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Northern Ireland First Minister Michelle O’Neill has apologised for going to the funeral of a senior IRA member while COVID restrictions were in place.

Ms O’Neill, who was deputy first minister at the time, signalled her remorse for her actions during the latest hearings at the coronavirus inquiry.

In June 2020, Ms O’Neill went to the funeral of Bobby Storey who joined the IRA as a teenager and was arrested numerous times.

Bobby Storey, a former leading IRA member, died earlier this month
Image:
Bobby Storey. Pic: PA

He was supportive of the peace process in Northern Ireland, and later served as Sinn Fein’s northern party chair.

The 64-year-old died following a failed lung transplant, with a funeral taking place in Belfast.

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A large crowd gathered for Bobby Storey's funeral procession
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Thousands gathered for Bobby Storey’s funeral procession. Pic: PA

Thousands gathered for the procession – including many Sinn Fein politicians – and there was vocal criticism from political rivals claiming COVID regulations were breached.

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Speaking to the inquiry, Ms O’Neill said: “I know that my actions also angered the families and for that I’m truly sorry. I am sorry for going and I’m sorry for the harm that’s been caused after (it).

Following questioning, Ms O’Neill said she did not think her actions would have sparked anger at the time “but I ought to have”.

“I’ve said it publicly on a number of occasions about how sorry I am and I am absolutely, from the bottom of my heart, sorry.

“I do accept wholeheartedly that I in some way damaged our Executive relations with colleagues who had been working very hard with me the whole way through, and I also accept wholeheartedly that I damaged the public health messaging and I had work to do to regain that.”

“Sorry” no longer the hardest word for Northern Ireland’s first minister


David Blevins - Senior Ireland correspondent

David Blevins

Senior Ireland correspondent

@skydavidblevins

Michelle O’Neill faced fierce criticism for attending the funeral of IRA leader Bobby Storey during the global pandemic.

With thousands lining the route, the then deputy first minister had breached the power-sharing government’s own COVID restrictions.

At the time, Ms O’Neill, who is deputy leader of Sinn Fein, said she would “never apologise for attending the funeral of a friend”.

Four years later, and sorry no longer seems to be the hardest word for Northern Ireland’s first minister.

She asked if she could address bereaved relatives directly but was told she was there to give evidence.

Not once, but twice, the first minister said she was “sorry” – “sorry from the bottom of my heart”.

During the pandemic, unionists preferred to take their lead from Westminster, but nationalists looked to the Irish government.

But Ms O’Neill told the inquiry she “absolutely refutes” any suggestion she was playing politics during the pandemic.

A subsequent report found the Police Service of Northern Ireland prioritised public safety over coronavirus restrictions at the funeral – but did so without showing bias.

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At the time, Ms O’Neill said she would never apologise for attending the funeral of a “friend”.

She faced calls to stand aside from unionist politicians, including Traditional Unionist Voice leader Jim Allister.

He said at the time: “In light of the fact that Ms O’Neill is today present with many hundreds of others at the funeral of Bobby Storey her position is untenable.

“Her conduct is grossly offensive and insulting to the many law-abiding people who have made the huge sacrifice of foregoing a normal funeral as they said farewell to family members who died recently.”

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A peace deal isn’t a sure thing, Zelenskyy’s UK visit needs more than a warm welcome

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A peace deal isn't a sure thing, Zelenskyy's UK visit needs more than a warm welcome

Volodymyr Zelenskyy is heading to Downing Street once again, but Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer will be keen to make this meeting more than just a photo op.

On Monday the prime minister will welcome not only the Ukrainian president, but also E3 allies France and Germany to discuss the state of the war in Ukraine.

French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz will join Sir Keir in showing solidarity and support for Ukraine and its leader, but it’s the update on the peace negotiations that will be the main focus of the meet up.

The four leaders are said to be set to not only discuss those talks between Ukraine, the US and Russia, but also to talk about next steps if a deal were to be reached and what that might look like.

Ahead of the discussions, Sir Keir spoke with the Dutch leader Dick Schoof where both leaders agreed Ukraine’s defence still needs international support, and that Ukraine’s security is vital to European security.

But while Russia’s war machine shows no signs of abating, a warm welcome and kind words won’t be enough to satisfy the embattled Ukrainian president at a time when Russian drone and missile attacks continue to bombard Kyiv.

