Saudi deployment

The United States announced on Friday that it will send troops to Saudi Arabia and the UAE following last weekend’s attacks on state-run Saudi oil fields. The Pentagon said the deployment will involve a moderate amount of troops and be defensive in nature.

This week in global politics

The United Nations General Assembly gathers this week in New York City, beginning today with a Climate Action Summit and a meeting on universal healthcare coverage. The theme of this year’s assembly is on multilateral efforts for poverty eradication, quality education, climate action and inclusion.

An Israel update

Following Israel’s national election last week in which no party received an outright majority, a coalition of Arab lawmakers voiced support for a government led by Benny Gantz. Gantz’s centrist party, Blue and White, came out just ahead of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s right-leaning party, Likud.

And now, their watch has ended

British company Thomas Cook, the world’s oldest travel firm, has collapsed after failing to secure emergency rescue funding, resulting in the cancellation of more than 600k bookings. The company operated hotels, resorts and airlines for over 19 million people across 16 countries each year, but couldn’t escape debt woes and a changing market.

WeWant you out

On the heels of its delayed IPO, a bloc of WeWork’s board of directors is seeking to remove CEO Adam Neumann, the WSJ reported over the weekend. This follows recent news reports of his behavior, issues regarding corporate governance and investor concerns surrounding the company’s business model. Per CNBC, SoftBank chief Masayoshi Son is in favor of removing Neumann - SoftBank is the company’s largest investor.

Smoke n guns

Walmart said Friday it will phase out selling all e-cigarettes in its stores, citing regulatory uncertainty after a White House announcement regarding the ban of most e-cig flavors. This comes weeks after the retailer announced it will also phase out handgun and short barrel rifle ammunition sales.

Unfriended

Facebook has suspended tens of thousands of apps from its platform over concerns regarding their collection and potential misuse of user data. According to a company blog post, this is an update to Facebook’s App Developer investigation that started with the Cambridge Analytica episode in March 2018, and the suspension affected ~400 developers.

Deliver and dash

When islands or coastal areas are hit by floods, earthquakes, or other natural disasters, it can be days – or even weeks – before roads or runways are sufficiently cleared and repaired to allow for the delivery of supplies. And if you’re an insulin-dependent diabetic or require another life-saving medicine, that could mean your life is in danger.

With that in mind, an international team of researchers at a university in Galway made the first ever drone delivery of insulin to the Irish island of Inis Mor earlier this month. The drone flew autonomously, delivered the medication, and then collected a blood sample from the patient before returning to the mainland.

This milestone opens up a whole new world of possibilities for people in remote regions or suffering the effects of devastation from natural disasters. With drone delivery as an option, Marion Hernon, a resident of the Aran Islands living with diabetes said he and others will be able to rest a lot easier in an emergency situation – these drone deliveries could ensure survival.

Magic carpet

Over the course of a decades-long career, Loren Krytzer made himself into a successful freelance carpenter and lived a modest, yet comfortable life. But when his leg was severely injured in a 2007 car accident, his life took a turn for the worse. After nearly a year in the hospital, a stubborn infection led to the amputation of his left leg, making it impossible for him to return to carpentry. With money scarce and nowhere to turn, Loren sent his kids to live with their grandparents out of state. Disability eventually kicked in, but left him with only $200 per month after rent, and for the next seven years Loren scraped by, at a loss for how to pick himself back up.

But then another twist of fate: Loren was watching the Antiques Roadshow when he recognized a Navajo blanket very similar to the one in his closet collecting dust. According to the show, that blanket was worth half a million dollars. Though his family members were skeptical, Loren took his blanket to be appraised and was told it could fetch around $200,000. Loren was in disbelief. On the day of the auction, a fierce bidding war broke out between two buyers, and in just over a minute the blanket was sold for $1.5 million. Loren was in tears, hyperventilating.

Since the windfall, Loren’s health and relationships have improved drastically. Even so, he says that the thing he’s learned about life is that it’s not as much about the money as you’d think; instead, it’s about a strong faith and a strong mind. With those things, according to Loren, anybody can make it.