China's Smart Dragon-3 rocket launches 8 satellites from sea

China launched a Smart Dragon-3 carrier rocket from the waters near the city of Haiyang in east China's Shandong Province on Tuesday, placing eight satellites into planned orbit.

The commercial rocket, also known as the Jielong 3, blasted off at 10:31 (Beijing Time), carrying Tianyi-41 and other satellites.

The Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center, headquartered inland in north China's Shanxi province, carried out this offshore launch.

The launch marks the 4th flight mission for the Smart Dragon-3 carrier rocket series.

China's Smart Dragon-3 rocket launches 8 satellites from sea

China's Smart Dragon-3 rocket launches 8 satellites from sea

China's Smart Dragon-3 rocket launches 8 satellites from sea

China's Smart Dragon-3 rocket launches 8 satellites from sea

China's Smart Dragon-3 rocket launches 8 satellites from sea

Demonstrators took to the streets of Germany's capital on Sunday to voice opposition against military strikes by the United States and Israel on Iran, marking the third such rally in Berlin in recent weeks.

The protest began at Berlin Central Station, with marchers carrying banners and chanting slogans as they made their way through the city's main thoroughfares toward the Brandenburg Gate. The planned route took protesters past key government landmarks, including the Chancellery and the Reichstag building, before concluding at Pariser Platz -- just a few tens of meters away from the U.S. Embassy in Germany.

Organized by several anti-war groups, the demonstration reflected growing public concern in Germany over escalating tensions in the Middle East. Protesters condemned the military action against Iran as both illegal under international law and a serious threat to regional peace and security.

An Iranian protester living in Berlin called the U.S.-Israeli strikes against Iran "completely illegal," while warning of the wider consequences of the war.

"It's a completely illegal war against Iran from the United States and Israel. And we Iranians hope to defeat them back home, because we are not a nation who can be oppressed (by) some countries who think they are the best, who think they are super power on the Earth. They are destabilizing energy for countries on the Earth. I think that's the consequences of the war against Iranian people," he said.

German citizens at the rally echoed this disdain for the conflict, describing the U.S.-Israeli military action as an illegal war of aggression.

"The U.S. and Israel's attack on Iran is an illegal war of aggression. This violates the United Nations Charter and must be stopped immediately. Otherwise, it will go against the rules-based international order established after the victory in World War II in 1945 and will lead the world back to the law of the jungle," said a German protester.

The ongoing conflict began on Feb. 28, Israel and the United States launched joint military strikes on Tehran, the capital city of Iran. Iran responded with waves of missile and drone strikes targeting Israel and U.S. bases and assets in the Middle East.

Demonstrators march in Berlin to condemn U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran