Connect with us

Featured

Thousands of people converge in London for the Coronation of King Charles III

Published

on

Thousands of people converge in London for the Coronation of King Charles III

The first coronation in 70 years has begun, with King Charles III and the Queen Consort ready for their historic carriage trip to Westminster Abbey.

Crowds of people wearing Union jacks have gathered along the parade route in London, eager to see the King.

There will be 2,300 guests inside the abbey, including 100 heads of state.

Celebrity visitors have also arrived, including actress Emma Thompson and US singer Katy Perry.

The service will begin at 11:00 BST and last around two hours.

The notion of service will be central to King Charles’ Coronation, and in his first prayer upon entering the Abbey, he will remark, “I come not to be served, but to serve.”

The King and Camilla will travel to Buckingham Palace after the ceremony.

The Duke of Sussex, who came from the United States on a commercial aircraft on Friday, is also on the guest list.

It will be his first public appearance alongside his brother, Prince William, since the publication of his memoir, Spare.

Prince Harry is expected to fly back to the United States shortly after the ceremony to rejoin his wife, Meghan, since their baby Archie is celebrating his birthday.

As the rain begins to fall, umbrellas begin to appear along the procession path.

Despite the English weather, there has been a festive vibe on The Mall, with frequent Mexican waves and cheers for police officers and security guards.

Alexandra Hornyak, 57, of Montreal, Canada, will be among those viewing from Green Park.

“I’ve known for years that I would want to attend this day, and the day that it was announced, I was driving to the office, and my husband just called me and said ‘May 6’,” she told the BBC.

“I knew exactly what it was. And I jumped on the phone to get a hotel reservation and we went from there.”

Karen Daly, 54, from Birmingham, said “We could have done this at home, but the atmosphere is so good and everyone’s really happy.

“When the Queen died, we couldn’t make it because we all couldn’t get out of work. So we booked off as soon as we knew about the coronation.”

coronation jpg

When his mother Elizabeth died after 70 years on the throne, Charles ascended to the throne of the United Kingdom and 14 other nations.

The crowning ceremonies, the 40th to take place at Westminster Abbey since 1066, have been months in the making.

Outside the abbey, unlike the procession path, there are no crowds because it is closed to the public prior to the ceremony.

The ceremony will be led by Justin Welby, Archbishop of Canterbury, who will be accompanied by Stephen Cottrell, Archbishop of York.

“There have been wall-to-wall rehearsals this week, and indeed last week,” he told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme.

“None of us have done this for a very long time, so working out the choreography has been complex”.

Thousands gather in London for King Charles III's Coronation
Crowds gathering on The Mall

The ceremony’s high point will be the placing of the St Edward’s Crown on the King’s head, which will be signalled by the abbey bells and a gun salute at the adjacent Horse Guards Parade.

Camilla will be crowned alongside Charles, and following the couple’s long and often difficult relationship, she will be referred to as “Queen Camilla” for the first time.

The event will promote diversity and inclusivity, with more multi-faith aspects than any previous coronation, including contributions from representatives from Jewish, Muslim, Buddhist, and Sikh faiths.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, who is Hindu, will read a Bible lesson, and songs will be sung in Welsh, Scottish, and Irish Gaelic.

For the first time in a coronation ritual dating back over a thousand years, women bishops will be present.

Following the service, King Charles and Queen Camilla will ride in the Gold State Coach back to Buckingham Palace in a mile-long (1.6km) parade led by 4,000 troops and 19 military bands.

When they arrive at the palace, it is unclear who will accompany the King and Queen to the ceremonial balcony appearance.

There are plans for a flypast when the senior royals are on the palace balcony, but the weather prediction is for overcast and rain.

coronation 2 jpg

What else is happening around the UK on Coronation day?

The Coronation has also drawn a tiny number of protestors from Republic, the organisation advocating for the monarchy’s overthrow.

Six demonstrators were detained while unloading a trailer with banners just north of the square.

There will be a tremendous security operation, with the Metropolitan Police deploying 11,500 police in what they claim will be their largest single-day deployment ever.

Protesters against the monarchy have maintained their right to demonstrate, but police have warned that “tolerance for any disruption, whether through protest or otherwise, will be low.”

