PM Modi to lay foundation stone of UP's longest expressway, Delhi University to hold CET for admissions, check top news headlines

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is today scheduled to lay the foundation stone of the Ganga Expressway in Shahjahanpur, Uttar Pradesh at around 1 pm. 

Upon completion of work, it will become the longest expressway of Uttar Pradesh, connecting the western and eastern regions of the state. 

The 594-kilometre long six-lane expressway will be built at a cost of over Rs 36,200 crore. From Meerut to Prayagraj, the Expressway will pass through 12 districts of UP. Read more

India's Omicron COVID-19 count on Friday (December 17) crossed the 100-mark after recording the highest single-day rise of 24 fresh cases of the new variant. 

According to Central and state officials, Maharashtra has so far reported 40 cases, Delhi (22), Rajasthan (17), Karnataka (8), Telangana (8), Gujarat (5), Kerala (7), Andhra Pradesh (1), Chandigarh (1), Tamil Nadu (1) and West Bengal (1).

While India's first two cases of the Omicron variant were detected in Karnataka on December 2, the new mutated version of the coronavirus was first reported in South Africa on November 24.

The Delhi University's executive council has approved the holding of entrance examinations for admissions from 2022. 

Delhi University currently follows the cut-off based system.

A nine-member panel constituted by DU Vice-Chancellor Yogesh Singh had recommended that the university should hold a common entrance test (CET) to ensure substantial objectivity in the process of admissions, amid a controversy over a high number of 100 per cent scorers from the Kerala board getting admissions to the university. Read more

India has defeated Pakistan in their third encounter of the Asian Champions Trophy hockey tournament in Dhaka. 

Harmanpreet Singhs truck twice while Akashdeep Singh scored a solitary goal in the team's win. 

India had started the tournament with a draw against Korea before they thrashed Bangladesh 9-0. Read more

"Spider-Man: No Way Home" has registered a blockbuster opening at the box office as the Tom Holland-starrer minted Rs 32.67 crore on day one of its release.

In a statement, Sony Pictures Entertainment India said the film's day one net earning was Rs 32.67 crore and gross earning Rs 41.50 crore, the highest among all the Hindi and English films that have been released in 2021. The superhero movie also registered the second-highest opening in the history of Hollywood releases in India, the studio added. Read more