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Instagram’s Amber Alert Feature Is Coming To The UAE
Each alert will include a picture and description of the missing child, as well as the location where the child was last seen.
Social media networks like Instagram receive a lot of criticism for their negative influence on their users and society at large. But just like most things humans have created, they can be used for both good and bad.
Instagram’s Amber Alert feature, whose purpose is to make the site’s users aware of missing or abducted children from their local area, is a shining example of how social media network can benefit not just their users but even those who avoid them like the plague.
The feature first launched on Facebook back in 2015, and it quickly became a major success. Now, this incredibly useful feature is coming to 25 countries, including the United Arab Emirates.
Here’s a complete list of all the countries where Amber Alerts will soon launch: Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Bulgaria, Ecuador, Greece, Guatemala, Ireland, Jamaica, Korea, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Malta, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Romania, South Africa, Taiwan, Ukraine, United Kingdom, United States, and the United Arab Emirates.
“We know that the chances of finding a missing child increase when more people are on the lookout, especially in the first few hours,” says Emily Vacher, Director of Trust and Safety at Meta. “With this update, if an AMBER Alert is activated by law enforcement and you are in the designated search area, the alert will now appear in your Instagram feed.”
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Each alert will include a picture and description of the missing child, as well as the location where the child was last seen. With a simple tap, Instagram users will be able to contact law enforcement to share what they know with them.
The feature has already been used to help rescue at least two children. In 2016 an anesthesia technician at Baptist East Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee helped save a four-year-old girl who was abducted in Florida. In 2020, 11-year-old Charlotte Moccia from Massachusetts was rescued after Amanda Disley and her husband saw an Amber Alert on Facebook.
News
Syria Just Got Its First Super App Featuring Built-In Digital Payments
Built by UAE-based Syrian founders with the Ministry of Tourism’s backing, My Syria lands as visitor numbers more than double.
For most of the past decade, paying for anything in Syria with an international card was effectively impossible. Sanctions, a collapsed banking sector, and years of isolation left the country running on cash. That is what makes the launch of My Syria — the country’s first super app — more than a routine product announcement.
Developed by 121 Living, a company founded by four UAE-based Syrian entrepreneurs — Rami Kaiem, Feras Kaiem, Waseem Qudmani, and Kinan Madi — the app launched in Damascus on July 30 under the patronage of Minister of Tourism Mazen Al-Salhani. It bundles hotels, restaurants, transport, attractions, food delivery, and other lifestyle services into a single platform, currently offering eight services with plans to expand to more than 40 verified tourism and hospitality providers across the country.
Although the app already sounds enticing, the headline feature is its built-in payments. My Syria is the first platform in Syria to support cross-border digital payments through Apple Pay, Google Pay, Visa, Mastercard, and American Express — familiar tools for international visitors, and a route into the digital economy for local businesses that have long operated outside it.
The launch rides on a sharp rebound for the troubled country. Syria’s tourism sector recorded 3.52 million visitor arrivals in the first half of 2026, a 111 percent increase over the 1.67 million during the same period in 2025 — a mix of returning expatriates, regional visitors, and international tourists.
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The Ministry of Tourism, which supported and supervised the app’s development, frames the launch as proof of concept for a wider strategy. “Digital transformation is one of the Ministry’s strategic priorities because it enables us to build a more competitive, connected and investment-ready tourism sector,” Al-Salhani said, inviting technology companies “globally, regionally and locally” to explore opportunities across the wider economy.
For 121 Living, this is phase one, with additional services and expanded geographic coverage planned. Whether a super app can flourish in a market still rebuilding its infrastructure is an open question, but for the first time in years, a visitor to Damascus can pay for dinner with their phone.
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