 "Pakistan army soldiers march during a Pakistan Defence Day parade in Karachi, Pakistan. Representational image/AP")
It is set to be a busy Thursday today with several events lined up for the day.
Firstly, the armed forces of Pakistan will hold a defence show in Islamabad today to mark their 79th Independence Day. Meanwhile, the Speaker of Russia’s State Duma will lead a Russian parliamentary delegation in North Korea to coincide with celebrations marking the 80th anniversary of independence.
The hearing for ex-marine Paul Doyle, who is charged in the Liverpool Premier League parade crash, will take place today at Liverpool Crown Court.
In India, Congress is set to hold a nationwide ‘Vote chor, gaddi chhodd’ rally to discuss the alleged electoral malpractices and voter roll manipulation by the ruling party. One of the most awaited movies of the year, Coolie, featuring Rajnikanth, will release today.
Here is all that is set to take place throughout the day.
Pakistan’s armed forces to hold defence show
‘Azadi Grand Ceremony’ is scheduled in Islamabad today to celebrate Pakistan’s Independence Day and commemorate the historic victory in ‘Maarka-e-Haq’. The nation will be celebrating its 79th Independence Day. A grand parade by all three armed forces, an impressive air show, and special national and cultural performances are planned for the central event. A large number of national and foreign dignitaries are expected to attend.
The exhibition, which is open to the public, is a key part of this year’s celebrations and aims to showcase the nation’s military strength and defence capabilities. Visitors can expect to see an extensive display of military hardware, including tanks, artillery, aircraft, and armoured vehicles. A key highlight of the event is a flypast by the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) and para-jumping demonstrations by the army’s elite forces. The show will also feature cultural performances and patriotic musical presentations by military bands.
New SC bench to hear Delhi stray dogs case
The Supreme Court has assigned the case of the crackdown on stray dogs in Delhi-NCR to a new bench. The hearing is set for today.
The matter will now be taken up by a newly constituted three-judge bench comprising Justices Vikram Nath, Sandeep Mehta, and NV Anjaria. “The judges who passed the order are not part of the bench,” the court noted.
On August 11, a bench of Justices JB Pardiwala and R Mahadevan observed that instances of dog bites had given rise to an “extremely grim" situation and ordered the permanent relocation of all strays in Delhi-NCR “at the earliest". The order has sparked a big uproar.
President of Russia’s Duma to visit North Korea
Vyacheslav Volodin , the Speaker of Russia’s State Duma and a close ally of President Vladimir Putin, is scheduled to lead a Russian parliamentary delegation to Pyongyang, North Korea, today. This will coincide with celebrations marking the 80th anniversary of Korea’s independence from Japanese colonial rule during World War II.
Volodin’s trip builds upon the deepening strategic partnership between the two nations, which gained momentum earlier in 2024 when Russian President Vladimir Putin visited Pyongyang and co-signed the Treaty on Comprehensive Strategic Partnership with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. His visit will further showcase Russia’s intention to deepen political and diplomatic ties beyond executive channels, and highlight the legislative dimension of this burgeoning relationship.
Hearing for ex-marine charged in Liverpool Premier League parade crash
A former Royal Marine from Liverpool, Paul Doyle, will be appearing before the Liverpool Crown Court for a plea hearing. Daoyle is charged with seven offences stemming from the May 26 incident , where he allegedly drove a Ford Galaxy into a crowd celebrating Liverpool FC’s Premier League title parade.
During earlier hearings, prosecutors emphasised that Doyle deliberately used his vehicle as a weapon, targeting parade-goers and causing major injuries to at least six individuals, while 79 people were hurt overall. The incident, which took place on Water Street, marred a day meant for joy, causing panic when the vehicle veered into fans following an ambulance that bypassed roadblocks.
Congress to launch nationwide ‘Vote chor, gaddi chhodd’ rally
The Indian National Congress is set to launch the ‘Vote chor, gaddi chhodd’ rally across the country. Led by Congress leaders like Rahul Gandhi, KC Venugopal, and Mallikarjun Kharge, the rally aims to shed light at the alleged electoral malpractices and voter roll manipulation by the ruling party.
“On 14th August, we will do a night march all over India, a district-level night march. ‘Vote chor, gaddi chhodd’ rally at 8 pm on 14th August, in all districts. Then from August 21 to September 7, we will do state-level ‘Vote chor, gaddi chhodd’ rallies… From September 15 to October 15, a massive signature campaign will take place with the same slogan. We will submit 5 crore signatures to the EC," KC Venugopal told ANI.
The Congress MP further stated that the party would escalate its protests to the grassroots level of people in India and alleged that the ECI was ‘siding’ with the Union Government.
Rajinikanth’s Coolie to release
The much-awaited action drama movie ‘Coolie’ is set to make its theatrical release today. The project starring Rajinikanth in the lead role has already shattered records in pre-sales.
The Lokesh Kanagaraj directorial has already made advance bookings worth Rs 80 crore globally. As many as over 1.8 million tickets have been sold before the movie’s release.
The action thriller Coolie marks Rajinikanth’s first collaboration with director Lokesh Kanagaraj. The film, which is not part of the Lokesh Cinematic Universe (LCU), features a cast including Nagarjuna, Upendra, Soubin Shahir, Shruti Haasan, and Aamir Khan, with Pooja Hegde making a cameo appearance.
With inputs from agencies