Brexit update

Although the Brexit deadline is still set for October 31, British Parliament voted on Saturday to delay a vote on Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s negotiated deal to leave the European Union. Following the vote, Johnson sent a letter to the EU requesting an extension – though he sent an accompanying letter explaining that he disagreed with the prospect of another delay.

Violence in Kashmir

Indian and Pakistani soldiers exchanged fire in Kashmir on Saturday and Sunday, killing and injuring soldiers and civilians on both sides. The region has been disputed between the two countries since 1947, and tensions have been rising since August when India sent troops to Kashmir after revoking its special autonomous status.

Fire not totally ceased

After the U.S. facilitated a five-day ceasefire between Turkey and the Syrian Kurds on Thursday to allow for the withdrawal of Kurdish forces, fighting was reported in the area on Friday. The White House announced the U.S. will leave the region, and Pentagon officials said the troops would be relocated to Western Iraq.

I Qant Stop

Australian airline Qantas completed the world’s longest commercial flight ever this weekend, a more than 19-hour journey from New York to Sydney. The flight was the first of three tests for Project Sunrise, Qantas’ attempt to regularly operate non-stop flights from Australia to London and New York, and carried ~50 people who underwent various procedures to determine the biological impact of the record-breaking flight (read a first-hand account of the flight at the link below).

Next of Kin

Kik Messenger will be acquired for an undisclosed sum by MediaLab, a holding company that owns multimedia properties like the anonymous social network Whisper and mixtape app DatPiff. The acquisition comes as Kik shifts focus to its cryptocurrency Kin, which is currently in the midst of a legal battle with the SEC.

Air mail

Alphabet subsidiary Wing has become the first company in the United States to commercially deliver packages via drone. Already available in two Australian cities as well as Helsinki, Finland, the service went live in Christiansburg, VA on Friday - residents can now order products normally shipped by FedEx, in addition to medicine from Walgreens and an assortment of candy from a local business, and have the purchase air delivered to their doorstep.

Not so Prime

According to a CNBC report, expired food is regularly sold and shipped to consumers via Amazon - an outside data firm’s analysis reveals that of the site’s 100 best selling food products, at least 40% of sellers had more than five customer complaints about expired goods. Interviews with involved parties point to loopholes in Amazon’s technology and logistics system that result in little to no accountability for expired products, sparking concerns from consumer safety advocates as the marketplace continues to grow.

Purl Jam

Jonah Larson is an 11-year-old self-taught prodigy - not at Minecraft or Fortnite, but crochet. After watching a YouTube tutorial when he was 5, Jonah crocheted his first simple dishcloth.   From then on, he was hooked.

Jonah has since developed his own “Learn to Crochet” series, and his skills have earned him appearances on the TODAY show, GMA, and NPR. And though he recently teamed up with Atlanta-based designer Daniel Sheehan to learn more about developing his own fashion line, it’s his genuine love for people that is most inspiring.

Jonah was adopted from an orphanage in Ethiopia, and he has recently started a fundraiser to build a library in his hometown so those friends he left behind “can have books in their hands” - nearly $20,000 has been raised to date. On his fundraising page, Jonah says, “I want to hand children in Ethiopia the chance to unlock their own passion and potential. When you make beautiful things, you can make things beautiful. Now it's time to hook the world!”

Dr. Do-Good

The idea of do-gooders in masks is usually confined to the pages of comic books or the movie screen – but in Missouri and New York, some lucky people have seen the phenomenon come to life.

Dr. MooMoo, 61, has been known on the streets of Kansas City as an angel in disguise since 1983. Donning a brightly colored mask that covers his whole head, a hat, jacket, and tie, the mystery man would walk through the streets passing out packaged snacks – and $100 bills – to complete strangers.

Recently, he took his costume and tradition to the Big Apple and revealed his identity to Inside Edition. Dr. MooMoo really is a doctor – of chiropractic medicine. But the experience of being homeless for a year when he was younger helps him understand what it’s like to be down on your luck, which has motivated him to give away $185,000 over the years. That, and what he says is just a deep love for people.