Ishveena Singh

At least 1,000 baby flamingo carcasses – some partially buried in the mud – have been discovered at Turkey’s Lake Tuz. Horrifying drone footage captured above the dried-out lake bed has alarmed environmentalists who say climate change, drought, and unsustainable farming practices are to blame.

As seashores start to get packed with sun-worshippers, a coastal town in northeastern Spain is using drones to monitor beach crowds in real time. The drone trials in Sitges come at a time when COVID-19 cases are rising dramatically across Spain.

India has decided to free its drone industry from countless complexities and sluggish bureaucracy. The new draft drone rules proposed by the Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) – Drone Rules, 2021 – promise to bring in an era of trust, self-certification, and non-intrusive monitoring. Here are the 20 biggest takeaways…

In what can only be described as a win for the drone community in India, the Ministry of Civil Aviation has repealed the “UAS Rules” that came into force in March 2021. Based on the “valuable feedback from academia, industry, and other stakeholders,” a new set of draft drone rules are being introduced to regulate drone-related activities in a manner that they do not pose any risk to the safety or security of people and property.

A resort-style residential community in Ontario, California, has begun testing package deliveries via drones. At the first delivery from the skies today, a drone delivered ribbon-cutting scissors and microbrew beverages to the Ontario mayor, thus commemorating the opening of a marketplace at the New Haven master-planned development. Drone technology companies Airspace Link and DroneUp made the project possible.

Today, July 14, is Shark Awareness Day. And no, you don’t celebrate it by getting down to the beach and shouting out warnings to terrified swimmers and surfers. Today is about debunking the myths that surround sharks and dispelling the fear that gets evoked every time you hear the theme music of Jaws. This is exactly what 10-year-old Elijah Franklin is doing with the help of his new Mini 2 drone.

In a world first, Israel is hosting an international drone training exercise. Called the “Blue Guardian,” the military exercise is seeing participation from the United States, France, Italy, Germany, and the United Kingdom.

A drone belonging to Lake County Sheriff’s Office in Florida met an untimely death this week when a man opened gunfire at it in midair. Why? He thought the drone was sent to harass him.

The British Royal Navy has been conducting experimental drills to test the efficacy of heavy-lift drones in helping rescue a sailor who’s fallen overboard. The trials are being undertaken by the naval warfare force’s innovation experts, the NavyX team.

The home of the Gunas is what you’d call “a paradise on earth”. The tiny coconut islands of the San Blas archipelago off Panama’s eastern coast are littered with glistening white sand beaches, palm trees, and thatch-roof huts. And even though the indigenous tribes have maintained a healthy distance from unwanted modernization, the ripple effects of climate change have reached their shores.

In 2019, Audi teased an autonomous concept car, AI:Trail, that used drones for headlights. These drones with integrated matrix LED elements would fly ahead of the vehicle to light the way, eliminating the need for headlights altogether. The concept was naturally brushed off as extravagant and impractical. But Jeep has figured out a comparatively reasonable and practical way to incorporate drones into its future technology lineup. It’s, well, not giving up headlamps.

Flying drones for recreation? The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is now enabling Community Based Organizations (CBOs) to establish guidelines that will help you to fly safely and legally.

The Animal Legal Defense Fund is offering a $5,000 reward for information on the pilot responsible for a drone crash at California’s Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve in May. DroneDJ readers may recall our report on the heartbreaking event in which reckless drone use wiped out an entire generation of elegant terns.

Does owning a personal drone delivery mailbox sound like a far-fetched dream to you? Valqari, a drone delivery solutions company, is working to make this dream a reality for hundreds of families this year. And that too for just under $1,500. Here are the deets…

It’s not white. It’s Sunset White. Think hues of pink and purple fusing with crystal white as an ode to the gorgeous summer sunsets. Imagine the powerful 4K camera device fitting snugly into your summer shorts or beach bag. You’ll have to agree, DJI’s latest offering, the Pocket 2 Sunset White Exclusive Combo, is the perfect sidekick to handle this summer’s heat.

General Electric (GE) is entering into the commercial drone market space through a partnership with Microdrones, an aerial mapping technology company with German roots. And in addition to inheriting the existing Microdrones technology portfolio, GE is also announcing the launch of a new long-range LiDAR drone, mdLiDAR1000LR.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) says there are 234,605 certified remote pilots in the United States, as of June 30, 2021. How much do these pilots earn? And which industries are paying the most? Let’s find out…

Drone manufacturers, take notice. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has finalized a new rule that will crackdown on companies that make false, unqualified claims that their products are made in the USA.

The extensive search operation went on for 36 hours. But in the end, authorities at a German zoo were able to track and find Jang, an adorable, endangered red panda – with the help of a thermal drone.

So, you think drones are revolutionizing surveying, mapping, and inspection tasks? That will start to sound like old news once you find out what researchers in New Zealand are teaching drones to do. Two University of Canterbury academics are enabling drones to use hazardous precision tools in midair for a variety of complex industries.

Skylark Drones, the only Indian company to rank among the top four drone service providers in the world by Drone Industry Insights, has raised $3 million in a pre-Series A funding round to fuel growth in new geographies. This new funding follows the company’s previous seed funding round, which took place in 2018.