rejection of the Croke Park deal. By Sara Burke.

Public sector workers have been limiting their activities on a work-to-rule since the end of January, engaging in various kinds of action including non-cooperation with reconfiguration, redeployment, and not answering phones.

Full text of the statement released by the Rape Crisis Network Ireland (RCNI) on the recent controversy over the Hunky Dory rugby ads (embedded below). By Clíona Saidléar.

On Monday of this week Giovanni Trapattoni and Mr Tayto played footsie for the cameras to announce the Football Associations of Ireland’s latest commercial partner, Tayto crisps. Largo Foods CEO, Ray Coyle said, "We are delighted to link Tayto to Irish football and look forward to working with the FAI over the coming months".

What exactly is wrong with Yasutaka Tsutsui’s The Maid? Not very much really. Except one thing: it should never have been a novel. By Shane Creevy.

Yasutaka Tsutsui is a renowned Japanese writer, whose work is now beginning to be read in translation. The Maid is his fourth novel published in English by Alma Books and covers the exploits of poor unfortunate Nanase.

She has been blessed with telepathic abilities – or cursed rather.

An emotive film documentary telling the personal stories of migrant domestic workers in Ireland was launched this evening by the Domestic Workers Action Group (DWAG) in association with the Migrant Rights Centre Ireland (MRCI). By Malachy Browne.

Hidden Voices: Stories from Behind Closed Doors exposes the exploitative conditions under which domestic workers often live and work, in particular among some of Ireland’s wealthiest households.

(The full version of Hidden Voices will be uploaded to Politico.ie in the coming days.)

Workers should be allowed the freedom to change employer. By Siobhan O'Donoghue.

A feature of the economic growth model pursued by Ireland has been an attachment to and an overvaluing of risk taking. Taking risks has been seen as fundamental to progress at an individual and societal level. This greed-driven madness has led us to the brink of disaster.

A report launched yesterday, 'Breakdown In Trust: A Report on the Corrib Gas Dispute', raises serious concerns about the assault of Willie Corduff in April 2009. By Shane Creevy.

The report, commissioned by Front Line, is detailed and comprehensive. Front Line was keen to stress that the review was independent, having heard from many different figures in the Shell dispute.

Nearly four years after the murder of the renowned Russian journalist Anna Politkovskaya we can at least gain a better understanding of the intense dedication that motivated her. By Edward O'Hare

Politkovskaya was the great chronicler of the crimes perpetrated by the Russian state. From the plight of those whose lives were devastated by Russia’s brutal military activities to the testimonies of the victims of its corrupt government authorities, Politkovskaya was determined to provide a mouthpiece for everyone who had suffered at the hands of Vladimir Putin.

Feminism today faces serious challenges, and defining exactly what it means to be feminist in the 21st century is an increasingly difficult task. By Shane Creevy.

Recent high-profile cases of domestic violence among celebrities – Chris Brown and Charlie Sheen spring to mind – lead to broad questions about the world around us. We might begin by thinking about the influence of American celebrities on Irish teenagers. We might also question the role of feminism in the twenty first century.

Just six months ago, the 'Fair Deal' scheme was introduced, changing the way nursing home care is funded and paid for. So how is it faring and has it achieved what it set out to? By Sara Burke.

Up to last October, there were huge disparities in how nursing home care was paid for; if you were in a public bed all your care was paid for out of public money and you contributed 80% of your income.