Keir Starmer welcoming Volodymyr Zelenskyy to Downing Street during a previous visit. Pic: AP
Image:
Keir Starmer welcoming Volodymyr Zelenskyy to Downing Street during a previous visit. Pic: AP

What is the latest in negotiations?

Over the weekend, Mr Zelenskyy said he had discussed “next steps” with US President Donald Trump’s advisers and was “determined to keep working in good faith”.

“The American representatives know the basic Ukrainian positions,” Mr Zelenskyy said in his nightly video address. “The conversation was constructive, although not easy.”

But on Sunday evening, ahead of an event at the Kennedy Center, President Trump said he was “disappointed” with Mr Zelenskyy, as was asked about the next steps in Russia-Ukraine talks following negotiations.

He said: “We’ve been speaking to President Putin and we’ve been speaking to Ukrainian leaders, including Zelenskyy, President Zelenskyy.

“And I have to say that I’m a little bit disappointed that President Zelenskyy hasn’t yet read the proposal. That was as of a few hours ago.

“His people love it. But he hasn’t – Russia’s fine with it. Russia’s you know, Russia, I guess, would rather have the whole country when you think of it. But Russia is, I believe, fine with it, but I’m not sure that Zelenskyy’s fine with it. His people love it but he hasn’t read it.”

Read more:
Ukraine has become Europe’s war – so why doesn’t it act like it?
Inside a secret underground military base in eastern Ukraine

On Saturday, Keith Kellogg, Trump’s outgoing Ukraine envoy, had told the Reagan National Defence Forum that efforts to resolve the conflict were in “the last 10 metres”.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov praised new US security strategy over the weekend, adding that Russia hopes this would lead to “further constructive cooperation with Washington on the Ukrainian settlement”.

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Coinbase mounts a cautious comeback in India, two years after exit

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Coinbase mounts a cautious comeback in India, two years after exit

Major US cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase is returning to India after a two-year absence from the market.

Coinbase has resumed app registrations in India as it prepares to roll out local fiat on-ramps in 2026, Coinbase APAC director John O’Loghlen announced at India Blockchain Week (IBW), according to a Sunday report by TechCrunch.

Coinbase’s return to India comes more than two years after it ceased local services in September 2023, following a troubled debut of its local exchange launched in 2022.

“We had millions of customers in India, historically, and we took a very clear stance to off-board those customers entirely from overseas entities, where they were domiciled and regulated. Because we wanted to kind of burn the boats, have a clean slate here,” O’Loghlen said.

Crypto-to-crypto trades available immediately

As Coinbase resumes customer onboarding in India, users can immediately execute crypto-to-crypto trades, according to the report by TechCrunch.

The exchange initially began onboarding users through an early-access program in October, around the time it hired Karan Malik as its India marketing lead.

Coinbase, India, Cryptocurrency Exchange, Policy
Source: Coinbase India marketing lead Karan Malik

Malik had previously overseen marketing for last year’s IBW event, where Coinbase served as a platinum sponsor this year.

“Last year, I was leading the charge and building the marketing and brand playbook for IBW. This year, I’m bringing Coinbase to the party,” the exec said.

Coinbase ramps up push in India

Coinbase has been actively working to rebuild its relationship with the Indian government. In early December, Coinbase’s international policy adviser Katie Mitch represented the exchange before India’s Parliamentary Standing Committee on Finance.

“We are optimistic on the potential for forward-looking VDA regulation in India,” she said in an X post last Thursday.

In another development last week, Priyank Kharge, IT minister for Karnataka, signed a memorandum of understanding with Coinbase India to deepen the state’s leadership in blockchain innovation and cybersecurity.

Source: Karnataka IT minister Priyank Kharge

Through the collaboration, the Karnataka government will collaborate with the exchange on startup incubation on Coinbase-backed Base protocol and speed up real-world applications of blockchain technology, the minister said.

Related: Coinbase invests in Indian crypto exchange CoinDCX at $2.45B valuation

As previously mentioned, Coinbase secured a license with India’s Financial Intelligence Unit in March 2025, positioning the exchange for a potential launch in the country. In August, Coinbase chief legal officer Paul Grewal also met with Karnataka’s IT minister Kharge to explore collaboration on developer tools, cybersecurity and blockchain in governance.

Cointelegraph approached Coinbase for comment regarding its relaunch in India, but had not received a response by the time of publication.