WhatsApp back online after global outage of ‘a few hours’

A WhatsApp logo is seen behind a phone that is logged on to Facebook in the central Bosnian town of Zenica. (REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/File Photo)
Updated 04 May 2017
Follow

WhatsApp back online after global outage of ‘a few hours’

WhatsApp, a popular messaging service owned by Facebook Inc., suffered a widespread global outage on Wednesday that lasted for several hours before being resolved, the company said.
“Earlier today, WhatsApp users in all parts of the world were unable to access WhatsApp for a few hours. We have now fixed the issue and apologize for the inconvenience,” WhatsApp said in an e-mail late Wednesday afternoon.
WhatsApp was down in parts of the Middle East, India, Canada, the United States and Brazil. It affected people who use the service on Apple Inc’s iOS operating system, Alphabet Inc.’s Android and Microsoft Corp’s Windows mobile OS.
In Saudi Arabia, reports of users complaining about the service outage started at midnight. It was back at about 4 a.m.
Many users switched to Twitter to vent their frustrations. Immediately after the service was back, WhatsApp users also triumphantly announced it on Twitter.

In Brazil, where the professional class relies heavily on the messaging service, WhatsApp was down for about two and a half hours. Many users switched to rival system Telegram, which has picked up millions of customers in Brazil after two previous WhatsApp outages resulting from court orders.
WhatsApp’s is used by more than 1.2 billion people around the world and is a key tool for communications and commerce in many countries. The service was acquired by Facebook in 2014 for $19 billion.

(With Reuters)


Arab News wins 7 prizes at European Newspaper Awards, led by 50th anniversary coverage

Updated 27 February 2026
Follow

Arab News wins 7 prizes at European Newspaper Awards, led by 50th anniversary coverage

  • Anniversary special coverage and film won four Awards of Excellence across multiple categories

LONDON: Arab News won seven prizes at the 27th European Newspaper Awards — four for its 50th anniversary coverage and three for other projects — bringing its total to 160 awards since the 2018 relaunch.

The anniversary coverage earned an Award of Excellence in “Supplement for special occasions and anniversary editions,” plus wins in “Multimedia storytelling” for its special web section and two in “Film” and “Animated films” for its documentary.

Additional honors went to the “Spotlight — 2024 in Review” and “Opinion — 2024” print series in the “Sectional front pages nationwide newspaper” category, and a “Visualization” prize for an image from “Opinion — 2024.”

Launched in 1999 by organizer Norbert Kupper, the awards celebrate print and digital innovation. This year’s contest drew newspapers from 22 countries and more than 3,000 entries across 20 categories, despite fewer print submissions due to rising editorial collaborations.

“It’s testament to the skill, versatility and collaboration between the creative and editorial teams at Arab News that the seven awards at this year’s ENAs spanned print, digital and film categories,” commented Omar Nashashibi, head of creative design at Arab News. “These wouldn’t be possible without the world-class contributors we partner with, and the leadership, vision and support of Editor-In-Chief Faisal J. Abbas.”

Creative Director Simon Khalil called the film wins especially meaningful. “This recognition means a great deal because this film was never just about marking an anniversary, it was about capturing a defining moment in the evolution of Arab News and the region it represents.

“Telling the story, and drama of the 2018 relaunch, the digital transformation, and the courage to become ‘The Voice of a Changing Region’ was both a responsibility and a privilege.”

Past highlights include the “King Charles III Coronation” special coverage, “Kingdom vs. Captagon” investigation and FIFA Qatar World Cup 2022 special edition.

See more award-winning projects at arabnews.com/greatesthits.