How a space company in Hungary became an upstart in the private moon industry

by Hope Reese in Innovation on August 28, 2020, 8:07 AM PST

A new NASA competition challenged scientists to develop a small, lightweight rover to explore the moon in search of water. Here's how Puli Space came up with the winner.



Since Neil Armstrong landed on the moon in 1969, scientists' understanding of the astronomical body has changed radically. At around 400,000 kilometers, some call the moon the "eighth continent." Scientists know about its orbital path, its craters, formed by lava, and the frozen bodies of water that speckle its surface. Yet there is still critical information not known about the lunar body—particularly when it comes to the topography.

A new competition from NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, called "Honey I Shrunk the NASA Payload," challenged scientists and engineers to develop a tiny, lightweight device to explore the moon and search for water.

The winner? A small Hungarian space company called Puli Space. Headed by Tibor Pacher, in Budapest, Hungary, Puli Space invented the Lunar Water Snooper.

"Water is one of the Holy Grails, the thing people are looking for on the moon," Pacher said. "I believe it will be a very good business, but it's still a high risk one."


The Snooper, still in the conception phase, uses CMOS commercial sensors and nuclear reactions, which makes it possible to quantify hydrogen in the soil. Water, Pacher said, is an invaluable resource. "Water ice is hydrogen and oxygen," he said, "and if you split them, hydrogen is rocket fuel," which can power a station up in space. The Snooper detects hydrogen based on a nuclear process and maps the location.

SEE: NASA's unsung heroes: The Apollo coders who put men on the moon (cover story PDF) (TechRepublic)

Puli Space launched almost exactly a decade ago, in June 2010, initially as an 11-member Hungarian team. When the group formed, it set to work on competing for the international Google Lunar XPRIZE, building a spacecraft to explore the moon, covering at least 500 meters and capturing images.

"We have a pretty good heritage and engineering talent," Pacher explained. "So I just said, 'OK, let's try to do this here in Hungary.'" Now, there are 18 members, and while the majority are Hungarians, many living across Europe, the staff also includes someone from Poland.

"Space was a kind of childhood love, a very early love," Pacher said. "I grew up in the '60s, during the Apollo time—the very first time of human flight." When he was 9, he said he was "cheering Armstrong and Aldrin on the moon surface." Later, he channeled this enthusiasm into his work as a physicist, studying cosmology.

Puli Space is now working on a small rover, Puli, that can survive in extreme environments and can measure and communicate information about the moon. Pacher wants Hungary to be one of the first countries to send a rover to the moon.

"We know much more about the moon now," he said. Back then, "nobody knew what was on the surface. So, it was feared that if something is landing there, all the astronauts would just sink in the regolith [soil]."

Pacher's interest in the moon branches into other areas, such as, whether there could be commercial purposes for the moon, and what the moon can teach us about planets like Mars.

"Can we really set up a working economy on the moon?" Pacher asked. "Can you use not only government money, but private money?" These are the big questions and debates."

Puli Space, Pacher says, is on the forefront of private industry, which he said was in a "very nascent phase."

The Luxembourg Space Agency estimated a minimum market of up to 170 billion euros by 2045 and invested 70 million euros into a space venture fund.

"In the coming years, we will see the birth of this kind of industry, because private companies are building the landers," Pacher said. "NASA is buying private landers and private missions to the moon. And there are a lot of interesting resources which could be used."

As for future moon visits, the Chinese plan to go to the moon in 2020 or 2021. India is also on the list, as well as Japan. Pacher says he'd like to join one of the US missions—Astrobotic, a Pittsburgh-based company, could be a partner, for instance. In 2022, if they're lucky, Pacher says, they could go with the Snooper, and send their own rover, as well.

SEE: Photos: 60 years of NASA's technological accomplishments

Hungary began its history in space exploration, Pacher said, in 1946, when engineer Zoltán Bay sent radar to the Moon and it bounced back. During the Soviet era, in 1980, Hungary was the seventh country to send someone into space--Bertalan Farkas was in space for seven days. It plans to send its second person to space in 2024.

While Hungary is not a big leader in space, it has had small and important successes, including developing Smog, the smallest operating satellite, which is 5x5x5 cm.

"Nobody believed that it would work, and it worked for eight months, and delivered results," he said. "That's what we want to do from Hungary.

A New Moon Race Features Companies Vying For The First Private Landing

Elizabeth Howell Contributor Science


Artist's conception of Masten Mission One. MASTEN SPACE SYSTEMS

Who will be the first private company to set a lander on the moon?

You’re looking at one of the contenders right here. Masten Space Systems plans to send a lander to the moon called Masten Mission One in 2022, and just this week, the company announced it will catch a ride on a SpaceX rocket for the epic mission.

