Month: October 2025

Amazon Web Services (AWS) announced that it has fully restored service following extensive internet outages on Monday that left many users unable to access several major websites. The cloud computing giant, which powers a large portion of the publicly available internet infrastructure and countless digital tools, confirmed in an update Monday evening that all AWS systems had resumed normal operations.

Widespread internet outages occurred throughout the day on Monday after the major outage at AWS disrupted access to popular platforms, apps, and games for millions of users. AWS went down due to a malfunction in one of its core database systems, the company said.

AWS had previously said on Monday that the company was continuing to “apply mitigation steps,” adding that “we are in the process of validating a fix,”  referring to a specific problem set off by the connectivity issue announced shortly after 3 a.m. Eastern Time.

AWS explained that the disruption originated from a problem with its EC2 internal network, which in turn affected several services, including DynamoDB, SQS, and Amazon Connect.  By 6:35 a.m. ET, AWS announced that the database issue had been “fully mitigated” but warned that users might still encounter performance delays. However, just a few hours later — at 10:14 a.m. ET — the company acknowledged ongoing “significant API errors and connectivity issues across multiple services in the US-EAST-1 Region” and said it was still investigating. The company later said in a statement at 11:43 a.m. ET that “the root cause is an underlying internal subystem responsible for monitoring the health of our network load balancers,” adding that it was temporarily limiting new customer requests while restoring full functionality.

The disruption impacted major platforms including Snapchat – who confirmed that some users were “having issues,” while social media posts showed people losing access to friends lists and daily streaks – as well as the McDonald’s app and gaming services like Roblox and Fortnite. The outage highlighted how dependent businesses and institutions have become on cloud-based technology. According to the tracking site Downdetector, the outage prompted more than 6.5 million user reports, showing that over 1,000 different websites and online services were offline.

Additional major companies also affected included including Microsoft Outlook, Zoom, and Lyft, as well as United Airlines, T-Mobile, Starbucks, and Delta, who reported minor flight delays. Users of Medicare, the U.S. federal health insurance program, said they were unable to log in during its open enrollment period. In the U.K., the HM Revenue and Customs website also went down for some users. The outage affected even Amazon’s own services like Prime Video, with Ring doorbell cameras and Alexa-enabled smart devices being rendered unresponsive, while others couldn’t access the Amazon website or download books to their Kindle devices.

Similarly, media outlets such as Disney, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and The Associated Press also reported problems, with the AP activating its “AP Backup” system to maintain access to breaking news. Coinbase, the largest cryptocurrency exchange in the U.S., also reported its platform was down due to the AWS outage; with other apps including Robinhood, Venmo, and Duolingo also affected.

Editorial credit: Michael Vi / Shutterstock.com

President Donald Trump met with Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese at the White House on Monday, where the two leaders discussed trade and the AUKUS nuclear submarine deal, in addition to signing an agreement on Australia’s rare-earth minerals — which could potentially serve as a bargaining chip in the United States’ trade war with China.

The meeting marked Albanese’s first visit to the White House since Trump returned to office. The Australian prime minister is aiming to strengthen his country’s relationship with Washington, leveraging Australia’s vast reserves of critical minerals to deepen strategic ties. The push comes amid global unease after China introduced sweeping export limits on rare earth materials — a move that has shaken economies worldwide. U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said last week that America and its allies, including Australia, are discussing a coordinated response to the restrictions.

Trump said at the White House as the two leaders met: “We are discussing critical minerals and rare earths and we’re going to be signing an agreement that’s been negotiated over a period of four or five months. We’ve been working on that for quite a while. In about a year from now, we’ll have so much critical mineral and rare earths that you won’t know what to do with them.” The two leaders signed the agreement at the top of the meeting, with a White House official later announcing that the United States and Australia will jointly invest more than $3 billion in critical mineral initiatives over the next six months. The projects are tied to recoverable resources estimated to exceed $50 billion in value.

Albanese described the new agreement as an $8.5 billion “pipeline that we have ready to go,” calling it a major step forward in the partnership on minerals and rare earths. He praised the deal as “taking it to the next level,” highlighting the growing economic and defense collaboration between the two nations.

