Amazon cloud storage failure causes disruption

Amazon cloud storage failure causes disruption

NEW YORK

Usually people don’t notice the “cloud” – unless, that is, it turns into a massive storm. Which was the case Tuesday when Amazon’s huge cloud-computing service suffered an outage.

Amazon Web Services, by far the world’s largest provider of internet-based computing services, suffered an unspecified breakdown in its eastern U.S. region starting about midday Tuesday. The result: unprecedented and widespread performance problems for thousands of websites and apps.

While few services went down completely, thousands of companies had trouble with functions ranging from file sharing to webfeeds to loading any type of data stored on Amazon’s “simple storage service,” known as S3. Amazon services began returning around 4 p.m., and an hour later the company noted on its service site that S3 was fully recovered.

Samsung’s de facto chief indicted

SEOUL, South Korea

South Korean special prosecutors indicted Samsung’s de facto chief Tuesday on bribery, embezzlement and other charges linked to a political scandal that has toppled President Park Geun-hye.

The indictment of Samsung Electronics vice chairman Lee Jae-yong is a huge hit for the largest and most successful of the big businesses that dominate the South Korean economy. It also signals the still roiling state of South Korea’s political and economic circles after weeks of massive demonstrations that led to Park’s impeachment.

The announcement of the indictment came after a three-month investigation by a special prosecution team that ended Tuesday after the country’s acting leader refused a request for an extension.

Trump signs executive order on black colleges

WASHINGTON

President Donald Trump signed an executive order Tuesday aimed at signaling his commitment to historically black colleges and universities, saying that those schools will be “an absolute priority for this White House.”

HBCU presidents are hoping Congress will bolster Trump’s actions to strengthen the schools with dramatically increased funding in the upcoming federal budget. They are calling for $25 billion for infrastructure, college readiness, financial aid and other priorities. Under President Barack Obama’s administration, historically black colleges and universities received $4 billion over seven years.

Many of the college presidents also went to Capitol Hill on Tuesday to lobby Congress for more funding.

Spring pops up early in much of US

WASHINGTON

Spring has sprung early – potentially record early – in much of the United States, bringing celebrations of shorts weather mixed with unease about a climate gone askew.

Crocuses, tulips and other plants are popping up earlier than usual from Arizona to New Jersey and down to Florida. Washington is dotted with premature pink blossoming trees. Grackles, red-winged blackbirds and woodpeckers are just plain early birds this year. The unseasonably warm weather has the natural world getting ahead of – even defying – the calendar, scientists said Tuesday.

In cities such as Indianapolis, Pittsburgh and Columbus, spring has arrived about a month earlier than the 30-year average and about 20 days earlier than in 2012, which was the earliest spring on record.

Associated Press