"We share a common vision with SpaceX and that makes this more than a partnership. It's more like a dream team," said Masten CEO Sean Mahoney in a statement.

To date, every lander that has touched down successfully on the moon has been helmed by a space agency — like NASA. That’s not to say people haven’t tried. The Google Lunar X Prize (GLXP) was supposed to spur private lander development. The prize concluded in 2018 with no winner declared, but happily, several contenders have continued development. One may make a touchdown with NASA in the near future.

The program to watch for is NASA’s Commercial Lunar Services Program (CLPS). It is supposed to send robotic landers and machines to the moon in support of eventual human missions, which NASA hopes to start in 2024. So far, four companies have agreed-upon landing dates: former GLXP contender Astrobotic Technologies' Peregrine Mission One in June 2021, Intuitive Machines' Mission 1 in October 2021, Masten Mission One in December 2022, and Astrobotic's Viper around 2023.

Here’s the thing, though. The technology is in such early development that any one of these companies could be contenders to touch down first, depending on how many things go. Will the spacecraft be ready for launch? Will the rocket work when it lifts the spacecraft into orbit, and towards the moon? And what about the tricky landing?

Israel Aerospace Industries attempted to land the Beresheet spacecraft on the moon in 2019, but a failure caused it to crash during final approach. This means that the contender for first mission to land will be down to the wire.

The Beresheet lunar lander captured a picture of itself and the moon below, at an altitude of 13 ... [+] SPACEIL/IAI

To be sure, it isn’t just about being first. These missions also represent NASA’s (and other agencies’) greater efforts to make the moon a destination for commercialization, rather than the current trove of moon rocks that we think of it as. Perhaps we could settle a base of astronauts near a deposit of water ice, creating a hub of people working on research and development in microgravity similar to the International Space Station.

If we want to explore further into space, we just can’t take everything with us. We need to learn to live off the land, and to take the resources from different worlds to carry them across the solar system. The moon represents an ideal destination to bring water and resources off the surface, as its lower gravity makes it easier to launch things. It will be expensive in the short term, experts say, but with enough volume and demand the costs may begin to lessen after a few years or decades of operations.

How possible is this vision? After all, back in the 1960s - that optimistic era of the first moon landing - there were hopes that regular moon missions would continue and that we would send people to Mars in the 1980s. That never came to be for various funding and political reasons, but the difference today is commercial companies are more able to work on their own. We live in an era where commercial cargo ships bring supplies to and from the International Space Station, and we just saw the first private spaceflight with astronauts to the ISS (Demo-2).


The scorched SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft from Demo-2 is shown here during splashdown on Aug. 2, ... [+] NASA VIA GETTY IMAGES

Costs to go to space have decreased in recent years as component miniaturization and more powerful computers have let smaller satellites launch with more capabilities. We’re now seeing the first satellite refuellings take place, and vast numbers of satellite constellations take to the skies to deliver broadband services.

This is not fully an easy journey — there still are questions about regulations and responsibilities, not to mention that concern about solving problems on Earth first — but at least know that space now is a more diverse environment than 10 years ago.

So, who will be the first private lander on the moon? It’s too close to call now. The bigger question is not who makes the first touchdown, however, but what it means in the future. The collective knowledge from these companies will inform future moon missions and perhaps, even missions to Mars one day. Whatever happens next, it sure will be an interesting decade coming up in space exploration.

Follow me on Twitter.

Elizabeth Howell
I've been writing about space exploration since 2004. I began full-time freelancing about this topic in September 2012, after working as a business reporter, copy editor and web reporter at various publications. My work covers all aspects of space -- exploration, astronomy, basic science and more -- and I've been published in trade magazines and news outlets across Canada and the U.S. Follow me on Twitter -- @howellspace.

Zimbabwe’s ‘keyboard Warriors’ Hold Protests Off The Streets

Unable to protest on the streets, some in Zimbabwe are calling themselves “keyboard warriors” as they take to graffiti and social media to pressure a government

Written By

Associated Press Television News

HARARE, Zimbabwe (AP) — Unable to protest on the streets, some in Zimbabwe are calling themselves “keyboard warriors” as they take to graffiti and social media to pressure a government that promised reform but is now accused of gross human rights abuses.

Activists use the hashtag #zimbabweanlivesmatter to encourage global pressure on President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s government.

Tens of thousands of people, from Jamaican reggae stars to U.S. rap and hip-hop musicians, have joined African celebrities, politicians and former presidents in tweeting with the hashtag.

