Current Affairs in Short: 28 January 2021

Three more Rafale fighter jets join Indian Air Force

•The third batch of three Rafale fighter jets arrived in India on January 27, 2021 after flying non-stop from France. 
•The three jets flew non-stop to cover a distance measuring 7,000 Km with the support of in-flight refuelling. The jets are expected to bolster the strength of the Indian Air Force’s only Rafale squadron which is based in Ambala.
•This is the third set of deliveries of the fighter jets to the IAF. They have taken the number of Rafale fighter jets in IAF’s inventory to 11.
•India had signed a major deal with France in September 2016 to procure 36 Rafale warplanes for Rs 59,000 crore.

Italian PM Giuseppe Conte steps down 

•Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte has resigned from his post following criticism over spending in coronavirus crisis. 
•The parties in Italy have been divided over spending amid the COVID-19 pandemic, which has claimed the life of almost 85,000 Italians.
•The Prime Minister had earlier met Italian President Sergio Mattarella. He had last week lost his Senate majority.
It is not yet clear if Giuseppe Conte will be able to form and lead a new coalition government.

Maharashtra CM Uddhav Thackeray launches Agriculture Pump Power Connection Policy

•Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray formally launched the Agriculture Pump Power Connection Policy on January 27, 2021. 
•While speaking on the occasion, he said that the state government had taken bold steps to bring about a radical change in the lives of farmers through the policy of agricultural pump power connection.
•The state government said that it aims to fulfil the main demands of farmers including providing electricity during day time and MSP for their agricultural production.
•The Chief Minister also inaugurated Solar Energy Land Bank Portal, Krishi Urja Abhiyan Policy Web Portal, ACF App and Maha Krishi Abhiyan App. 

Women's Asian Cup 2022 to be held in India

•The 2022 Women's Asian Cup, to be hosted by India, will be held from January 20 to February 6, 2021. This was announced by the Asian Football Confederation on January 28, 2021. 
•The tournament will comprise 12 teams, expanded from eight in the previous edition. It will comprise three groups of four with a minimum of 25 matches being played over 18 days. 
•The eight teams will qualify for the newly-introduced quarterfinals. The event will also serve as a qualification tournament for the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup.

Cannes Film Festival postponed till July 2021

•The Cannes Film Festival 2021 has been postponed from May to July 2021 with the hopes of having an in-person festival. The decision was taken following a board meeting on January 26, 2021. 
•The initial dates of the festival this year were May 11-22 but they did not seem feasible as France is almost about to go into another lockdown to combat the second wave of COVID-19.
•The film festival will now run from July 6-17, 2021. The festival was cancelled last year due to the coronavirus outbreak.