Top news of the day: NEET paper leak ‘mastermind’ arrested; CBSE mandates three languages for Class IX, 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. Accused in the NEET-UG exam paper leak case, Manisha Waghmare and PV Kulkarni, were produced before the Rouse Avenue Court, in New Delhi on Saturday, May 16, 2026. | Photo Credit: ANI The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Saturday (May 16, 2026) has arrested a biology lecturer from Pune in connection with the 2026 NEET-UG paper leak case. Manisha Gurunath Mandhare was appointed by the National Testing Agency (NTA) as an expert and was involved in the examination process this year. The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has made the study of three languages compulsory for students from Class IX beginning July 1, while clarifying that there will be no Board examination for the third language (R3) in Class X. In a circular issued on May 15, the CBSE said that at least two of the three languages must be native Indian languages, in line with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 and the National Curriculum Framework for School Education (NCF-SE) 2023.” Sleek, discreet packaging, added flavours, sponsorship of concerts, festivals and sports events and aspirational lifestyle branding are among the widespread industry tactics used by nicotine pouch brands to appeal to younger audiences, warns the World Health Organisation (WHO) in a recently released global report “Exposing marketing tactics and strategies driving the growth of nicotine pouches”. The portfolios of Ministers in the Cabinet headed by Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay have been announced. A Lok Bhavan press release stated the Chief Minister had recommended to the Governor the portfolio and subject allocations for the Council of Ministers, who were sworn in along with him on May 10. The Governor has approved the recommendations. Chief Justice of India Surya Kant on Saturday (May 16, 2026) issued a strongly worded clarification on his ‘parasites’ remarks, saying he was “pained” by media reports that suggested he criticised youth. “I am pained to read how a section of the media has misquoted my oral observations made during the hearing of a frivolous case yesterday,” the CJI said in a statement. Observing that the authenticity and genuineness of some caste certificates have been challenged by different quarters, the West Bengal government has decided to conduct a re-verification of all caste certificates issued in the State since 2011. After the Trinamool Congress (TMC) faced an electoral setback, party supremo Mamata Banerjee urged its candidates who contested the recent Assembly polls to rebuild the organisation, asserting that those wishing to quit the party were free to do so. The Israeli military on Saturday (May 16, 2026) confirmed that Ezzedine Al-Haddad, chief of Hamas’ armed wing, was killed in an air strike in Gaza the day before.“The IDF and the ISA announce that yesterday, in a precise strike in the area of the City of Gaza, the terrorist Ezzedine Al-Haddad was eliminated,” the military said, referring to itself and the Shin Bet domestic security agency. Copyright© 2026, THG PUBLISHING PVT LTD. or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. Terms & conditions | Institutional Subscriber Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments. We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of The Hindu and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.

Top news of the day: NEET paper leak ‘mastermind’ arrested; CBSE mandates three languages for Class IX, and more

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Top news of the day: NEET paper leak ‘mastermind’ arrested; CBSE mandates three languages for Class IX, and more

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