But some analysts say online protests might not be enough to move Mnangagwa, who increasingly relies on security forces to crush dissent despite promising reforms when he took power after a coup in 2017.

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Tensions are rising anew in the once prosperous southern African country. Inflation is over 800%, amid acute shortages of water, electricity, gas and bank notes and a health system collapsing under the weight of drug shortages and strikes by nurses and doctors.

Revelations of alleged corruption related to COVID-19 medical supplies led to the sacking of the health minister and further pressure on Mnangagwa.

His government has responded to the rising dissent with arrests and alleged abductions and torture.

Before July, few Zimbabweans knew about Jacob Ngarivhume, a fringe opposition politician. Then he went on social media to announce an anti-government protest planned for the end of July.

Soon, #July31 swelled into a movement. The government panicked, jailed Ngarivhume and journalist Hopewell Chin’ono, deployed the military and police to thwart the protest and arrested dozens of people who tweeted about it.

“Social media is making waves in Zimbabwe. It is really helping people access information about government scandals faster and cheaper so it makes them want to act,” said Elias Mambo, publisher of ZimMorning Post, which publishes investigative stories online and on WhatsApp groups.

Angry, but afraid to take to the streets, Zimbabweans are turning to their computers and smartphones to protest. They are also splashing graffiti with colorful anti-government messages on the walls of stadiums, cemeteries and city buildings.

U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and the chairman of the African Union Commission, Moussa Faki Mahamat, have expressed concern over the government’s alleged abuses.

“The online campaign massively helped place the political crisis and human rights abuses in Zimbabwe on the global map. Zimbabweans are realizing that social media has a massive international influence,” said the Human Rights Watch director for southern Africa, Dewa Mavhinga.

Cyril Ramaphosa, president of neighboring South Africa and chairman of the African Union, dispatched special envoys to meet Mnangagwa. But they returned without meeting the opposition despite having kept them on standby, inviting anger in Zimbabwe and South Africa.

Zimbabweans had earlier used social media to protest against the previous government of Robert Mugabe. The army briefly allowed street protests in 2017, but only to use the crowds as pressure to force Mugabe out. Now, activists say, the same military is making the streets dangerous for them.

“Digital activism cannot be ignored and cannot be confronted by traditional authoritarian tactics, as shown by the #zimbabweanlivesmatter campaign,” said Alexander Rusero, a political analyst based in the capital, Harare.

Yet the latest online campaign, like previous ones, appears to have only hardened the government’s resolve to crush dissent.

In response to the online campaign amid renewed international pressure, Mnangagwa during a national address described his rivals and critics as “destructive terrorist opposition groupings,” “dark forces” and “a few bad apples” that should be “flushed out.”

Security agents have continued arresting activists even after the July protest was foiled, according to human rights groups and the main opposition MDC Alliance party.

Analysts said such a hardline reaction shows that online campaigns without “ground activism” are unlikely to force the ruling ZANU-PF party to institute reforms that could weaken its hold on power and related economic benefits.

“Online activism needs to correlate to, and not supplant, ground activism. A delicate balance of the two will render ZANU-PF ineffective,” Rusero said.

The ruling party “has demonstrated that it will do anything, including crude repression, to stay in power. So it is up to citizens and activists to raise the costs of abuses,” said Mavhinga, whose rights group has been documenting alleged abuses.

“Keyboard warriors help to amplify the voices of agony from within Zimbabwe, but without robust and sustained campaigns on the ground, the social media campaigns would fizzle out,” he said.

Some activists are raising similar questions.

“Beyond tweeting about Hopewell (Chin’ono) and Jacob (Ngarivhume), what citizen actions can we do to put pressure for their release,” 21-year-old Namatai Kwekwedza tweeted days after the foiled protest.

She faces multiple charges related to breaching the peace for being one of the few Zimbabweans brave enough to participate in anti-government marches in recent months. She faces a fine or up to five years in prison on each charge.

“Some of us are ready, (but) it only works with the numbers,” she said, adding: “This whole business of being too afraid is stupid. We are already dead. We have to fight for our future.”

Brazil’s Environment Ministry Says Government Released Funds To Fight Deforestation

Brazil’s Environment Ministry announced that the country’s government has released the funds required for fighting deforestation in the Amazon.

Written By

Nitika Sharma

Brazil’s Environment Ministry announced that the country’s government has released the funds required for fighting deforestation in the Amazon. The ministry, while making the announcement, reportedly also added that the enforcement and implementation operations will continue as normal. This development comes after the ministry’s earlier announcement of suspending all operations to combat deforestation as funding for those operations had been blocked.

