Sun Mar 16 12:03:08 UTC 2025: ## The Hindu: Top News Headlines (March 16, 2025)

**Chennai, India:** Oscar-winning music composer A.R. Rahman was briefly hospitalized in Chennai on March 16th due to chest pain but was later discharged after a routine check-up, according to his son.

**International Relations:** India and New Zealand have resumed negotiations for a stalled free trade agreement. Meanwhile, U.S. President Donald Trump ordered airstrikes on Houthi-held areas in Yemen, resulting in reported civilian casualties. Russia and Ukraine continued their aerial assaults, despite recent discussions about a ceasefire.

**Domestic News:** Indian police have filed an FIR against 219 madrasas in Azamgarh that were fraudulently receiving government aid. Union Home Minister Amit Shah praised the Bodo accord, contrasting its positive impact with Congress’s past criticism. A key meeting chaired by Mr. Shah will review the implementation of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita in Northeast India. The whitewashing of the Shahi Jama Masjid in Sambhal, Uttar Pradesh, has begun.

**Other:** Five security personnel were killed in a terrorist attack in Balochistan, Pakistan. McLaren’s Lando Norris won the Australian Grand Prix. An Indian PhD candidate from Columbia University, fearing retaliation, “self-deported” to Canada after being accused of pro-Hamas sympathies.

**Note:** This news article summarizes the key events reported, omitting details from the original text about The Hindu’s own publications (e.g., Books of the week, etc.) as those were not news items themselves.

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