Syria and Turkey

Turkey’s military offensive continued throughout the day yesterday - the country said it had neutralized more than 200 fighters in northern Syria. At the United Nations, the U.S. ambassador joined the Secretary-General in condemning the attacks and calling for de-escalation.

Campaign finance arrests

Two Florida-based businessmen who worked with Rudy Giuliani, President Trump’s personal lawyer, were arrested Wednesday night and charged with campaign finance violations unrelated to their work with Giuliani. The men, Lev Parnas and Igor Fruman, were known to have helped Giuliani with research surrounding Joe Biden’s connections in Ukraine.

Vaping update

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported updated numbers on the vaping epidemic yesterday, saying that 1,299 confirmed cases of the vaping-related disease have been identified. In addition, 26 people have now died from the illness.

Mobile mania

For Q3 2019, global app revenue across the App Store and Google Play reached ~$21.9 billion, a more than 20% increase from last year. App Store users spent $14.2 billion in the quarter, outpacing the $7.7 billion shelled out by Google Play users - mobile gaming made up most of that total, with App Store users contributing $9.8 billion and Google Play gamers accounting for $6.5 billion.

The CEO shuffle

Walmart announced its U.S. President and CEO Greg Foran will be leaving to head Air New Zealand Limited - he will be replaced by Sam’s Club chief executive John Furner. In other exec departures, SAP CEO Bill McDermott is stepping down from his role effective immediately after leading the German software giant for the past nine years.

First-class flight

Boeing and Porsche have announced a partnership to develop a concept flying electric car capable of vertical takeoff and landing. The companies will also put a team together to explore the viability of upscale flying cars in the emerging urban air mobility market.

Trillion dollar baby

Investment bankers for Saudi Aramco will deliver their final recommendations as soon as today for the valuation of the state-owned oil behemoth ahead of its planned IPO in late November. The company is expected to be valued between $1.5 to $2 trillion (yes, with a “t”) and is planning to list between 1% to 2% of the company in its public market debut this year.

Adoptive angel

Brian Rand, a Vietnam veteran in Beaufort, California, never planned on getting a dog. But one day three years ago, he got frustrated with traffic and turned off the road to find himself in the parking lot of an animal shelter.

Pretty soon he was chatting with an employee about the possibility of a small, furry companion. Maybe a 20-pound female dog, he thought. But then he made eye contact with Curly – a 70-pound male rescue in the back of the room – and “that was it.” Since then, Curly’s never left his side.

Curly has a habit of nudging Brian awake in the morning, so when he opened his eyes late one night and noticed the time, he knew something was amiss. He saw flames in the living room and called 911 as he headed outside with Curly. The fire progressed quickly – without Curly to wake him up, Brian likely wouldn’t have made it. Sometimes, fateful furry friends mean more than just good company… they can save lives.

Scuba savior

It’s always hard to lose your phone – but for 39-year-old Erica Bennett, it was especially difficult. The phone that fell to the bottom of a river last summer held all her last text messages and photos with her father, who’d passed away that month from leukemia. Eventually, she had to come to terms with the fact that she wasn’t going to get those memories back.

Then, last month, a 25-year-old scuba diver named Michael Bennett (no relation) was exploring the bottom of the same river. Lodged alongside a large rock underneath eight feet of murky water, Michael noticed a lanyard. When he pulled it out, Erica’s phone was at the other end. He took it home, let it dry out, and plugged it in. Surprisingly, the phone illuminated.

Michael found Erica’s number on the SIM card and gave her a call, explaining what he’d found. Erica couldn’t believe it. The next day, he delivered the phone to her – good as new – with all the last photos and messages from her father intact. She said the emotions overtook her in waves. “It’s just a phone,” Erica said, “but then again – it’s not.” In a way, she got one last glimpse of her father – thanks to a well-meaning scuba diver and one miraculously durable phone.