TODAY NEWS ON May 14, 2026

News Headlines for CAT, CLAT and IPM aspirants
Source: The Hindu , Indian Express and others

NEET paper leak case: CBI arrests five accused; conducts searches across country

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Wednesday (May 13, 2026) arrested five accused persons and conducted searches at several locations across the country in connection with the alleged irregularities and paper leak related to the NEET UG-2026 examination. The NEET (UG) 2026 exam for admission to undergraduate courses in medical colleges, held on May 3, was cancelled on Tuesday (May 12, 2026) amid allegations of paper leak.

NEET-UG 2026: Investigation finds MBBS student in Kerala forwarded guess paper to friends in Rajasthan

The origins of a guess paper containing questions similar to those asked in NEET-UG 2026 medical exam were traced to a student from Rajasthan’s Sikar pursuing MBBS in Kerala who went on to share it with his friends and a hostel owner, a senior official of the State’s Special Operations Group said. IG, Special Operations Group (SOG), Ajay Pal Lamba said the student first received the material from a friend and shared it with others in Sikar.

Plea in Supreme Court to replace or restructure NTA after NEET-UG paper leak

A petition was filed in the Supreme Court on Wednesday (May 13, 2025) seeking a direction to the Centre to “replace or fundamentally restructure” the National Testing Agency (NTA) following the cancellation of the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) Undergraduate exam for medical admissions in 2026 in colleges across the country. The NTA cancelled the exam conducted on May 3 due to a question paper leak and widespread irregularities in the conduct of the exam. Over 22 lakh students had appeared in the national exam. NTA has announced a re-test.

Tamil Nadu CM Joseph Vijay wins floor test in Assembly comfortably with 144 votes

Chief Minister C. Joseph VIjay comfortably won the trust vote in the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly on Wednesday (May 13, 2026) with the support of the CPI, CPI(M), VCK, and IUML, from the Secular Progressive Alliance (SPA) led by the DMK, as well as that of 25 rebel AIADMK MLAs and the lone AMMK MLA. After the DMK legislators and the lone DMDK MLA, Premallatha Vijayakant, walked out, the confidence motion moved by Mr. Vijay was put to vote by Speaker J.C.D. Prabhakar, despite AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K. Palaniswami’s opposition to allowing rebel AIADMK leader – and his confidant until a few days ago – S.P. Velumani from speaking on the party’s behalf.

Iran working on Hormuz ‘protocol’ to cover ‘costs’, says Deputy Foreign Minister Gharibabadi

Iran has provided “free of charge services” to international shipping in the Strait of Hormuz for decades but is now working on a “protocol” to include a financial component covering costs it incurs to make navigation safe in the Persian Gulf region, said the country’s Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi, in New Delhi on Wednesday (May 13, 2026). Speaking to a select group of journalists at the Embassy of Iran, Mr. Gharibabadi, who is here for the BRICS Foreign Ministers’ meeting, avoided naming the UAE directly and said “a neighbouring country that is also a member of the BRICS” is thwarting a joint statement at the meeting by trying to introduce language that seeks to condemn Iran’s military strategy against U.S. and Israeli attacks.

CBI Director Praveen Sood gets another one-year extension

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) Director, Praveen Sood, has been given another one-year extension, as approved on Wednesday (May 13, 2026) by the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) based on the recommendations of the Selection Committee. The ACC order stated that Mr. Sood’s tenure has been extended for a year beyond May 24, 2026. The 1986-batch Indian Police Service (IPS) officer was earlier granted a one-year extension in May 2025 after the completion of his two-year term as CBI chief.

All religious practices presumed protected unless they violate public order, health, morality: Centre in Sabarimala review hearing

The Constitution presumes that every religious practice is protected unless it violates public order, morality, and health, the Union government told the Supreme Court on Wednesday (May 13, 2026). Appearing before a nine-judge Bench headed by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant in the Sabarimala review hearing, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta said the protection afforded to religion was not restricted to “essential religious practices” alone but had a wider ambit. Mr. Mehta, who opened the rejoinder in the constitutional reference hearing, said the burden was on the challenger to show that a religious practice breached public order, morality, and health.

Three tribal church leaders killed in Manipur ambush

Suspected armed extremists ambushed a team of tribal church leaders in the Kangpokpi district of Manipur on Wednesday (May 13, 2026), killing three of them and injuring four. The victims, members of the Thadou Baptist Association of India (TBAI) and the United Baptist Council (UBC), were travelling in two vehicles from a Baptist convention in Churachandpur to Kangpokpi when they were attacked. The incident occurred on the hilly Tiger Road between Kotlen and Kotzim villages around 10 a.m.

India weighs joint Centre-State funding framework for heatwave mitigation

India is expected in the coming weeks to firm up arrangements under which the Centre and State governments will jointly finance heatwave mitigation, a senior official at the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) has indicated. This comes on the back of a 2024 decision allowing mitigation funds to be used against extreme heat and acts on a fresh recommendation from the 16th Finance Commission to formally notify heatwaves as a disaster. Mitigation means addressing the sources of extreme heat or investing in cooling solutions, as opposed to the current approach of dealing with the after-effects of heatwaves on health.

Israeli drone strikes on vehicles in Lebanon kill 12, including 2 children

Israeli airstrikes on Wednesday (May 13, 2026) struck seven vehicles in Lebanon — three of them on the main highway just south of Beirut — killing 12 people, including a woman and her two children, the Lebanese Health Ministry said. The Israeli military said it struck Hezbollah infrastructure in several areas in southern Lebanon, hours after telling residents of six southern villages to evacuate. Lebanon and Israel are scheduled to hold another round of direct talks in Washington on Thursday (May 14, 2026), as the Trump administration pushes for a breakthrough between the two neighbours that have been in a state of war since Israel was created in 1948.

