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Japan on Sunday successfully launched a climate change monitoring satellite on its mainstay H-2A rocket, which made its final flight before it is replaced by a new flagship designed to be more cost competitive in the global space market, Associated Press reported.

The H-2A rocket lifted off from the Tanegashima Space Center in southwestern Japan, carrying the GOSAT-GW satellite as part of Tokyo’s effort to mitigate climate change. The satellite was released into a planned orbit about 16 minutes later.

The launch follows several days of delays because of malfunctioning of the rocket’s electrical systems. 

Sunday’s launch marked the 50th and final flight for the H-2A, which has served as Japan’s mainstay rocket to carry satellites and probes into space with a near-perfect record since its 2001 debut. After its retirement, it will be fully replaced by the H3, which is already in operation, as Japan’s new main flagship, according to Associated Press.

Around 100,000 people defied a government ban and police orders Saturday to march in what organizers called the largest LGBTQ+ Pride event in Hungary’s history in an open rebuke of Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s government, Associated Press reported.

Marchers gambled with potential police intervention and heavy fines to participate in the 30th annual Budapest Pride, which was outlawed in March by Orbán’s right-wing populist governing party.

The march began at Budapest City Hall and wound through the city center before crossing the capital’s Erzsébet Bridge over the Danube River. Police diverted the crowd from its planned route to keep it separated from a small group of far-right counterprotesters, while members of Hungary’s LGBTQ+ community and masses of supporters danced to music and waved rainbow and anti-government flags.

One marcher, Blanka Molnár, said it was “a fantastic feeling” that more people had attended the Pride march than ever before despite it being outlawed. She said it was “increasingly important” for Hungarians, “even those who have never been to Pride before,” to push back against the government’s policies, according to Associated Press.

The construction of BP Highway opened the door to development in Sindhuli and other mid-hill districts. Along with easy transportation access, the highway improved the economy and living standards in those districts.

However, less than a decade after its completion, the highway was severely damaged due to floods in the Roshi and Sunkoshi rivers last year, cutting off road connectivity for almost two weeks. It has been nine months since the devastating flood, and the condition of the highway has barely improved.

People living along the highway fear the motorway will suffer the same fate as last year in case of heavy rainfall. Ramji Kafle of Kamalamai Municipality-5, Sindhuli, says as the monsoon has already started, the highway could get blocked any time. “We are worried that rains will wash away the temporary diversion that was built to reroute the vehicles after last year’s floods and landslides,” he adds.

The Nepalthok-Bhakunde Besi road section of highway was severely damaged by floods and landslides last year. A month after the disaster, road diversions were created to resume traffic. Those temporary roads are still in use today while the damaged highway section awaits repair works.  

Maheshwor Koirala of Nepalthok-1, Sunkoshi Rural Municipality, complains the authorities concerned failed to repair the highway on time. “Because of their failure, the passengers are forced to risk their lives,” he says. The number of vehicles plying the BP Highway has witnessed a drop of more than 50 percent since last year’s disaster. 

Jhamak Bahadur Thapa, a transport operator, advises against traveling through the highway during heavy rainfall. “The temporary diversions are not reliable. They could get washed away in case of rainfall,” he says. With fewer vehicles traveling these days, local businesses have also taken a hit. Development works have also been affected, as vehicles are unable to transport construction materials.   

Netra Bikram Thapa, who runs a hotel and EV charging station along the highway, is struggling to keep his business going these days.  “I invested millions to start this business, now I am regretting my decision,” he says. ​​​​​​​

Lawmakers representing the districts connected by the BP Highway blame the federal government for not prioritizing the repair works.​​​​​​​ Lekhnath Dahal (Rajan), an elected MP from Sindhuli-2, says his repeated requests to the relevant government agencies and officials to repair the highway was ignored.  

“Despite knowing the condition of the highway, the government has not shown any initiative to solve the problem. The government should allocate a budget to control Roshi and Sunkoshi rivers to avert future disasters,” he says. 

Government officials say they have recently signed an agreement with Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) to reconstruct the damaged sections of the highway. According to the Road Division Office, About 12 km of the highway was damaged by last year’s floods and landslides, which will take around Rs 10bn to reconstruct.  JICA has agreed to fund the reconstruction of the 3.2 km section of the highway from Dalabensi to Barkhekhola. The remaining sections will be repaired by the government itself. ​​​​​​​While the contract has already been signed, the actual work will only begin after this year’s monsoon is over.  

The government has set ‘Intensity in Rice Cultivation: Food Security and Self-reliance’ as the slogan for the National Paddy Day this year. This slogan has been set to increase rice production for food security.

The Department of Agriculture is organising various programmes on the occasion of the 22nd National Paddy Day and Paddy Plantation Festival, which will be celebrated on June 29 this year, focusing on research on climate-resilient technologies and increasing rice production.     

In this connection, an interaction programme with experts on the protection of indigenous crops, promotion of technology and minimising the impact of climate change in this region, is scheduled to be organised at Khumaltar. A paddy planting festival cum honouring farmers will also be held on the occasion.     

The Director General of the Department, Prakash Sanjel, said that there is a plan to increase rice production and productivity, and to raise awareness among farmers regarding food security.

Rice is the main food crop which has a direct bearing on the economic development, and is linked with social, cultural and religious traditions of the country. It is the staple crop of Nepal.     

Director General Sanjel stated that in view of the importance of rice, the National Paddy Day and Transplanting Festival have been celebrated every year since 29 June 2009, with the aim of promoting paddy production, modernisation and commercialisation.     

In the fiscal year 2023-24, the production of rice was 5,724,234 metric tonnes, while in the year 2024-25, the production increased to 5,955,476 metric tonnes. In the year 2023-24, rice was planted on 1,438,989 hectares, and in the year 2024-25, rice was planted on 1,420,636 hectares.     

Despite a general decrease in the area under rice crop, the increase in productivity has led to an overall rise in rice production, according to Mahananda Joshi, an information officer at the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development. He said the production of rice has increased due to the use of chemical fertilisers, improved seed varieties and the timely rainfall.