Daily News Mail - News of 11/04/2015

India to buy 36 Rafale jets in ready condition 

• In a protracted talk for striking the French Rafale jet deal,Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced in Paris on April 10 that India would buy 36 of the fighter planes in flyaway condition because the critical operational requirements of the Indian Air Force.
• The original plan was for India to buy 18 off-the-shelf jets from France's Dassault Aviation, with 108 others being assembled in India by the state-run Hindustan Aeronautics Limited or HAL in Bengaluru.
• Mr. Modi made the announcement at a joint press conference with French President Francois Hollande after their summit talks at Elysee Place.
•  An agreement on proceeding forward on the stalled nuclear project in Jaitapur in Maharashtra was among the 17 pacts signed after the talks between Modi and Hollande.
• The Jaitapur project,where French company Areva is to set up six nuclear reactors with a total power generation capacity of about 10,000 MW,has been stuck for long because of differences over the cost of the power generated.
• The agreement between India's Larsen and Toubro and France's Areva is aimed at cost reduction by increasing localisation and to improve the financial viability of the Jaitapur project.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi with French president Francois Hollande 

during an official dinner at the Elysee Palace in Paris 

India seethes as Lakhvi is freed 

• The mastermind of the 2008 Mumbai attacks, Zakir-ur-Rehman Lakhvi, has freed on bail by the Lahor High Court ,
• Lakhvi was released late on April 7, according to an official at Adiyala Prison in Rawalpindi ,close to Islamabad.
• Lashkar-e-Taiba's charity wing Jamaa-ud-Dawa ,confirmed Lakhvi release. 
• India reacting sharply to the grant of bail and sent its High commissioner in Islamabad to the Pakistani Foreign Ministry to register a protest. 
• "This has reinforced the perception that Pakistan has a dual policy on dealing with terrorists and those who have carried out attacks or are posing a threat to India are being dealt with differently, and emphasised that this is a most negative development in so far as bilateral ties are concerned,"the External Affairs Ministry said in a statement.

SC orders free treatment to acid attacked victims 

• The Supreme court ruled on April 10 that private hospitals could neither "turn away" victims of acid attack nor wash their hand of after providing first aid.
• The court made it mandatory for these hospitals across the country to provide full and free medical treatment to the victims. 
• The order said the term "treatment" included reconstructive surgery,free medicines, bed, rehabilitation and aftercare.
• The order came on a public interest litigation petition filed by Laxmi, an acid attack victim, following nine years of fighting for the rights of victims.
• The court direct the first hospital where the victim come for treatment that the hospital should provide a certificate attesting that the patient was an acid attack victim. This certificate is meant to ensure the victim future benefits and medical care.

Hillary set to announce bid for white house 

• The former U.S Secretary of State,Hillary Clinton,will announce,on April 12, her candidacy for the Democratic presidential nomination race in 2016,according to sources close to her campaign in Washington .
• Even as several prominent Republicans such as Senator Ted Cruz of Texas and Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky have thrown their hat in the ring.