As per reports, Brazil's Vice President Hamilton Mourão quickly refuted the ministry’s statement of halting operations to combat deforestation, reportedly saying that’s not going to happen, and adding that the efforts would continue. Mourão, who was put in charge of the country’s Amazon response by Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, also denied claims of the funds being blocked. He also reportedly accused Brazilian Environment Minister Ricardo Salles of acting too soon on the matter.

Mourão reportedly said that the environment minister jumped the gun and there will not be a blockage of 60 million reais ($11.1 million) dedicated to Ibama and ICMBio. He also added that the environment ministry’s announcement was based on incomplete and unfinalized planning document. In an effort to help the people of Brazil, the Vice President also stated that the Brazil government is looking to take money out of almost every ministry in order to fund emergency aid payments which the Brazilians are receiving during the economic downturn due to ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

Read: Brazil Deforestation Fires Affect Millions In Amazon

Read: Brazil's Effort To Protect Amazon Rainforest Yeilding Opposite Effect: Report

Environment ministry plays an important role

The environment ministry plays an important role in combating deforestation with teams frequently deployed on risky missions to catch illegal loggers and miners in the world’s largest rainforest. The original announcement by ministry made on August 28 came amid rising deforestation and growing criticism of Brazil’s environmental policy from environmental groups and international investors.

The ministry cited a decision by Brazil’s Federal Budget Secretariat (SOF) in order to block certain funds that had been given to the Environment Ministry’s enforcement arm Ibama and parks service ICMBio. The ministry, in its announcement, also stated that the SOF’s decision was ordered by the office of the chief of staff for the Brazilian President.

As per reports, many investors have threatened to pull out of the country if the government does not better protect the Amazon, where preliminary government data states that deforestation has grown nearly 35 per cent over the 12 months through July.  Amazon region has been witnessing raging fires. According to data published by the Monitoring of the Andean Amazon Project (MAAP), 516 fires covering 376,416 hectares have been detected between May 28 and August 25. Apart from the Amazon, fires are also widespread in the Pantanal, South America’s largest wetland. 

(Image credit: AP)

Read: Protest In Belgium Over Desctruction Of Amazon

Read: Brazil President Jair Bolsonaro Calls Reports Of Increasing Amazon Fires A 'lie'

Converse Creates Air Purifying Murals With 'smog-eating Paint' In Bangkok And Warsaw

Under the Converse City Forest initiative, the shoe company has created clean graffiti with 'smog-eating paint' which has the power to reduce air pollution.

Written By

Janvi Manchanda

The American Shoe Company, Converse has launched an environment-friendly initiative under which they are creating clean graffiti in different cities across the globe. Under the Converse City Forest initiative, murals are being created with photocatalytic paint. This 'smog-eating paint' breaks down the air pollutants and purifies the air creating a clean environment. Converse has already created these murals in Bangkok, Thailand and Warsaw, Poland. More such murals will be made on walls in Sydney, Jakarta, Manila, Sao Paulo, Belgrade, Lima, Santiago, Johannesburg, Melbourne, Bogota and Panama City under the Converse City Forest. 

Converse City Forest project has used a special 'smog-eating paint' also known as photocatalytic paint for the clean graffiti in Bangkok and Warsaw and will use the same for all the other cities as well. This paint converts the harmful air pollutants into harmless substance by using light energy to break it down. The 'smog-eating paint' turns every surface into an air-purifying surface and is as good as planting trees. 

Bangkok's Clean Graffiti

The Converse City Forest murals in Bangkok were created in collaboration with Thai street artist Teerayut Puechpen, popularly known as TRK, and Sorravis Prakong. The clean graffiti in Bangkok has an image of holding hands which is a symbol of unity. The 'smog-eat paint' used in the mural makes it equal to planting about 150 trees in the city. This Converse City Forest mural will have a huge impact on air pollution in the area as it will purify the air by reducing harmful gasses. 

Warsaw's Clean Graffiti

For the murals in Warsaw, Converse City Forest collaborated with illustrator and graphic designer Dawid Ryski and Maciek Polak. This clean graffiti in Poland is located next to the Politechnika metro station in Warsaw. The air-purifying mural reads a quote, 'Create Together For Tomorrow' and shows beautiful flowers growing amid the building in a city. This mural created with 'smog-eating paint' is equal to planting about 780 trees in the middle of the city which will drastically reduce the air pollution in the area and make the air cleaner. 

Serbia Surprisingly Joins EU In Condemnation Of Belarus Vote

In a surprise move, Serbia has joined the European Union in its rejection of the election results in Belarus and criticism of a crackdown against those protesting against the country’s longtime autocratic leader.

