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The bordering points in Baitadi and Darchula districts are to be closed on July 24 and July 28 in view of the Panchayat election in the Uttarakhand State of India.

The Panchayat election in the State is being held in two phases: July 24 and July 28.

Chief District Officer of Baitadi, Punya Bikram Poudel, shared that it has been decided to close the border checkpoints in Baitadi and Darchula keeping in mind the impending election in the neighboring Indian state.

CDO Poudel informed that the Pulghat check point in Darchula district will be shut down from the evening of July 21 up to the morning of July 24.

Similarly, The Jhulaghat check point in Baitadi will be closed from the evening of July 25 till the morning of July 28.

If these check points need to be opened for any contingency or emergency situation during this period, it could be done in mutual consent of the both countries, he added.

At least 20 Palestinians were killed at a food distribution point in Khan Younis, according to the US and Israeli-backed Global Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), as the UN warns such sites have become “death traps.”

Israel has opened a new corridor through the city, while aid agencies report rising hunger, with one in ten children now malnourished.

Gaza’s Health Ministry says over 58,000 people have been killed in the war. The October 7 Hamas attack on Israel left 1,139 dead and more than 200 taken hostage, as reported by Al Jazeera.

“If you don’t have something nice to say, don’t say anything at all”—this is one of my mother’s favorite quotes and she tries really hard to live by it. I, on the other hand, always thought being nice was overrated, that it put you at a disadvantage by making you vulnerable to people’s various antics. 

Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Nigerian writer famous for her novel ‘Purple Hibiscus’, in a talk says being nice means always wanting to be liked. It means silencing inconvenient truths, choosing always to be comfortable, and letting go of courage. It means talking about peace but not about justice. The more I think about it, the more it rings true. Nice people don’t like to rock the boat. They don’t speak up because they don’t want to be seen as ‘difficult’ or go against other’s opinions. Nice people live in cocoons they have created for themselves. 

I sometimes think my mother suffers because of her ‘niceness’. She doesn’t like conflicts and getting into arguments so she will often stay quiet when she doesn’t agree with people. But she will be haunted by what so and so said during dinner or what her sister did during a trip for many days after the incident. She often gets taken for granted by relatives and friends because she is ‘a nice person’ who will do as they want without considering her own needs. 

Having grown up sensing and seeing a pattern where my parent’s niceness empowered those around them in all the wrong ways, I have been petrified of being nice and coming across as someone who will go with the flow without letting my needs and preferences come in people’s way. I always speak my mind and tailor my responses according to what’s coming my way. I’m definitely not the one to ‘let things go’ when people inevitably say weird or hurtful things. I would rather have said things out loud than kept them in. It’s been my guiding mantra in life. 

But recently, I’ve started thinking that I must not confuse being nice with being kind and that these two things are entirely different things and mutually exclusive too. You don’t have to be nice but you must always be kind. By that I mean your intentions should be in the right place. Must I hurt someone to get my point across even when the other person isn’t being reasonable or particularly ‘nice’? Can’t I say the same thing in a softer tone rather than using harsh words? And can’t I always choose to look at the positive side of things instead of pointing out the negatives in any given situation? 

Everyone learns from experience and I had to go through an anxious phase to introspect and come to the conclusion that it’s always best to say something positive and be kind rather freely speak your mind just because you can or because you want to give an aura of someone who is strong, bold, and courageous. 

I have a relative (she’s the wife of a cousin I’m super close to) who never has anything nice or positive to say. Even when I am feeling good and confident about things, the things she says (masked as concern) will sow doubt in my mind. In all the years I’ve known her, I’ve never heard her say anything remotely nice to people. She doesn’t compliment anyone. She doesn’t reassure those who are worried. She is quick to point out what’s wrong and why and how things could get worse during any kind of family discussion. And her words are often final. Any reasoning is met with further explanations on why it is wrong. 

I would always give her the benefit of doubt whenever other relatives complained about her. I thought it was my moral duty towards my cousin whom I’ve grown up with. You don’t speak ill about the wife when you are close to her husband and you value the relationship. But in the past few months I have come to understand what people mean and why many have chosen to stay away from her. 

I have been going through a health issue and despite recovering really well, I’ve been anxious about blood tests and ultrasounds. I’m generally not someone who worries a lot and my intuition is quite strong. But by constantly telling me what could go wrong and sharing horror stories she’s heard, she made my recovery journey an ordeal. Despite feeling well and knowing in my heart that everything is fine, I have put off simple tests and woken up at night drenched in sweat because of nightmares where everything bad she’s warned me about had come true. 

