In today’s edition: After Queen Elizabeth II demise, what’s next for Britain; Delhi’s freshly-inaugurated ‘Kartavya Path’; How a Punjab village became a trendsetter in expanding forest cover; and more.

🔴 Big Story Britain’s longest ruling monarch, Queen Elizabeth II, died on Thursday after 70 years on the throne. She was 96. According to the Palace, she died at Balmoral Palace, her summer residence in Scotland, where members of the royal family had rushed to her side when her health worsened. With the death of his mother, Prince Charles has become the King of the United Kingdom and 14 other realms.

What’s next? Her death kicked off a detailed plan, put in place in the 1960s, to play out in the eventuality of the monarch’s death. The plan meticulously lists the procedures that roll out moments after her death and culminate with her funeral 10 days later. Read about Operation London Bridge.

What does this mean for Britain? Several things will change across Britain — from a new face on the country’s stamps and coins to new words for the national anthem. The words of the British national anthem, which in its present form dates back to the 18th century, will change from “God Save the Queen” to “God Save the King”.

A day after PM Narendra Modi inaugurated the first phase of the revamped Central Vista avenue, Abhinav Prakash writes on why India’s old elite are reluctant to accept the project: “What is the opposition to the project all about? The answer lies in the inability of the old guard to accept that India has moved forward and no longer accepts them as the gatekeepers and arbiters of what is acceptable. Just as 2014 marked the final departure from the old polity of the last 100 years, the Central Vista project marks the departure from the colonial roots of central Delhi.”

“Kingsway, or Rajpath, the symbol of slavery, has become a matter of history from today and has been erased forever. A new history has been created in the form of Kartavya Path,” said PM Modi on Thursday evening, while inaugurating the Kartavya Path. A 28-foot statue of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose was also unveiled on Thursday.

Indian and Chinese troops have begun disengaging at Patrolling Pillar (15) in the Gogra-Hotspring region of Eastern Ladakh, the government said. Forces of the two countries have been locked in a confrontational position in the area since April 2020.

With an eye on China, Japan’s foreign and defence ministers on Thursday told visiting External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh that they are examining “all options” necessary for national defence including “counterstrike capabilities”, and will increase their defence budget substantially to strengthen their capabilities.

How did Punjab’s Kuharianwali village become a trendsetter in expanding forest cover? In 2021, the village in the Fazilka district had just 1.34 per cent forest cover, one of the lowest in the state. The district administration knew it had to do something to drastically change the picture. They launched a pilot project called “My village, my forest” in October in a bid to develop a “forest” by applying the so-called Miyawaki method. In less than a year, the efforts have borne fruit with the area now full of firm plants such as kachnar, neem, arjun, ashok, jamun, guava and others.

In a major relief to the Indian economy, the Brent crude prices have fallen sharply over the last ten days. What led to this? What does this mean for India? We explain.

Express in UAE: There was a moment of suspenseful silence. A moment when all the eyes in the stadium were tracking a white ball’s path. Then as the ball landed onto the scantly-filled gallery behind the midwicket fence, the stadium let out a collective roar of joy so loud that it could stop traffic at the bustling Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed Road. Then the collective converged onto the five-foot-eleven sleek figure of Virat Kolhi, standing in the middle of the ground, statue-like, immersed in a transcendental dream.

🤫 Delhi Confidential: Since Justice UU Lalit took over as CJI, the Supreme Court has been on an overdrive, listing and hearing more cases than it did in the last few years. The cause list — a list of cases to be heard by the court — is now constantly updated every evening.

🎧  In today’s episode of the ‘3 Things’ podcast, we take a look at India’s first nasal vaccine for covid-19, the arrest of a man who stole 5000 cars, and reasons of demolishing four madrasas in Assam.

Queen Elizabeth’s reign in numbers

Rahel PhiliposeRahel Philipose is a Senior Sub Editor at the indianexpress.com news d... read more