Zhejiang water town deploys drone for holiday traffic management

The ancient water town of Wuzhen in east China's Zhejiang Province is using drones to ease traffic congestion and enhance road management during the ongoing May Day Holiday.

The five-day holiday, which runs from May 1 to 5, has brought a surge of visitors to the scenic town. To cope with the heavy traffic, local authorities have deployed a drone to assist the police in traffic coordination.

Equipped with an on-board speaker, the drone provides real-time guidance to drivers, helping them locate available parking spaces, avoid congestion, and prevent illegal parking, which has helped keep traffic flow smooth around the key scenic areas.

"Compared with conventional human patrols and surveillance camera, drone has a wider patrol coverage and a larger patrol area, which helps further improve the efficiency of traffic management," said Bu Yalin, captain of Wuzhen Squadron of Traffic Management Brigade in Tongxiang Public Security Bureau.

Iran's Organization for Renovation, Development, and Equipment of Schools, reported on Sunday that a total of 1,486 schools and educational units were demolished or damaged in the military actions launched by the United States and Israel against the country.

Hamidreza Khan Mohammadi, head of the organization, said that attacks have struck 153 districts across 22 provinces in Iran, with 11 schools completely destroyed, while 1,489 schools and educational facilities -- including 1,214 schools and 275 educational spaces -- sustained partial or total damage.