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Marissa Callaghan (Photo by William Cherry/Presseye) Northern Ireland women’s football team captain Marissa Callaghan has played with Cliftonville Ladies since 2005, winning a Women’s Irish Cup with the north Belfast club in 2015. Capped 62 times for Northern Ireland to date, scoring six goals, she represented her country at Under-15, U17 and U19 level before making the step up to the seniors just over a decade ago. Under Marissa, the team are headed to the Women’s Euro 2022 play-offs in April, but she admits one of her career highlights was her first game as captain, picking up two goa...

A group of academics and scientists have written to Stormont's Department for Communities calling for more financial support for those on low incomes to help drive down Covid rates.

The Department for Communities (DfC) is responsible for benefits, social housing, regeneration, sport and other issues. Its draft budget for the 2020/21 financial year includes cuts to welfare reform mitigations and homeless support. In the department's own Equality Impact Assessment (EQIA) of the draft budget, which is out for consultation, officials stated that the proposed spending allocations "will impact on the department's ability to deliver public services, support Covid-19 recovery and deliver on the wider Executive priorities as outlined in the New Decade New Approach (NDNA) agreemen...

Terminally ill benefits payment review dropped in Department for Communities' draft budget "That is unspeakably cruel and would break a pledge contained in New Decade New Approach" Communities Minister Deirdre Hargey (Image: Press Eye Ltd) Want the biggest politics stories sent to you every week? Simply sign up here and we'll do the restInvalid EmailSomething went wrong, please try again later. Subscribe When you subscribe we will use the information you provide to send you these newsletters. Sometimes they’ll include recommendations for other related newsletters or services we offer. OurPr...

BBC News Published image captionAdvice NI said the proposed cuts amounted to a £1.5m funding reduction for the sector An advice network that has helped deliver the government's Covid-19 hotline could lose 45 staff under proposed welfare cuts. The Department for Communities (DfC) draft budget includes cuts to welfare reform mitigations and homeless support. It said the 2020-2021 budget presented "very significant challenges". The plans are out for consultation and no final decisions have been made, it added. Advice NI said the proposed Department for Communities cuts amounted to a £1.5m fun...