This week’s stories are about tech, gadgets and sustainability, coming from Japan and the USA

More than 300 drones confiscated near World Cup venues

U.S. authorities have confiscated more than 300 drones flown near FIFA World Cup venues since the tournament opened, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) said  

The Federal Aviation Administration has prohibited drones and other unauthorized aircraft from operating within a 3-nautical-mile radius and up to 3,000 feet above ground level around World Cup stadiums on match days unless they receive approval from air traffic control. Similar restrictions apply to fan festival sites, where drones are banned within a 1-nautical-mile radius and up to 1,000 feet above ground level.

In Florida, the FBI’s Miami field office said it had issued citations to 49 drone operators for unauthorized flights and seized 54 drones.

I saw this story at NBC and federal officials warned that drone operators who violate restricted airspace without authorization could face civil penalties of up to $100,000, criminal prosecution and confiscation of their aircraft. The FBI has also deployed counter-drone teams around World Cup venues to identify and disable unauthorized drones, according to the story.

Authorities have recently pursued criminal cases involving unauthorized drone flights over major sporting events, the story noted. A man pleaded guilty last year to violating restricted airspace after flying a drone over an NFL playoff game in Baltimore in January 2025. In a separate case, a Massachusetts man was charged after allegedly flying a drone near the finish line of the 2024 Boston Marathon, where law enforcement intercepted and seized the aircraft midflight, the story underlined.

More than 300 drones confiscated near World Cup venues

Watch Duty expands beyond wildfire tracking to provide flood monitoring across the U.S.

Watch Duty, the nonprofit emergency tracking app that gained widespread use during recent U.S. wildfires, expanded its services to include flood monitoring as flash flood season begins, aiming to give users faster access to life-saving information during extreme weather events.

The move comes nearly a year after catastrophic flooding in Texas killed more than 130 people and renewed concerns over the effectiveness of public warning systems. Watch Duty CEO and Co-Founder John Mills said the expansion is intended to improve how quickly critical information reaches people facing rapidly evolving disasters. (By the way I have a story here about the biomass use in Turkey)

Originally launched in 2021 to provide real-time wildfire updates, Watch Duty became a key source of information during the January 2025 fires in Los Angeles County. More than 2.5 million people used the app that week to monitor fire perimeters, evacuation orders and emergency response updates, according to the organization.

The service compiles and verifies information through a network of about 300 volunteer reporters who monitor emergency radio traffic, satellite imagery, public agency announcements, cameras and user-submitted reports. The information is delivered through interactive maps, text updates and push notifications available in five languages.

The new flood monitoring features integrate data from the National Weather Service, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the U.S. Geological Survey. Users can track flood watches and warnings, river gauge levels, potential dam or levee failures, and determine whether their homes are located within FEMA-designated flood zones. The app also allows users to customize alerts based on river levels or other conditions.

Watch Duty expands beyond wildfire tracking to provide flood monitoring across the U.S.

Japan to launch digital infrastructure initiative with Taiwan, India

Japan will begin a series of digital infrastructure projects with Taiwan and India aimed at strengthening undersea cable networks, satellite communications and other strategic technologies as part of its expanded Free and Open Indo-Pacific strategy.

I read this story Taiwan News and Japan’s Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications plans to launch eight projects in cooperation with Japanese telecommunications firms and local partners, with feasibility studies and pilot testing scheduled to begin this year.

The initiative will be financed through Japan’s supplemental fiscal 2025 budget and fiscal 2026 budget, with total funding of about 8 billion yen ($55 million).

In Taiwan, the program will focus on improving the reliability and resilience of the undersea fiber-optic cable connecting Taiwan and Japan. The project will assess whether upgraded communications systems can meet higher performance and security standards for stable cross-border connectivity, according to the story.

In India, Japan will test NTT’s Innovative Optical and Wireless Network (IOWN), a next-generation communications platform that uses optical technology to connect data centers and end-user equipment more efficiently as demand for digital infrastructure continues to rise. Additional projects will examine technologies designed to enhance digital payment services in both India and Singapore.

The digital corridor initiative forms part of Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s updated Free and Open Indo-Pacific strategy, which she outlined during a speech in Vietnam in May. Originally introduced by former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in 2016, the strategy has evolved from promoting free trade, freedom of navigation and the rule of law to placing greater emphasis on economic security, energy resilience and digital infrastructure amid growing geopolitical tensions and intensifying technological competition.

Japan to launch digital infrastructure initiative with Taiwan, India