Trump arrives in China for talks with Xi

U.S. President Donald Trump arrived in China on Wednesday (May 13, 2026) for a three-day state visit during which he will discuss a host of global issues, including the Iran war, with Chinese President Xi Jinping. Mr. Trump, who is visiting China at the invitation of President Xi, was received by Chinese Vice President Han Zheng at the airport. The leaders of ‌the world's two largest economies will hold their seventh face-to-face talks. They last met face-to-face in October 2025 in Busan, South Korea.

Mass protests in Argentina decry Milei’s funding cuts to prized public universities

Tens of thousands of Argentines flooded the streets of major cities nationwide on Tuesday (May 12, 2026) to protest funding cuts by libertarian President Javier Milei to the public university system that represents a near-universal point of pride in this crisis-prone country. Vast crowds in downtown Buenos Aires marched toward the government headquarters to denounce budget shortfalls eroding the financial foundation of the country’s higher education. Argentina’s public university system, a cornerstone of its well-educated workforce cherished by its large middle class, has been tuition-free since 1949 and produced five Nobel Prize laureates.

Netanyahu’s office says he visited UAE secretly during the Iran war

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said on Wednesday (May 13, 2026) that he secretly visited the United Arab Emirates during the Iran war. Mr. Netanyahu met with UAE President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan during the visit, the Israeli leader’s office said. It added that the visit “resulted in a historic breakthrough in relations between Israel and the United Arab Emirates.”

NIA arrests Hizb-ul-Mujahideen linked ‘narco-terrorist’ after extradition from Portugal

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Wednesday (May 13, 2026) arrested an alleged “narco-terrorist”, Iqbal Singh, after securing his extradition from Portugal following sustained diplomatic and legal efforts. The agency alleged that Singh, alias Shera, was a mastermind in a major Hizb-ul-Mujahideen (HM) terror-financing case. He was brought to Delhi and taken into custody by the NIA. The accused had fled to Portugal in 2020. A non-bailable arrest warrant was issued against him in October 2020, while an Interpol Red Notice was opened in June 2021.

Vijay’s government revokes order appointing astrologer Rickey Radhan Pandit as OSD (Political) to CM

The Tamil Nadu government, on Wednesday (May 13, 2026), revoked its Government Order (G.O.), which appointed Rickey Radhan Pandit Vettrivel – an astrologer – as the Officer on Special Duty (Political) to Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay, following criticism from various quarters, including those made in the Assembly earlier in the day. The Vijay-led government on Tuesday (May 12) appointed Mr. Vettrivel to the post and it drew severe criticism, even from TVK allies. DMDK general secretary Premallatha Vijayakant, too, strongly opposed the decision on the floor of the Assembly on Wednesday. The revoking of the G.O. came soon after.

Kejriwal calls on Gen-Z to demand accountability on NEET-UG paper leak, cites Nepal uprising

AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal on Wednesday (May 13, 2026) urged Gen-Z to ensure that those behind the alleged NEET paper leak are brought to justice, saying that if the youth in Bangladesh and Nepal could bring political change, Indian students could also force accountability. Addressing a press conference, Mr. Kejriwal said recurring paper leak incidents had shaken the confidence of aspirants. He also wondered whether investigations in the past by the Central Bureau of Investigation had led to strict punishment for those responsible.

CBSE Class 12 results declared, pass percentage drops to 85.20%

The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) Class 12 results were declared on Wednesday (May 13, 2026). The overall pass percentage has dipped by over three percentage points compared to last year. A total of 1,768,968 students appeared for the exam in the 2026 session, and the pass percentage has dropped from 88.39% to 85.20%.

Israeli drone strikes hit highway south of Beirut; eight killed

Israeli drones struck three vehicles on the main highway south of Beirut on Wednesday (May 13, 2026), killing eight people, including a woman and her two children, the Lebanese Health Ministry said. The Israeli military said it struck Hezbollah infrastructure in several areas in southern Lebanon, hours after telling residents of six southern villages to evacuate. Lebanon and Israel are scheduled to hold another round of direct talks in Washington on Thursday (May 14, 2026) as the Trump administration pushes for a breakthrough between the two neighbours that have been at a state of war since Israel was created in 1948.

Baltimore bridge collapse: Highest-ever marine damages payout of $2.5 billion for Indian-managed ship Dali, according to reports

The State of Maryland has reached a settlement with Grace Ocean Private Limited and Synergy Marine, the owner and operator of the Indian-manned container ship Dali that collided with a bridge in Baltimore in March, 2024. Several media outlets have quoted Maryland State Attorney General Anthony G. Brown’s statement, reporting that the settlement is for an amount of $2.5 billion.

ICC Test rankings: Bumrah maintains top spot; Jaiswal and Gill placed at No. 8 and 9 respectively

India’s pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah maintained his pole position among Test bowlers in the latest ICC rankings published on Wednesday (May 13, 2025). Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shubman Gill were placed 8th and 9th among the batters, respectively with former England Test skipper Joe Root leading the charts with 880 points. Jaiswal has 750 points and Gill, who has climbed a spot, has accumulated 730 points. Harry Brook is second in the list followed by Travis Head and Steve Smith respectively.