Here you’ll find the latest news and big stories to follow today

ISRO demonstrates docking of satellites in space in January, launch on Monday

ISRO will launch two satellites from Sriharikota spaceport on Monday evening to demonstrate docking and undocking of spacecraft in orbit. This would make India the fourth country in the world to achieve this feat. The Indian Space Research Organization’s (ISRO) Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) rocket will place the two satellites – SDX01 and SDX02 – in a circular orbit of 476 km and attempt the Space Docking Experiment (SpaDEx) in the first week of January, officials said Space Agency. “This mission will mark India’s entry into the exclusive league of nations capable of mastering space docking,” said Union Science and Technology Minister Jitendra Singh. The SpaDEx mission is expected to be a stepping stone for India’s future space exploration efforts, which also include the extraction of rocks and soil from the Moon on Earth, the planned Bharatiya Antariksha station and the landing of an astronaut on the lunar surface .

Avalanche warning for Chamoli in Uttarakhand

The Defense Geoinformatics Research Establishment (DGRE), a laboratory of the Defense Research and Development Organization (DRDO), on Sunday issued an orange alert for an avalanche at an altitude of over 3,000 meters in Chamoli district of Uttarakhand in the next 24 hours. The alert is valid for a period of 24 hours from Sunday 5:00 p.m. to Monday 5:00 p.m. Mohammad Obaidullah Ansari, deputy chief executive officer of the Uttarakhand State Disaster Management Authority, wrote to the Chamoli district magistrate, drawing his attention to the DGRE’s orange alert (level 3) for the area. He urged him to take appropriate security and precautionary measures in view of the alert. All affected officials must be on alert, he said in a message to the district judge.

Delhi will record low temperatures of 13 degrees Celsius and dense fog is likely on Monday

According to the India Meteorological Department, Delhi recorded a maximum temperature of 18 degrees Celsius, two degrees below normal. The minimum temperature on Sunday was 13 degrees Celsius, six levels above the seasonal average for this time of year. The weather office has predicted very dense fog on Monday, with the maximum and minimum temperatures expected to be around 18 and 6 degrees Celsius, respectively. The 24-hour air quality index (AQI) was 225 in the poor category at 4pm on Sunday. On Saturday, the city’s AQI was in the moderate category.

The Sabarimala Temple will reopen on December 30 for the Makaravilakku festival

The Sabarimala Lord Ayyappa temple will reopen on Monday for this year’s Makaravilakku festival, temple authorities said. The temple will be inaugurated at 4 pm by Melshanthi S Arun Kumar Namboothiri in the presence of head priest Tantri Kandararu Rajeevaru. Pilgrims can climb the sacred 18 steps for darshan after the Melshanthi ceremoniously lighting the fireplace fire (Aazhi) in the sanctum. The temple was already closed on December 26 at 10 pm after the mandala puja accompanied by the recitation of Harivarasanam. Thousands witnessed the Mandala Puja, which marked the culmination of the 41-day first leg of the annual pilgrimage season.

It is up to the Center to decide whether to forcibly evict Dallewal from the protest site: farmer leaders

As Jagjit Singh Dallewal’s indefinite hunger strike enters its 34th day on Sunday, farmer leaders in Khanauri said they have chosen the Gandhian way to continue their protest. Her statement comes amid the Supreme Court’s harsh criticism of the Punjab government for not shifting Dallewal to a hospital. Farmers have been protesting at the Punjab-Haryana border to demand several demands from the Center, including a legal guarantee of minimum support price (MSP) for crops.

University of Kashmir postpones exams due to snow

The University of Kashmir has postponed all exams scheduled for Monday due to bad weather. The information was shared by the university in a statement on Sunday. The university spokesman said new dates for the postponed exams would be announced separately later. Heavy snowfall occurred in Kashmir on Friday and Saturday, resulting in some areas of the valley being cut off. While major highways and arterial roads have been cleared of snow, work is still underway in some remote areas of the Union Territory.

Odisha CM, LoP visits districts to witness farmers’ plight after four deaths due to crop failure

With the opposition BJD claiming that at least four farmers have died unnaturally due to crop failure in the last eight days, Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi and his predecessor Naveen Patnaik will separately visit several districts to take stock of the condition of farmers. The BJD claimed that one farmer each died in Ganjam, Puri, Kendrapara and Jajpur districts after suffering crop loss due to unseasonal rains. BJD spokesperson Lelin Mohanty said, “Farmers are the victims as the government has remained insensitive to their plight. “The government must act quickly and help the farmers who are losing hope and taking extreme steps.” Finance and Disaster Minister Suresh Pujari told PTI that the government has asked the district collectors concerned to investigate the allegations (regarding the deaths of farmers allegedly due to crop failure) and submit a report soon.

Delhi polls: Kejriwal accuses BJP of rigging voter rolls – follow-up

AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal on Sunday accused the BJP of trying to manipulate the voter list ahead of the Delhi assembly elections. Addressing a press conference alongside Rajya Sabha MP Raghav Chadha and Delhi Chief Minister Atishi, Kejriwal alleged that the BJP was trying to win elections through “unfair means” after failing to present strong candidates or issues. “BJP has already lost the elections. They have neither the face of a prime minister nor suitable candidates. They only want to win through manipulation, but we will not allow them to succeed,” he said. The former Delhi chief minister claimed that the BJP had filed 11,000 voter deletion applications in one constituency alone, but the move was stopped following the intervention of the Chief Election Commissioner.

Fourth Test of Border-Gavaskar Trophy: The game is interestingly balanced – fifth day

A genius of high speed and plenty of brains spent most of Sunday in possession under Melbourne’s deep blue skies. Jasprit Bumrah’s advance in Australia’s second innings and the host’s fierce lower-order resistance ensured the fourth Test was on a knife’s edge. At the end of the fourth day, Australia scored 228 for nine in their second innings and have an overall lead of 333. The final wicket pair of Nathan Lyon and Scott Boland withstood everything the visitors threw at them and frustrated Rohit Sharma’s men.

If I have to bowl 20 overs tomorrow, I will bowl 20: Starc

Australia left-arm pacer Mitchell Starc has allayed concerns about his possible back injury, saying he is fit and ready to bowl 20 overs on Monday if the situation requires it on the final day of the fourth Test against India here. Starc was seen clutching his back on day three of the Boxing Day Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Saturday. “And we have 98 overs of cricket tomorrow and we will see how that pans out. We carry on. So no, I’m ready for the second inning. It doesn’t bother me,” Starc told ABC Network after the fourth matchday on Sunday.