UK inviting North Korea to send envoy to Queen Elizabeth's funeral
Afghanistan, Syria and Venezuela will not be given an invite, a foreign office source said on Wednesday (Sep 14).
September 15, 2022, 9:52 am

UK inviting North Korea to send envoy to Queen Elizabeth's funeral

North Korea-Pyongyang-Kim Il Sung square/Pixabay

Britain is inviting a representative from North Korea to attend Queen Elizabeth's funeral on Monday (Sep 19), but Afghanistan, Syria and Venezuela will not be given an invite, a foreign office source said on Wednesday (Sep 14).

Queen Elizabeth's funeral will take place in London on Sept. 19, and a host of world leaders, royalty and other dignitaries have already said they will attend.

The invitation for communist North Korea would be at an ambassadorial level, the source said. This means that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un will not attend. Pyongyang has an embassy in West London.

Syria and Venezuela would not be invited because Britain does not currently have diplomatic relations with those states. Afghanistan was not invited due to the current political situation, the source said.

They join Russia, Myanmar and Belarus in not being asked to attend.

Foreign dignitaries who do come to Britain will also be invited to visit the Queen's Lying in State inside parliament's Westminster Hall ahead of the funeral.

The Queen’s coffin has arrived at the Palace of Holyroodhouse, where it will rest in the Throne Room until tomorrow afternoon (Sep 12)- The Royal Family official Twitter account

Funeral invitations are being sent to all holders of Britain's highest military honour, the Victoria Cross, and the George Cross, which can also be held by civillians.

Russia, Belarus and Myanmar not invited to Queen Elizabeth's funeral

In total, foreign office officials have handwritten around 1,000 invitations for Monday's funeral and a reception with King Charles on Sunday.

The deadline to accept funeral invitations passes tomorrow, after which officials will finalise the seating plan.

Source: usnews

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BENEFIT, the Kingdom’s innovator and leading company in Fintech and electronic financial transactions service, has sponsored the BuildHer CityHack 2025 Hackathon, a two-day event spearheaded by the College of Engineering and Technology at the Royal University for Women (RUW).
Aimed at secondary school students, the event brought together a distinguished group of academic professionals and technology experts to mentor and inspire young participants.
More than 100 high school students from across the Kingdom of Bahrain took part in the hackathon, which featured an intensive programme of training workshops and hands-on sessions. These activities were tailored to enhance participants’ critical thinking, collaborative problem-solving, and team-building capabilities, while also encouraging the development of practical and sustainable solutions to contemporary challenges using modern technological tools.
BENEFIT’s Chief Executive Mr. Abdulwahed AlJanahi, commented: “Our support for this educational hackathon reflects our long-term strategic vision to nurture the talents of emerging national youth and empower the next generation of accomplished female leaders in technology. By fostering creativity and innovation, we aim to contribute meaningfully to Bahrain’s comprehensive development goals and align with the aspirations outlined in the Kingdom’s Vision 2030—an ambition in which BENEFIT plays a central role.”
Professor Riyadh Yousif Hamzah, President of the Royal University for Women, commented: “This initiative reflects our commitment to advancing women in STEM fields. We're cultivating a generation of creative, solution-driven female leaders who will drive national development. Our partnership with BENEFIT exemplifies the powerful synergy between academia and private sector in supporting educational innovation.”
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For his part, Dr. Humam ElAgha, Acting Dean of the College of Engineering and Technology at the University, said: “BuildHer CityHack 2025 embodies our hands-on approach to education. By tackling real-world problems through creative thinking and sustainable solutions, we're preparing women to thrive in the knowledge economy – a cornerstone of the University's vision.”