The invitation of Chinese Vice President Han Zheng, who is accused of presiding over a crackdown on civil freedoms in Hong Kong, has also been questioned.

There has also been considerable debate about whether or not individuals at home were asked to vow their loyalty to the King.

The Church of England has said that this is completely optional and that individuals may instead have a “private moment of reflection.”

Protest jpg

Featured

South African roadway fissures as a result of the Johannesburg explosion

Published

on

By

South African roadway fissures as a result of the Johannesburg explosion

One of Johannesburg’s busiest roadways has been extensively damaged as a result of a suspected explosion from an underground gas pipeline.

Videos show portions of the road collapsing and automobiles flipping upside down.

According to authorities, one person was murdered and several were injured.

At the moment of the detonation, some witnesses described feeling the earth shake and then hearing a huge bang.

Continue Reading

Featured

Users are saying goodbye to Twitter in favour of Mark Zuckerberg’s Threads

The initial success of Threads, Meta’s Twitter competitor, bodes well for Mark Zuckerberg.

Published

on

By

Users are saying goodbye to Twitter in favour of Mark Zuckerberg's Threads

Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg claimed the app had 10 million users seven hours after it launched on Wednesday.

Zuckerberg returned to Twitter for the first time in a decade, tweeting a Threads-related meme. On Threads, the tech CEO has also been taking subtle jabs at Twitter, stating on Wednesday that he was aiming to make it a “friendly place” and that users should “focus on kindness.”

“Threads,” “Meta,” and “Goodbye Twitter” were all hot topics on Elon Musk’s Twitter on Thursday morning.

“Threads,” “Meta,” and “Goodbye Twitter” were all hot topics on Elon Musk’s Twitter on Thursday morning.

After months of turbulence under Musk’s unstable leadership, some tweeters went to the site to say their final goodbyes. Many people posted memes and screenshots of new Threads accounts, pushing their followers to do the same.

One Twitter user wrote: “Instagram Threads…. Goodbye Twitter I found a better app.”

—Naku (@nakuwtf) July 5, 2023

“Goodbye twitter and hello threads,” another wrote, “for the love of God bye Elon.”

However, not everyone on Twitter is thrilled with the new service. Twitter users have mocked Threads’ design while vowing to return to Twitter.

One user posted, “not threads users gaslighting themselves saying it’s better than twitter maybe it can get better but for now it’s a whole mess.”

—Onkar_ (@Onkar_ok127) July 6, 2023

Another Twitter user shared a video of crowds, along with the caption: “Everyone running back to twitter after trying Threads App for 5 min.. #ThreadsApp”

Source: africa.businessinsider.com

Continue Reading

Featured

Possible cocaine discovery at the White House has prompted evacuation

Published

on

By

Possible cocaine discovery at the White House has prompted evacuation

On Sunday night, a white substance that prompted an emergency evacuation at the White House tested positive for cocaine.

The drug was discovered during a regular search at the guarded building, according to the US Secret Service.

The Washington Post originally reported the preliminary positive test, citing fire and law enforcement officials.

President Joe Biden and his family were at Camp David when the drug was discovered.

The White House complex was shuttered as a precaution at about 20:45 local time (01:45 BST) on Sunday when Secret Service personnel discovered the white powder “inside a work area” of the West Wing, according to a statement from Secret Service spokesperson Anthony Guglielmi.

Mr Guglielmi stated that the fire brigade was soon contacted and that the chemical was determined to be “non-hazardous.”

He would not confirm the preliminary test findings but did say the item had been submitted for additional testing and that an inquiry was underway, including how the drug got into the White House.

According to CBS News, the material was discovered in a storage facility in a cabinet commonly used by White House personnel and guests to keep mobile phones, according to a senior law enforcement source.

Two law enforcement officials and a recording of a radio transmission from Sunday verified the drug tested positive for cocaine shortly after it was discovered, according to CBS.

According to the US Narcotic Enforcement Administration, cocaine is a Schedule II narcotic under the Controlled Substances Act, which means it has a high potential for abuse.

The West Wing is a huge, multi-level section of the White House that houses the president’s offices, including the Oval Office and the Situation Room.

It also contains the vice president’s office, the White House chief of staff, the press secretary, and hundreds of other staff members who have access.

SOURCE: BBC

Continue Reading

Trending