Written By

Associated Press Television News

In a surprise move, Serbia has joined the European Union in its rejection of the election results in Belarus and criticism of a crackdown against those protesting against the country’s longtime autocratic leader.

Serbia’s prime minister, Ana Brnabic, said Thursday that Belgrade signed up with the EU resolution on Belarus in order to align the Balkan country’s policies with those of the bloc it formally wants to join.

Belgrade has had close relations with Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko, who last visited the Balkan country in December. He was the only world leader who visited Serbia during the 1999 NATO bombing of the country over its crackdown against ethnic Albanian separatists, which was seen as his support of Serbia’s former strongman, Slobodan Milosevic.

“I hope Lukashenko won’t hold it against us,” Brnabic said while admitting for the first time that Serbia accepted the EU stance on Belarus' elections. “We should not forget the friendship Lukashenko has shown to our people during the difficult times.”

Last month, European Union leaders said they stand beside the people protesting for democratic rights in Belarus , rejecting election results that swept the country’s leader of 26 years back into power and warned they are preparing a long list of Belarusians who face sanctions over vote fraud and a brutal crackdown on protesters.

Serbia’s acceptance of the EU criticism of the Belarus leader was first revealed Wednesday in tweets by the EU and US ambassadors to Belgrade who hailed the move.

“I welcome Serbia for joining EU Declaration on Presidential Elections in Belarus,” EU Ambassador Sam Fabrizi wrote on Twitter.

The U.S. ambassador to Serbia, Anthony Godfrey, also praised Belgrade’s decision. “It is great to see that Serbia stands by its European environment,” he wrote on Twitter.

Serbian populist President Aleksandar Vucic has also faced criticism from home and abroad for curtailing media freedoms, holding elections that the opposition claims are not free and fair and cracking down on anti-government demonstrators.

Although formally seeking EU membership, Serbia has been strengthening political, economic and military ties with Russia and China. It has refused to join EU sanctions against Russia for its policies over Ukraine.

Belarus President Lukashenko Brings Teenage Son To Frontline As Protests Intensify

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko takes his 16-year-old son Nikolai to protest as people continue to demand his downfall over an alleged rigged election

Written ByVishal Tiwari


Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko takes his 16-year-old son Nikolai to protest as people continue to demand his downfall over an alleged rigged election.

According to The Telegraph, the father-son duo appeared in military outfits carrying, what appeared to be AK-47s and posed for cameras as protesters demonstrated nearby. Lukashenko and his son Nikolai, who is presumed to succeed his father as President of Belarus, reportedly landed in Minsk from a helicopter near their residence and posed with the assault rifles for a photo-op.
Read: Belarus Leader Cites Alleged NATO Threat To Shore Up Rule

According to reports, Lukashenko after the show of strength told the press, "They (over 1,00,000 protesters) have run away like rats." Lukashenko's gimmick was to indicate that he will not go down without a fight, suggested reports.

Protestors are demanding Lukashenko's resignation, free and fair election, and an end of state-sponsored violence. People in large numbers have taken to streets to protest against the outcome of the recently concluded election, following which Lukashenko ordered a crackdown on demonstrators. One protestor reportedly died in the clashes between police and the protesters, while over 7,000 have been arrested so far.

Read: EU FMs On Belarus, Greece-Turkey Tension, Navalny

Lukashenko on August 10 secured a record sixth term as the country's president after the authorities announced the preliminary results in which the 65-year-old former Soviet Army member allegedly secured over 80 percent of the total votes polled. Opposition leaders, including the main challenger Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, denounced the result, calling it a rigged election.

Svetlana Tikhanovskaya fled the country for Lithuania on August 11, fearing that she or her family could be harmed. The 37-year-old leader has been issuing video statements from Lithuania, demanding Belarusian authorities to accept their wrongdoings and to join hands with the opposition in order to evade punishment in the future.
International condemnation

The European Union and the United States have also expressed concerns over the recent developments in Belarus and have called on Lukashenko to respect the rights of the Belarusian people.

Foreign ministers of the European Union also held a meeting regarding this issue and also discussed possible sanctions against Lukashenko. Meanwhile, the last dictator of Europe has also managed to garner some international support as Russian President Vladimir Putin has reportedly extended support to the authoritarian leader.

(Image Credit: AP)

Read: Belarus President Lukashenko Says He Is Ready To Share Power As Protests Intensify

Far-right Extremists Try To Enter German Parliament

Far-right extremists tried to storm the German parliament building Saturday following a protest against the country's pandemic restrictions, but were intercepted by police and forcibly removed

Written By Press Trust Of India


Far-right extremists tried to storm the German parliament building Saturday following a protest against the country's pandemic restrictions, but were intercepted by police and forcibly removed.