At one point, she had me convinced that I had diabetes or would develop complications from the same because ‘a friend of hers whose case was similar to mine had had diabetes too’. Even when I told her that there weren’t any symptoms of it, she maintained that it was only a matter of time. I had laughed it off initially and even wondered how someone could be so negative but I didn’t realize the impact her words would have on me on a subconscious level till I put off a crucial test for almost a month. When the results of the test came back normal, I berated myself for having stressed about it for so long. 

This was when I realized the impact your words have on others, which is why you should choose them with care. Why would you want to be the reason for someone’s anguish? Niceness and kindness are two entirely different things and while it’s okay to not be a nice person, it’s important to be a kind person because it’s more about who you are than what others think of you. 

France's Prime Minister François Bayrou has proposed cutting two public holidays as part of a 2026 budget proposal to slash overall spending while also increasing defence expenses, BBC reported.

Bayrou suggested axing Easter Monday and 8 May, a day that commemorates the Allied victory at the end of World War Two in Europe.

He said the various bank holidays had turned the month of May into a gruyère - a Swiss cheese full of holes - although he added he was open to other suggestions.

Bayrou runs the risk of having his budget voted down in parliament in the autumn, which could eventually cause his government to collapse, according to BBC.

Cuba’s Labour Minister Marta Elena Feito Cabrera resigned after claiming there are “no beggars” in Cuba, only people pretending to be poor, according to Al Jazeera.

Her remarks, made during a National Assembly meeting, sparked public backlash and calls for her removal. She described street beggars as people in disguise and accused those collecting recyclables of dodging taxes.

The Cuban presidency said Feito admitted her “lack of sensitivity” and stepped down. President Miguel Díaz-Canel also criticized the tone of her comments, stressing the government must not ignore the vulnerable, Al Jazeera reported.

Cuba is facing a severe economic crisis, worsened by US sanctions and fuel shortages.

US President Donald Trump has said Attorney General Pam Bondi should release "whatever she thinks is credible" on sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, as he faces a rare backlash from supporters after seeking to draw a line under the case, BBC reported.

Bondi has been lambasted by some of Trump's political base after she said last week there was no evidence that Epstein kept a "client list" or was blackmailing powerful figures.

At the weekend Trump urged supporters not to "waste time and energy" on the controversy. But allies of the president, including House of Representatives Speaker Mike Johnson, are calling for "transparency".

Epstein's 2019 death in a US prison while awaiting federal trial was ruled a suicide, according to BBC.

The Kagbeni-Korala road, under the national pride project, Jomsom-Korala road, which connects the north and south of Mustang, has been blocked due to a landslide.

According to the District Police Office of Mustang, the Korala road has been blocked since early this morning after a landslide, along with rocks, fell onto the road in Manebhir following last night's rainfall.

Deputy Superintendent of Police Chhiring Kippa Lama of the District Police Office said the road was blocked after a landslide with rocks fell from above the road in the Manebhir area of Korala road, about 200 metres north of Kagkhola in Kagbeni.

He stated that necessary human resources along with bulldozers have been sent to clear the road.

After the Kagbeni-Korala road was blocked in Mustang, vehicles commuting to Upper Mustang have been stranded mid-way. 

Lama said a landslide has caused large boulders to fall from above, and it may take some time to clear the road.

He mentioned that the landslide removal work was carried out to allow the immediate use of motorcycles and light vehicles.

With the rain last night in Mustang, the water level of the Kali Gandaki River has risen significantly.

The district administration office has urged the settlements in the coastal areas to remain alert.

The Indian Embassy in Iran has issued a new advisory urging Indian citizens to reconsider non-essential travel to Tehran due to escalating tensions in the Middle East, according to Firstpost.

The embassy advised Indians currently in Iran to stay alert, monitor developments closely, and consider commercial flights or ferry services if planning to leave the country.

This caution follows recent clashes involving Iran, Israel, and the United States. Last month, Israel launched strikes on Iranian nuclear and military sites under “Operation Rising Lion,” prompting retaliatory missile and drone attacks from Iran. The US supported Israel and conducted its own strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities on June 22 as part of “Operation Midnight Hammer”, Firstpost reported.