Connect with us

Latest News

Queen Elizabeth’s funeral: Who’s invited and who’s not

Published

on

London: Hundreds of foreign royals and leaders are expected to attend the state funeral of Queen Elizabeth II in London on Monday in one of the biggest diplomatic gatherings in decades.

Westminster Abbey has space for around 2,000 people, so only heads of state and one or two guests have reportedly been invited to Britain´s first state funeral for six decades.

A handful of countries have meanwhile not been invited to the funeral due to political considerations — sparking a furious outburst in at least one case.

Here are some of the key guests, and some who did not make the list:

– World royalty –

A host of royals from Europe and further afield have confirmed their attendance at the funeral of one of the world´s longest-serving monarchs.

Japan´s Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako will come, in their first overseas trip since assuming the throne in 2019. It also marks a departure from Japanese tradition which rarely sees the emperor attend funerals.

Europe´s royal families are closely related after centuries of mingling their bloodlines, so it will be no surprise to see several monarchs from the continent in the congregation.

Dutch King Willem-Alexander, Queen Maxima and Crown Princess Beatrix, Philippe King of the Belgians, King Harald V of Norway and Prince Albert II of Monaco will all attend.

Denmark´s Queen Margrethe, who scrapped a series of events marking her 50th jubilee following the death of her third cousin Queen Elizabeth, is also coming.

Spain´s King Felipe VI will be there too — and so will his father, former king Juan Carlos I, who abdicated in disgrace in 2014 and now lives in self-imposed exile in the United Arab Emirates.

– Global leaders –

US President Joe Biden and his wife Jill Biden head the diplomatic guest list, after the White House confirmed they would come to the funeral.

Unlike some other leaders who have been asked to come in coaches arranged by the British government, Biden has reportedly been given permission to use his armoured presidential limousine, known as The Beast.

French President Emmanuel Macron will also attend, the Elysee said, to show the “unbreakable” bond with Britain and pay respects to the “eternal queen”.

He is among the other leaders allowed to use their own transport, British officials said.

Strongmen leaders Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey and Jair Bolsonaro of Brazil are also coming.

Despite Britain´s Brexit divorce from the European Union, European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen and European Council head Charles Michel will be present as well.

Other heads of state at the funeral will include presidents Sergio Mattarella of Italy, Frank-Walter Steinmeier of Germany, Isaac Herzog of Israel and Yoon Suk-yeol of Korea.

In a symbolic move to pay tribute to the queen whose 2011 state visit helped heal decades of tensions, Ireland´s Taoiseach, prime minister Micheal Martin, will also attend.

– Leaders of realms and Commonwealth countries –

Numerous leaders will come from the countries that still counted Elizabeth II as their monarch and from members of the 56-nation Commonwealth.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, whose nations have the British sovereign as their head of state, are all set to come.

From the Commonwealth of mainly former British colonies will come leaders including South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, Bangladesh´s Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe and Fijian Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama.

– Not invited –

Russia and Belarus are among a small group of nations to be excluded from the queen´s funeral following Moscow´s invasion of Ukraine, a British government source said.

Russian President Vladimir Putin — under a travel ban to the UK because of sanctions — had already said he would not attend.

But not inviting any Russian representative to the queen´s funeral was “particularly blasphemous towards Elizabeth II´s memory” and “deeply immoral”, the foreign ministry in Moscow said on Thursday.

Military-run Myanmar, a former British colony, and long-time pariah North Korea have also been snubbed, the British source said on condition of anonymity.

Latest News

Preliminary ruling on Sheikh Rashid’s exoneration plea on conspiracy to assassinate President Zardari

Published

on

By

On Thursday, the Islamabad District and Sessions Court reserved judgment on Sheikh Rashid’s (leader of the Awami Muslim League) appeal in the matter of alleged plot to assassinate President Asif Ali Zardari.

Earlier, Sheikh Rashid sought exoneration in the matter by lodging a plea.

On Thursday, the session was presided over by Civil Judge Yasir Mehmood.

The ex-minister of the federal government and his legal team made an appearance in court.

In court, lawyer Sardar Razaq contended that the FIR filed against Sheikh Rashid did not adhere to the law.

The veteran politician’s lawyer begged the court to clear his client’s name in the case that was filed with the Abpara Police Station.

The case’s ruling was postponed by the court.

Continue Reading

Latest News

KP CM Ganadapur granted three weeks of travel bail by PHC

Published

on

By

The chief minister of KP, Ali Amin Gandapur, has been granted three weeks of transit bail in his plea with the Peshawar High Court (PHC).

The appeal for information regarding charges against Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur was considered by a two-judge panel from the PHC, which included Chief Justice Ishtiaq Ibrahim and Justice Sahibzada Asadullah.

The chief justice noted that the chief minister showed up for the court hearing, even though he was actually scheduled to be in Islamabad for an IMF meeting.

The applicant’s legal representative has asked for specifics of all pending charges against Chief Minister Gandapur, including those in Punjab.

According to the assistant attorney general, he told the ministry of the interior to adhere rigidly to court orders.

According to CJ Ibrahim, they have the option to request a response from the federal government and extend protection bail up to the Punjab region.

In every case, the additional attorney general ensured that court orders were implemented. He said that he had written to each district and requested details from the Punjab Police and the Inspector General.

The assistant attorney general has asked for an extension of three weeks to complete the report.

Gandapur could not attend the court daily due to his administrative duties and his position as chief minister and public office holder, according to Justice Asadullah.

After extending KP CM’s protective bail, the judge postponed the case hearing to December 17.

“Prepared to Protest”

Speaking to the media outside of PHC, KP CM Ali Amin Gandapur declared that he was prepared for the PTI protest meeting and that this time, the action plan will be stringent but undisclosed.

He emphasized that their peaceful protest was in accordance with their constitutionally protected right. According to him, his group was attacked, rubber bullets were shot, and routes were blocked so that protests couldn’t take place.

Importantly, on November 24th, Aleema Khan, who is the brother of PTI founder Imran Khan, said that her brother had called for a final protest.

Continue Reading

Latest News

A response to an intra-party election case has been granted an extension by PTI.

Published

on

By

The matter involving PTI’s intra-party elections was heard by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), and the party once again asked for more time to respond.

Barrister Gohar Ali Khan, chairman of the PTI, and petitioner Akbar S. Babar were both present before a two-member ECP court that heard the matter.

In response to PTI’s plea for additional time to respond, the Election Commission extended the deadline.

Additional case proceedings will not resume until December 4, per the commission’s adjournment.

Continue Reading

Trending