The incident occurred after a daylong demonstration by tens of thousands of people opposed to the wearing of masks and other government measures intended to stop the spread of the new coronavirus.

Police ordered the protesters to disband halfway through their march around Berlin after participants refused to observe social distancing rules, but a rally near the capital's iconic Brandenburg Gate took place as planned.

Footage of the incident showed hundreds of people, some waving the flag of the German Reich of 1871-1918 and other far-right banners, running toward the Reichstag building and up the stairs.

Police confirmed on Twitter that several people had broken through a cordon in front of Parliament and “entered the staircase of the Reichstag building, but not the building itself.” “Stones and bottles were thrown at our colleagues,” police said. “Force had to be used to push them back.” Germany's top security official condemned the incident.

“The Reichstag building is the workplace of our Parliament and therefore the symbolic center of our liberal democracy,” Interior Minister Horst Seehofer said in a statement.

“It's unbearable that vandals and extremists should misuse it," he said, calling on authorities to show “zero tolerance." Earlier, thousands of far-right extremists had thrown bottles and stones at police outside the Russian Embassy. Police detained about 300 people throughout the day.

Berlin's regional government had tried to ban the protests, warning that extremists could use them as a platform and citing anti-mask rallies earlier this month where rules intended to stop the virus from being spread further weren't respected.

Protest organizers successfully appealed the decision Friday, though a court ordered them to ensure social distancing. Failure to enforce that measure prompted Berlin police to dissolve the march while it was still in progress.

During the march, which authorities said drew about 38,000 people, participants expressed their opposition to a wide range of issues, including vaccinations, face masks and the German government in general.

Some wore T-shirts promoting the “QAnon” conspiracy theory while others displayed white nationalist slogans and neo-Nazi insignia, though most participants denied having far-right views.

Uwe Bachmann, 57, said he had come from southwestern Germany to protest for free speech and his right not to wear a mask.

“I respect those who are afraid of the virus,” said Bachmann, who was wearing a costume and a wig that tried to evoke stereotypical Native American attire. He suggested, without elaborating, that “something else” was behind the pandemic.

Another protester said he wanted Germany's current political system abolished and a return to the constitution of 1871 on the grounds that the country's postwar political system was illegal.

Providing only his first name, Karl-Heinz, he had travelled with his sister from their home near the Dutch border to attend the protest and believed that the coronavirus cases being reported in Germany now were “false positives." Germany has seen an upswing in new cases in recent weeks. The country's disease control agency reported Saturday that Germany had almost 1,500 new infections over the past day.

Germany has been praised for the way it has handled the pandemic, and the country's death toll of some 9,300 people is less than one-fourth the amount of people who have died of COVID-19 in Britain.

Opinion polls show overwhelming support for the prevention measures imposed by authorities, such as the requirement to wear masks on public transport, in stores and some public buildings such as libraries and schools.

Along the route were several smaller counter-protests where participants shouted slogans against the far-right's presence at the anti-mask rally.

“I think there's a line and if someone takes to the streets with neo-Nazis then they've crossed that line,” said Verena, a counter-protester from Berlin who declined to provide her surname.

Meanwhile, a few hundred people rallied Saturday in eastern Paris to protest new mask rules and other restrictions prompted by rising virus infections around France. Police watched closely but did not intervene.

The protesters had no central organizer but included people in yellow vests who formerly protested economic injustice, others promoting conspiracy theories and those who call themselves “Anti-Masks.” France has not seen an anti-mask movement like some other countries. Masks are now required everywhere in public in Paris as authorities warn that infections are growing exponentially just as schools are set to resume classes.

France registered more than 7,000 new virus infections in a single day Friday, up from several hundred a day in May and June, in part thanks to ramped-up testing.

It has the third-highest coronavirus death toll in Europe after Britain and Italy, with over 30,600 dead.

In London, hundreds of people crowded into Trafalgar Square for a “Unite for Freedom” protest against government lockdown restrictions and the wearing of face masks.

The Metropolitan Police warned demonstrators that anyone attending a gathering of more than 30 people may be at risk of committing a criminal offense. 

Image credits: AP

Berlin Police Shut Down Protest Against COVID-19 Restrictions

Berlin police ordered a protest by people opposed to Germany’s pandemic restrictions to disband Saturday after participants refused to observe social distancing rules.

Written ByAssociated Press Television News


Berlin police ordered a protest by people opposed to Germany’s pandemic restrictions to disband Saturday after participants refused to observe social distancing rules.

