George HW Bush to lie in state in US Capitol

WASHINGTON - The body of former US President George HW Bush is to lie in state next week ahead of a day of national mourning.

An arrival ceremony will be held for Bush Snr in the evening today at the US Capitol. The public will be invited to pay their respects.

Bush served as the 41st US president between 1989 and 1993, and died late on Friday.

A funeral service will be held at a later date at the National Cathedral in Washington DC.

The former president had been receiving treatment for a form of Parkinson’s disease and had been admitted to hospital with a blood infection in April.

He died aged 94 in Houston, Texas.

The presidential plane will be flown to Houston to bring the former president’s body to Washington DC.

His body will lie in state in the US Capitol on Wednesday, where the public will be able to pay tribute.

He will be buried at the presidential library in Texas, alongside his wife, Barbara Bush, who died seven months ago. The Bush family said they would announce additional details about funeral arrangements “as soon as is practical.”

A statement from a joint military task force supporting events around the state funeral promised a “nothing less than a first-class tribute.”

The White House said President Trump and First Lady Melania Trump would attend, despite not being at the funeral of former First Lady Barbara Bush. Dozens of other world leaders are also expected to be in attendance.

Although US President Donald Trump has had difficult relations with the Bush family, he has declared Wednesday, December 5, a national day of mourning. The New York Stock Exchange and Nasdaq will also be closed on Wednesday in his honour. – BBC.