Armenian border town sees Iranian arrivals surge as tension rises

A growing number of residents of Iran have been seen crossing into neighboring Armenia through the Meghri border checkpoint on Wednesday amid the escalating conflict with Israel.

While no official figures have been released, eyewitnesses in the southern Armenian town of Agarak reported hundreds of people arriving within the space of several hours, many carrying heavy suitcases, seemingly prepared for an extended stay.

As the border town of Meghri is now overwhelmed with shelter-seekers from Iran, who have not yet been granted refugee status, local hotels are now reaching full capacity.

With Iran's airspace shutdown, Armenia has become a vital transit hub, not only for Iranians, but also for foreign nationals escaping the conflict and seeking routes home.

Iran's northern neighbor, Azerbaijan, has also received a significant number of arrivals.

Government officials in both the Azerbaijani capital Baku and Armenia's Yerevan said more than 700 foreigners living in Iran have crossed into their borders as of Tuesday.

Regional tensions escalated after Israel launched large-scale airstrikes early last Friday, targeting Iran's nuclear facilities. Iran responded with retaliatory strikes later that day, while the two sides have continued to trade missile attacks in the days since.

Armenian border town sees Iranian arrivals surge as tension rises

Armenian border town sees Iranian arrivals surge as tension rises

Armenian border town sees Iranian arrivals surge as tension rises

Armenian border town sees Iranian arrivals surge as tension rises

China unveiled a large wind-assisted propulsion system for ships in the coastal city of Dalian, northeast China's Liaoning Province, on Friday, marking a major leap forward for the country in the field of high-end vessel marine environmental protection equipment.

The wind-assisted propulsion system - rotating sail system (WAPS-RSS), is developed by Luoyang Ship Material Research Institute of China State Shipbuilding Corporation Limited (CSSC).

The system's rotor has diameter of 5 meters, is 35 meters high, and weighs 150 tons.

Experts say that the system can efficiently capture wind energy while the ship is sailing, providing additional thrust for the vessel.

On average, it can save fuel consumption by 5 to 25 percent for large ocean-going vessels, and lower carbon emissions accordingly.

It relies on the Magnus effect, which is much like a loop in table tennis, featuring a rapidly spinning sphere that causes the surrounding air to rotate. Pressure decreases on the side with faster airflow and increases on the side with slower airflow, creating a lateral pressure difference that generates lateral thrust.

"Standing on the deck, the powerful thrust generated by its rotation assists the ship's sailing. Our system - the world's largest rotary sail - reaches a maximum rotational speed of 180 revolutions per minute and can generate a maximum of 355 kilonewtons of thrust. Additionally, the system's intelligent control integrates multiple sensors to detect real-time wind and ship conditions. Through smart algorithms, it automatically adjusts to maintain optimal performance at all times, maximizing the utilization of wind energy," said Guo Yu, vice president of SunRui Marine Environment Engineering Company Limited under Luoyang Ship Material Research Institute.

Not only does the system's performance meet international advanced standards, but the project team has also overcome a series of engineering challenges, including the fabrication of giant composite structures, complex system integration, and intelligent coordinated control.

Compared with mainstream international technological approaches, it offers greater production efficiency and cost advantages.

Currently, the system has secured its first batch of orders and will complete actual vessel applications as scheduled.

China unveils large wind-assisted propulsion system for ships