Tens of thousands of people had gathered at the German capital’s iconic Brandenburg Gate in the morning before streaming down the Unter den Linden boulevard in a show of defiance against Germany’s coronavirus prevention measures.

Protesters carried a wide range of grievances and banners proclaiming their opposition to vaccinations, face masks and the German government in general. Some waved American, Russian or German Reich flags, while others had T-shirts promoting the “QAnon” conspiracy theory. Several wore clothing with white nationalist slogans and neo-Nazi insignia, but most participants denied having far-right views.

Uwe Bachmann, 57, said he had come from southwestern Germany to protest for free speech and his right not to wear a mask.

“I respect those who are afraid of the virus,” said Bachmann, who was wearing a costume and a wig that tried to evoke stereotypical Native American attire. He suggested, without elaborating, that “something else” was behind the pandemic.

Another protester said he wanted Germany’s current political system abolished and a return to the constitution of 1871 on the grounds that the country’s post-war political system was illegal. Providing only his first name, Karl-Heinz, he had traveled with his sister from their home near the Dutch border to attend the protest and believed that the coronavirus cases being reported in Germany now were “false positives.”

Germany has seen an upswing in new cases in recent weeks. The country’s disease control agency reported Saturday that Germany had almost 1,500 new infections over the past day. Germany has been praised for the way it has handled the pandemic, and the country’s death toll of some 9,300 people is less than one-fourth the amount of people who have died of COVID-19 in Britain.

Berlin’s regional government had sought to ban the protest, citing anti-mask rallies earlier this month where rules intended to stop the virus from being spread further weren’t respected. Protest organizers successfully appealed the decision Friday, though a court ordered them to ensure social distancing. Failure to enforce that measure prompted Berlin police to dissolve the march.

Along the route were several smaller counter-protests where participants shouted slogans against the far-right’s presence at the anti-mask rally.

“I think there’s a line and if someone takes to the streets with neo-Nazis then they’ve crossed that line,” said Verena, a counter-protester from Berlin who declined to provide her surname.

In Germany, masks have to be worn on public transport, stores and some public buildings such as libraries and schools.

Meanwhile, a few hundred people rallied Saturday in eastern Paris to protest new mask rules and other restrictions prompted by rising virus infections around France. Police watched closely but did not intervene.

The protesters had no central organizer but included people in yellow vests who formerly protested economic injustice, others promoting conspiracy theories and those who call themselves “Anti-Masks.”

France has not seen an anti-mask movement like some other countries. Masks are now required everywhere in public in Paris as authorities warn that infections are growing exponentially just as schools are set to resume classes.

France registered more than 7,000 new virus infections in a single day Friday, up from several hundred a day in May and June, in part thanks to ramped-up testing. It has the third-highest coronavirus death toll in Europe after Britain and Italy, with over 30,600 dead.

Mauritius Oil Spill: Thousands Of People Protest In Port Louis Over Dolphin Deaths

Thousands of demonstrators took to streets in Mauritius on Saturday, August 29 demanding answers from the government over its delayed actions to the oil spill.

Written By

Sounak Mitra

Tens of thousands of demonstrators took to streets of Port Louis in Mauritius on Saturday, August 29 demanding answers from the government over its delayed actions to the devasting oil spill from a grounded Japanese ship.

According to the reports, the protestors showed their outrage by honking and drumming as the news of oil spill leading to the death of dozens of dolphins reached them. The protestors displayed signs such as “You have no shame" and “I’ve seen better Cabinets at IKEA" to express their anger and criticism over the island nation's worst environmental disaster ever. 

READ: Thousands Protest In Mauritius Over Handling Of Spill

READ: Mauritius Oil Spill: Indian Naval Ship INS Nireekshak Assists In Clean-up Operation

Protestors demand resignations

According to the reports, the protestors marched peacefully through the capital city of Port Louis on Saturday, nearly a month after the ship struck a coral reef near Mauritius' coast leading up to the disaster. The vessel later split into two and spilled around 1,000 tons of fuel oil into fragile marine areas. 

Addressing the crowd in Port Louis, some of the protestors demanded the resignation of the top government officials as there was no immediate government action on the matter.

Associated Press quoted a local writer Khalil Cassimally as saying, “I'd be surprised if it's not close to 100,000” people who attended the march. Public demonstrations aren't common in Mauritius but “one of the things that really binds people together is the sea,” he said. “It's one of the jewels of this country, and everyone feels very passionately about this.” He added that another protest is scheduled to be held on Sept. 12 in Mahebourg, one of the most affected coastal villages. 

Mauritius is home to a large number of marine animals. The island nation is heavily dependent on tourism but the recent oil spill is being seen as a major crisis in the country. The country was also badly hit by coronavirus pandemic which has limited international travel, thereby plunging its economy. 

