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NEW YORK (AP) — A major Amazon Web Services outage disrupted scores of online platforms on Monday — leaving people around the world unable to access some banks, chatting apps, online food ordering and more.History shows these kinds of system outages can be short-lived, and are often minor inconveniences — such as placing a lunch order in person or waiting a few hours for a gaming platform to come back online — than long-term problems, but recovery can be a bumpy road. And for people trying to move money, communicate with loved ones or work using impacted services, disruptions are…

Cruise lines are rethinking their itineraries in Asia after China extended its new “special port fees” to visiting cruise ships — a move that could cost operators millions per voyage. The fees, which kicked in on October 14, are the nation’s response to similar levies the U.S. Trade Representative’s Office recently announced on Chinese vessels. The American program mainly affects cargo ships owned, operated or built in China. In turn, China’s policy targets any vessel with U.S. ties — meaning those that are owned, operated, flagged or constructed in the United States are now subject to steep new fees when…

WordPress co-founder and Automattic CEO Matt Mullenweg called the company’s Tumblr acquisition his biggest failure — but one he hasn’t given up on yet. The comments were made at the recent WordCamp Canada 2025 conference, where Mullenweg went live for a Town Hall session to connect with the open source-focused WordPress community. The exec noted that Tumblr was still on a different technical stack than WordPress — something he had intended to correct by migrating the back end to WordPress infrastructure. However, that massive undertaking was put on hold earlier this year, as the cost to move Tumblr’s half-billion blogs…

WASHINGTON (AP) — Head Start programs that serve tens of thousands of the nation’s neediest preschoolers are facing a cutoff of federal funding at the end of the month because of the government shutdown, leaving many scrambling to figure out how to keep their doors open.The early education initiative is funded almost entirely by the federal government, making it particularly vulnerable to funding disruptions. The programs — which are run by schools, local governments and nonprofits — receive new grants annually and are not allowed to carry over unspent money. With new grants on hold, a half dozen Head Start…

Travelers looking to unwind, reset and reconnect will soon have a new reason to visit Indonesia. This November, the Ministry of Tourism is launching the Wonderful Indonesia Wellness Festival 2025, a month-long celebration of the country’s rich healing traditions, ancient wisdom and holistic practices — all set amid the cultural heart of Java in Surakarta and Yogyakarta.“Wonderful Indonesia Wellness marks the beginning of our effort to introduce the authenticity of Indonesia’s wellness culture to the world. Through this initiative, we want to emphasize that Indonesian tourism is not only beautiful — it is also healing, calming and rejuvenating,” said Widyanti…

When Shin Starr set out to build an autonomous kitchen, the company knew that the gimmick of robotic cooking wouldn’t carry the business. What would make Shin Starr’s OLHSO Korean BBQ food truck successful is if it could cook and deliver a hot, fresh, tasty meal at a reasonable price. “At the end of the day, customers don’t care about the type of rocket science that is in your truck or in your kitchen,” Kish Shin, co-founder and CEO of Shin Starr, told TechCrunch. “They care about the value they’re getting.” Han Sungil, a chef with over 18 restaurants in…

Last updated: 6:00 AM ET, Mon October 20, 2025 WHY IT RATES: Fiesta Americana Mérida marks its 30th anniversary with the opening of Baharat, a Middle Eastern-inspired restaurant offering unique culinary experiences in collaboration with Lead Chef Gerardo Rivera. —Janeen Christoff, TravelPulse Managing EditorFiesta Americana Mérida celebrates 30 years of excellence in hospitality and unforgettable experiences. As part of this milestone, the hotel announces the opening of Baharat: A Journey of Soul and Flavor, a new culinary space inspired by the rich traditions of Middle Eastern cuisine. Created in collaboration with Lead Chef Gerardo Rivera, this concept blends international ingredients and techniques…

The Federal Trade Commission has removed three blog posts from the Lina Khan-era that addressed open-source AI and risks of AI to consumers, according to a Wired report.   One post, titled “On Open-Weights Foundation Models,” was published July 10, 2024. Another, titled “Consumers Are Voicing Concerns About AI,” came out in October 2023. A third, authored by Khan’s staff, was published on January 3, 2025 with the title “AI and the Risk of Consumer Harm.” That post noted the FTC was “taking note of AI’s potential for real-world instances of harm – from incentivizing commercial surveillance to enabling fraud…

by Sarah Kuta Last updated: 7:55 AM ET, Mon October 20, 2025 The cruise industry is booming: AAA is forecasting another record year in 2026, with 21.7 million Americans projected to take an ocean cruise vacation.If AAA’s predictions come true, 2026 would mark the fourth consecutive year of record cruise passenger volume. Though 2025 is still in full swing, AAA is projecting a final tally of 20.7 million ocean-going American cruise passengers—higher than it had originally predicted. “These numbers reflect the growing demand for ocean cruises among U.S. travelers,” says Stacey Barber, vice president of AAA Travel. “Our travel agents…

Cards Against Humanity, the irreverent party game company known for its provocative humor, has settled its trespassing lawsuit against SpaceX, one year after filing the complaint and launching a profanity-laced marketing campaign against Elon Musk’s rocket company. The dispute centered on a plot of land along the Rio Grande River in Cameron County, Texas, that Cards Against Humanity purchased in 2017. The company crowdfunded the purchase through 150,000 separate $15 donations ($2.25 million total) from supporters who wanted to help block President Donald Trump’s border wall. The land happened to be located right next to where SpaceX has been building…