According to both leaders, the pact will involve Australia taking on a greater role in processing rare earth elements. Albanese noted that the country has the “capacity” to increase those operations, signaling Australia’s readiness to expand its part in the supply chain. Under the plan, the United States and Australia will each contribute $1 billion over the next six months to launch initial projects. Additional ventures are expected in both nations, and one initiative will include Japan, Albanese said.

Later when asked whether the U.S. might consider lifting tariffs on Australia, Trump shifted to praising his overall trade strategy before noting, “I will say this, Australia, pays very low tariffs, very, very low tariffs. Australia pays among the lowest tariffs.”

Editorial credit: Juergen Nowak / Shutterstock.com

At least three people were injured early Sunday morning, Oct. 19, after a shooting took place outside a dormitory at Oklahoma State University during the school’s homecoming weekend.

The Oklahoma State University Police Department responded to a call about a gunshot victim at the McDonald’s on Duck Street in Stillwater, Oklahoma around 3:40 a.m. OSU officers arrived first and provided medical assistance to an individual with gunshot wounds. Around the same time, reports of shots fired near campus came in, prompting officers to head toward OSU’s Carreker East Residential Hall on McElroy Road. According to local news affiliate News 9, one Carreker East resident reported hearing multiple gunshots during the early morning hours and saw students running outside from his balcony.

OSU Chief of Police Michael Beckner confirmed that three individuals were shot, one OSU student and two non-students. Two victims were transported to OU Medical Center in Oklahoma City, where they underwent surgery and are in stable condition. The third victim was treated at Saint Francis Hospital in Tulsa and has since been released.

The shooting happened amid Oklahoma State University’s 2025 homecoming festivities, known as “America’s Greatest Homecoming.” The weekend drew large crowds of alumni, students, and families for events such as the Sea of Orange Parade, tailgates, and the football game against the University of Cincinnati.

University officials have urged students who do not live in Carreker East to stay away from the area while the investigation continues. While the investigation remains ongoing, campus police have assured students and residents that there is no current threat to the university community.  Police said in a statement that “initial reports indicate a large, private party occurred at an off-campus locationheld at the Payne County Expo Center that ended around 2:30 to 3 a.m. A dispute that began there is thought to have continued near campus, eventually leading to the shooting.. After the gathering disbanded, some attendees returned to Carreker East where the shooting occurred.” No shots were fired inside the building, which houses approximately 62 students.

Officials have not said whether any of the injured individuals were involved in the shooting. No arrests have been made at this time, but police say they have strong leads and are asking anyone with information to come forward.

Anyone with information is urged to contact OSU Police at 405-744-6523 or submit anonymous tips via live chat in the Rave Guardian app. Updates will be posted at safety.okstate.edu.

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A hit-and-run at a children’s birthday party in Bladensburg, Maryland, has left one person dead and 13 people injured, including five adults and eight children ranging in age from 1 to 17 years old. The incident took place in Bladensburg in Prince George’s County, around six miles from Washington, D.C.

According to Bladensburg Police Department (BPD) officials, the crash happened around 10:14 p.m. on Oct. 18, when a vehicle traveling from Annapolis Road struck a group of people gathered outside a home on the 4100 block of 56th Avenue. In a statement, the BPD said the vehicle “struck several individuals gathered in front of a residence” before the driver fled the scene on foot. The driver was later identified as a 66-year-old man from Washington, D.C., though his name was not disclosed. He turned himself in and was interviewed by a crash investigator, police said in a later update on Sunday. Authorities are consulting with the Prince George’s County state’s attorney and criminal charges are pending against the driver.

According to the Prince George’s County Fire/EMS Department, the deceased victim was later identified by police as 31-year-old Ashley Hernandez Gutierrez, of Washington, D.C.  Six of the children were treated and released, and one was admitted to a hospital and is in stable condition. Three adult victims were admitted to the hospital and are in stable condition, one is pending treatment, and another has been released, police said.

The Bladensburg Police Department is leading the investigation, with assistance from Prince George’s County Police. Authorities urge anyone with information to contact the Bladensburg Police Department’s Criminal Investigations Division at 301-864-6080.

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