Morning Digest: Israel and Lebanon agree to extend ceasefire; CBI nabs alleged mastermind behind NEET-UG 2026 chemistry paper leak, and more

Subscribed with another email? Logout and Login with that one. Account subscription benefits alongside Premium Stories, Editorials, Opinions and more. Unlock these with Subscription The View From India Looking at World Affairs from the Indian perspective. First Day First Show News and reviews from the world of cinema and streaming. Today's Cache Your download of the top 5 technology stories of the day. Science For All The weekly newsletter from science writers takes the jargon out of science and puts the fun in! Data Point Decoding the headlines with facts, figures, and numbers THEdge At the cutting edge of education and careers Health Matters Ramya Kannan writes to you on getting to good health, and staying there Gender Agenda Stories from beyond the binary. The Hindu On Books Books of the week, reviews, excerpts, new titles and features. A shaky truce between Israel and the Hezbollah militant group in Lebanon had been due to end on Sunday (May 17, 2026). File. | Photo Credit: AP In a major breakthrough, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has arrested Pune-based chemistry lecturer P.V. Kulkarni, accusing him of being the kingpin behind the NEET-UG 2026 paper leak. The agency has so far arrested eight accused in the case. According to the agency, investigations revealed that Mr. Kulkarni had access to the question papers as he was allegedly involved in the examination process on behalf of the National Testing Agency (NTA). During the last week of April 2026, he allegedly mobilised students with the help of co-accused Manisha Waghmare, a beauty salon owner who was arrested by the CBI on May 14. The BRICS Foreign Ministers’ meeting that concluded on Friday (May 15, 2026), reaffirmed the grouping’s call for the creation of an ‘independent and viable State of Palestine’ within the pre-1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital. While consensus emerged on the Statehood for Palestine, several other issues saw the members disagreeing among themselves, which prevented the emergence of a Joint Statement, leading instead to the release of a ‘Chair’s Statement and Outcome Document’. Israel and Lebanon have agreed to a 45-day extension of their ceasefire after another round of talks in Washington, the U.S. State Department said Friday (May 15, 2026). It comes after two “productive” days of talks and will be followed by more negotiations June 2-3, State Department spokesman Tommy Pigott said. A shaky truce between Israel and the Hezbollah militant group in Lebanon had been due to end on Sunday (May 17, 2026). Dismissing news media reports that the government is considering levying taxes on foreign travel, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday (May 15, 2026) said that there is “no question of putting such restrictions on foreign travel.” The Prime Minister’s response follows a news report that suggested that the government was considering levying a tax or a cess or a surcharge on foreign travel but no final decision had been taken yet. “This is totally false. Not an iota of truth in this. There is no question of putting such restrictions on foreign travel. We remain committed to improving ‘Ease of Doing Business’ and ‘Ease of Living’ for our people,” Mr. Modi said in a post on X. Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju on Friday (May 15, 2026) expressed concern over the alleged “undeclared” foreign trips of Leader of the Opposition (Lok Sabha) Rahul Gandhi and asked him to share details of the travels with the authorities concerned to avoid action for any violation of law. “Serious questions have been raised regarding Rahul Gandhi. Every Indian must follow the rules and laws, and especially a Member of Parliament must adhere to the rules strictly. The questions raised are serious because if any MP wants to travel abroad, they must inform the Secretariat of the Lok Sabha or Rajya Sabha three weeks in advance,” he told the reporters. The Election Commission of India (ECI) has ordered a probe into the allegations of foreign nationals casting votes in the recent Assembly election in Tamil Nadu. A report has been sought from the returning officers of at least two cities and five districts across the State on how the foreigners managed to vote despite the Special Intensive Revision (SIR), official sources said on Friday (May 15, 2026). The investigation was launched after many foreign nationals of Indian origin were arrested or detained by law-enforcement agencies in Chennai and Madurai for fraudulently casting votes and immigration officials sent a report to the ECI. Representatives of the Muslim community on Friday (May 15, 2026) said that they would approach the Supreme Court to challenge the Madhya Pradesh High Court’s order declaring the disputed Bhojshala temple-Kamal Maula mosque site in Dhar a Hindu temple dedicated to the goddess Saraswati. Members of the Hindu community celebrated the verdict by the High Court’s Indore Bench, which granted them complete worship rights, even as stri

Morning Digest: Israel and Lebanon agree to extend ceasefire; CBI nabs alleged mastermind behind NEET-UG 2026 chemistry paper leak, and more

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Morning Digest: Israel and Lebanon agree to extend ceasefire; CBI nabs alleged mastermind behind NEET-UG 2026 chemistry paper leak, and more

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