Top 5 news at 1 PM on Sept 23: India and France ink deal for 36 Rafale fighter jets and more

India on Friday signed the Euro 7.8 billion deal for 36 Rafale jets with French Defence Minister Jean Yves Le Drian in New Delhi. The new jets which come equipped with latest missiles and weapon system, will give Indian Air Force a cutting edge over arch rival Pakistan.

1)  Watch video: India and France ink deal for 36 Rafale fighter jets

India on Friday signed the Euro 7.8 billion deal for 36 Rafale jets with French Defence Minister Jean Yves Le Drian in New Delhi. The new jets which come equipped with latest missiles and weapon system, will give Indian Air Force a cutting edge over arch rival Pakistan.

2) Targets selected in India by Pak army in case of any surgical strike, claims Pakistani media

Pakistan Army has made its operational plan ready in case of any surgical strike from Indian armed forces under its Cold Start Doctrine, according to a report in Pakistan news website. 

3) Poll: Should India cancel Indus Waters Treaty in wake of repeated attacks by Pak-sponsored terror groups in Kashmir?

The 56-year-old Indus Water Treaty has cropped up in the current hostile Indo-Pak discourse with India making it clear that "mutual trust and cooperation" was important for such a treaty to work. Should India cancel Indus Waters Treaty in wake of repeated attacks by Pak-sponsored terror groups in Kashmir? Take our poll here.

4) Caught on camera: ‘Akali Dal’ leaders thrash five-month pregnant nurse in Moga

In a shocking incident an alleged leader of Akali Dal and his son have been caught on camera assaulting a pregnant nurse in a private hospital in Bhaghapurana town in Moga district of Punjab. The nurse is five-month pregnant and claims to have sustained internal injuries.

5) Cultural issues and saffronisation derailing PM Modi's big bang economic reforms: US think-tank on NDA Govt's 2 years

In its recent report ‘Modi Two years On’, the Hudson Institute has analysed two years of the government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and said it has instituted significant reforms, with the most significant of them being passing of the Goods and Services Tax (GST) bill.