There were more than 300,000 reports of cuts to Facebook services and more than 20,000 reports for Instagram. AFP
There were more than 300,000 reports of cuts to Facebook services and more than 20,000 reports for Instagram. AFP
There were more than 300,000 reports of cuts to Facebook services and more than 20,000 reports for Instagram. AFP
There were more than 300,000 reports of cuts to Facebook services and more than 20,000 reports for Instagram. AFP

Meta's Facebook, Instagram and Messenger back online after thousands lose access


Amr Mostafa
  • English
  • Arabic

Users of Meta Platforms's Facebook, Instagram and Messenger on Tuesday experienced login-related issues in several countries, including the UAE, internet monitor NetBlocks reported.

Meta later said that the problem had been resolved.

"Earlier today, a technical issue caused people to have difficulty accessing some of our services," said Meta spokesman Andy Stone.

"We resolved the issue as quickly as possible for everyone who was impacted, and we apologise for any inconvenience."

The incident was not related to country-level internet disruption or filtering, NetBlocks said on X.

YouTube also confirmed several users experienced issues loading videos on the platform.

There were more than 300,000 reports of cuts to Facebook services and more than 20,000 reports for Instagram, according to Downdetector.com, which tracks cuts to services by collating status reports from several sources, including users.

Meta's status dashboard showed the application programming interface for WhatsApp Business also faced issues. There were about 200 reports of problems with WhatsApp on Downdetector.

The issue was among the top trending topics on X, with several users saying they were suddenly logged out of the Meta-owned social media platforms.

WHAT FANS WILL LOVE ABOUT RUSSIA

FANS WILL LOVE
Uber is ridiculously cheap and, as Diego Saez discovered, mush safer. A 45-minute taxi from Pulova airport to Saint Petersburg’s Nevsky Prospect can cost as little as 500 roubles (Dh30).

FANS WILL LOATHE
Uber policy in Russia is that they can start the fare as soon as they arrive at the pick-up point — and oftentimes they start it even before arriving, or worse never arrive yet charge you anyway.

FANS WILL LOVE
It’s amazing how active Russians are on social media and your accounts will surge should you post while in the country. Throw in a few Cyrillic hashtags and watch your account numbers rocket.

FANS WILL LOATHE
With cold soups, bland dumplings and dried fish, Russian cuisine is not to everybody’s tastebuds.  Fortunately, there are plenty Georgian restaurants to choose from, which are both excellent and economical.

FANS WILL LOVE
The World Cup will take place during St Petersburg's White Nights Festival, which means perpetual daylight in a city that genuinely never sleeps. (Think toddlers walking the streets with their grandmothers at 4am.)

FANS WILL LOATHE
The walk from Krestovsky Ostrov metro station to Saint Petersburg Arena on a rainy day makes you wonder why some of the $1.7 billion was not spent on a weather-protected walkway.

While you're here

Michael Young: Where is Lebanon headed?

Kareem Shaheen: I owe everything to Beirut

Raghida Dergham: We have to bounce back

Everton 1 Stoke City 0
Everton (Rooney 45 1')
Man of the Match Phil Jagielka (Everton)

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
If you go

The flights

Etihad flies direct from Abu Dhabi to San Francisco from Dh5,760 return including taxes. 

The car

Etihad Guest members get a 10 per cent worldwide discount when booking with Hertz, as well as earning miles on their rentals. A week's car hire costs from Dh1,500 including taxes.

The hotels

Along the route, Motel 6 (www.motel6.com) offers good value and comfort, with rooms from $55 (Dh202) per night including taxes. In Portland, the Jupiter Hotel (https://jupiterhotel.com/) has rooms from $165 (Dh606) per night including taxes. The Society Hotel https://thesocietyhotel.com/ has rooms from $130 (Dh478) per night including taxes. 

More info

To keep up with constant developments in Portland, visit www.travelportland.com. Good guidebooks include the Lonely Planet guides to Northern California and Washington, Oregon & the Pacific Northwest. 

 

The burning issue

The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.

Read part three: the age of the electric vehicle begins

Read part two: how climate change drove the race for an alternative 

Read part one: how cars came to the UAE

Jeff Buckley: From Hallelujah To The Last Goodbye
By Dave Lory with Jim Irvin

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What the law says

Micro-retirement is not a recognised concept or employment status under Federal Decree Law No. 33 of 2021 on the Regulation of Labour Relations (as amended) (UAE Labour Law). As such, it reflects a voluntary work-life balance practice, rather than a recognised legal employment category, according to Dilini Loku, senior associate for law firm Gateley Middle East.

“Some companies may offer formal sabbatical policies or career break programmes; however, beyond such arrangements, there is no automatic right or statutory entitlement to extended breaks,” she explains.

“Any leave taken beyond statutory entitlements, such as annual leave, is typically regarded as unpaid leave in accordance with Article 33 of the UAE Labour Law. While employees may legally take unpaid leave, such requests are subject to the employer’s discretion and require approval.”

If an employee resigns to pursue micro-retirement, the employment contract is terminated, and the employer is under no legal obligation to rehire the employee in the future unless specific contractual agreements are in place (such as return-to-work arrangements), which are generally uncommon, Ms Loku adds.

Brief scores:

QPR 0

Watford 1

Capoue 45' 1

Updated: March 31, 2024, 8:41 AM`