As per reports, the authorities have informed that at least 39 dead dolphins have washed ashore over the last week. However, the government has said that no fuel oil was found and called the deaths a “sad coincidence.”

Mauritius Prime Minister Pravind Jugnauth declared a ‘state of environmental emergency’ as the grounded Japanese vessel started to leak fuel into the waters earlier this month. The ship was is reported to have been carrying nearly 3,800 tonnes of low-sulphur fuel oil, 207 tonnes of diesel, and 90 tonnes of lube oil. 

(With AP Inputs)

READ: Autopsy Finds Wounds But No Trace Of Oil On Dead Dolphins That Washed Up In Mauritius

READ: Mauritius: 18 Whales Wash Up On Shore, Minister Dismisses Oil Spill Link

First Published: 30th August, 2020 02:24 IST

NASA Creates Fifth State Of Matter Aboard The International Space Station

NASA recently revealed that there is a fifth state of matter wherein atoms get so cold that they almost stop behaving like individual atoms.

Written By
Bhavya Suk


NASA recently revealed that there is a fifth state of matter wherein atoms get so cold that they almost stop behaving like individual atoms. While uploading a video on YouTube, NASA informed that the atoms in the above-mentioned state act as a wave instead on individual particles. The US space agency said that that they repeatedly managed to achieve this state of matter aboard the International Space Station (ISS).


The revelation was made by NASA’s Cold Atom Laboratory atop the ISS back in 2018 for the first time. However, this it is was the first time that the state of matter was achieved in the lower Earth orbit. In the YouTube video, NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory highlighted the advantages of creating this state of matter in space. It also noted how the space agency is able to achieve this state in space.


NASA said that the fifth state of matter, called a Bose-Einstein condensate (BEC), was first achieved by scientists more than 25-years-ago. The BEC is known to have extraordinary properties which are totally online solids, liquids, gases and plasmas. At the time of the delivery, the achievement reportedly garnered Nobel Prize and changed physics altogether.
Could give deeper insight into how world works


According to the space agency, BECs are used to make headway in quantum mechanics, which basically focuses on the behaviour of atoms and subatomic particles. The Cold Atom Laboratory (CAL) aboard the ISS is a physics user facility. NASA said that CAL produces clouds of ultra-cooled atoms (BECs), chilled to a fraction of a degree above absolute zero. This temperature is even colder than the average temperature of deep space, NASA said.


The US space agency said, “Experiments with this fifth state of matter could lend deeper insight into how our world works on a fundamental level. For example, scientists will be able to measure the very faint tug of gravity that is still present aboard the station, and put Albert Einstein’s theory about this fundamental force to the test”.


“Studies of Bose-Einstein condensates aboard the station could also lead to new technologies, like better tools for navigation and more precise clocks,” NASA added.

#VELIKOVSKY WAS RIGHT

Astronomers Discover Remnants of a Supernova Buried in the Indian Ocean

The ancient supernova is believed to have traveled to Earth some 33,000 years ago.

By Loukia Papadopoulos August 29, 2020

Mode-list/iStock


Stars die when they run out of fuel, and sometimes, they end up producing a powerful explosion known as a supernova. These supernovas expel material that spreads all across the universe.

RELATED: THIS STRANGE BUT BEAUTIFUL SPACE BLOB CAME FROM A DYING STAR

Now, astronomers from the Australian National University have discovered traces of a supernova right here on Earth buried in the Indian Ocean. The remnants of the ancient supernova are believed to have traveled here some 33,000 years ago.

That's all well and good but you may be wondering how the researchers knew the discovery was indeed from an ancient supernova. It is because they found traces of radioactive iron isotopes in the sediment samples collected.

This type of iron isotope, known as 60Fe, is not produced here on Earth. In fact, it can only be found in cosmic rays which means it must have been generated and ejected during a supernova explosion.

The study further speculates that the iron was deposited on Earth at a rate of 3.5 atoms per square centimeter per year over the past 33,000 years and that it came from a million-year-old supernova. The scientists also revealed that this explosion must have spread dust particles that may still exist in interstellar space today.

The researchers traced the spread back to the Local Interstellar Cloud (LIC), an interstellar cloud in the Milky Way that stretches 30 light-years across. Oddly enough, our very own Solar System has been moving through this same cloud for thousands of years.

The findings remain uncertain for now and the researchers indicate that further work needs to be done to confirm the exact source of the supernova and the timeline of when its fragments made their way to Earth. Regardless, it is still cool to know that our planet contains parts of a star's ancient explosion.

The study was published Monday in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.