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.

FIXTURES

Thu Mar 15 – West Indies v Afghanistan, UAE v Scotland
Fri Mar 16 – Ireland v Zimbabwe
Sun Mar 18 – Ireland v Scotland
Mon Mar 19 – West Indies v Zimbabwe
Tue Mar 20 – UAE v Afghanistan
Wed Mar 21 – West Indies v Scotland
Thu Mar 22 – UAE v Zimbabwe
Fri Mar 23 – Ireland v Afghanistan

The top two teams qualify for the World Cup

Classification matches 
The top-placed side out of Papua New Guinea, Hong Kong or Nepal will be granted one-day international status. UAE and Scotland have already won ODI status, having qualified for the Super Six.

Thu Mar 15 – Netherlands v Hong Kong, PNG v Nepal
Sat Mar 17 – 7th-8th place playoff, 9th-10th place play-off

Getting there

The flights

Emirates and Etihad fly to Johannesburg or Cape Town daily. Flights cost from about Dh3,325, with a flying time of 8hours and 15 minutes. From there, fly South African Airlines or Air Namibia to Namibia’s Windhoek Hosea Kutako International Airport, for about Dh850. Flying time is 2 hours.

The stay

Wilderness Little Kulala offers stays from £460 (Dh2,135) per person, per night. It is one of seven Wilderness Safari lodges in Namibia; www.wilderness-safaris.com.

Skeleton Coast Safaris’ four-day adventure involves joining a very small group in a private plane, flying to some of the remotest areas in the world, with each night spent at a different camp. It costs from US$8,335.30 (Dh30,611); www.skeletoncoastsafaris.com

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Essentials
The flights: You can fly from the UAE to Iceland with one stop in Europe with a variety of airlines. Return flights with Emirates from Dubai to Stockholm, then Icelandair to Reykjavik, cost from Dh4,153 return. The whole trip takes 11 hours. British Airways flies from Abu Dhabi and Dubai to Reykjavik, via London, with return flights taking 12 hours and costing from Dh2,490 return, including taxes. 
The activities: A half-day Silfra snorkelling trip costs 14,990 Icelandic kronur (Dh544) with Dive.is. Inside the Volcano also takes half a day and costs 42,000 kronur (Dh1,524). The Jokulsarlon small-boat cruise lasts about an hour and costs 9,800 kronur (Dh356). Into the Glacier costs 19,500 kronur (Dh708). It lasts three to four hours.
The tours: It’s often better to book a tailor-made trip through a specialist operator. UK-based Discover the World offers seven nights, self-driving, across the island from £892 (Dh4,505) per person. This includes three nights’ accommodation at Hotel Husafell near Into the Glacier, two nights at Hotel Ranga and two nights at the Icelandair Hotel Klaustur. It includes car rental, plus an iPad with itinerary and tourist information pre-loaded onto it, while activities can be booked as optional extras. More information inspiredbyiceland.com

Crops that could be introduced to the UAE

1: Quinoa 

2. Bathua 

3. Amaranth 

4. Pearl and finger millet 

5. Sorghum

Updated: March 31, 2024, 8:41 AM