Natasha Poonawalla turns 41: Priyanka Chopra and Kareena Kapoor wish her a happy birthday

Natasha Poonawalla turned 41 on Saturday — and India's glitterati took to social media to wish her a happy birthday.

The Indian businesswoman and socialite, who turned heads across the world after her appearance at this year's Met Gala, posted photos of herself to Instagram on the day, wearing a strapless denim dress and black leather corset and boots. She wrote in the caption: "The secret to being blessed is knowing that you already are. #gratitude for family n friends and everyone that’s crossed my path …for nature, beautiful sunsets and stillness to recognise the beauty that is life #blessedwiththebest #greatful".

Priyanka Chopra was among the stars wishing Poonawalla a happy birthday.

"Here's to always making a splash," she wrote on her Instagram Stories over an image of the two of them together in an infinity pool. "Happiest birthday @natasha.poonawalla."

Bollywood actress Kareena Kapoor, Poonawalla's good friend, chose two photos of the pair out and about and with their sons, sharing them on her Stories. She wrote: “Happy birthday, my golden girl. Love you lots. Sending you a big, big hug. Missing you.”

Actress Sonam Kapoor, meanwhile, shared a couple of glammed-up photos with Poonawalla to her main feed, writing in the caption: “Happy happy birthday, my Nat! Love you…"

Another actress, Anushka Sharma, wrote on her Stories, “Happy birthday, Natasha. Wishing you love and light always."

Indian actress, dancer, model and television personality Malaika Arora wrote: “Happy birthday, my darling Nat Poo. Love you and miss you loads.”

Big names in the fashion world also sent Poonawalla birthday greetings.

Designer Gaurav Gupta shared a video of her and a photo of her in a stunning, structural black gown with cut-outs and a long train, writing "love creating magic with you".

Fellow fashion designer and stylist Manish Malhotra also chimed in, writing: "Happy birthday my fabulous friend. Stay fabulous always."

Russian model Irina Shayk also sent birthday greetings, which Poonawalla shared to her own Instagram account, along with everyone else's.

The businesswoman and philanthropist is known as much for her style choices as her jet-setting lifestyle and celebrity friends, as she's often spotted at some of the biggest fashion events across the world.

From the biggest celebrities (Katy Perry, Shah Rukh Khan, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan) to famous designers (Christian Louboutin, Dolce and Gabbana) and royalty (King Charles III), they've all made appearances on her social media feeds.

Poonawala is the executive director of the Serum Institute of India, the world's largest manufacturer of vaccines. Her husband, Indian billionaire Adar Poonawalla, is chief executive of the company, which produces, among others, the Covishield coronavirus vaccine developed by AstraZeneca and the University of Oxford. Natasha is also chairwoman of the Villoo Poonawalla Foundation, named after her late mother-in-law, a role that takes her to events around the world.

The striking Met Gala look she wore, celebrating the Indian sari, was created by Indian designer Sabyasachi and worn with an ornate Schiaparelli Couture corset that curved over her head. Accessorised with custom Sabyasachi Fine Jewellery pieces, her take on this year's theme, Gilded Glamour, which honoured New York's 19th-century golden age between 1870 and 1890, was one of the most memorable looks of the star-studded evening.

Scroll through the gallery below to see some of the best looks from this year's Met Gala

'Worse than a prison sentence'

Marie Byrne, a counsellor who volunteers at the UAE government's mental health crisis helpline, said the ordeal the crew had been through would take time to overcome.

“It was worse than a prison sentence, where at least someone can deal with a set amount of time incarcerated," she said.

“They were living in perpetual mystery as to how their futures would pan out, and what that would be.

“Because of coronavirus, the world is very different now to the one they left, that will also have an impact.

“It will not fully register until they are on dry land. Some have not seen their young children grow up while others will have to rebuild relationships.

“It will be a challenge mentally, and to find other work to support their families as they have been out of circulation for so long. Hopefully they will get the care they need when they get home.”

How the bonus system works

The two riders are among several riders in the UAE to receive the top payment of £10,000 under the Thank You Fund of £16 million (Dh80m), which was announced in conjunction with Deliveroo's £8 billion (Dh40bn) stock market listing earlier this year.

The £10,000 (Dh50,000) payment is made to those riders who have completed the highest number of orders in each market.

There are also riders who will receive payments of £1,000 (Dh5,000) and £500 (Dh2,500).

All riders who have worked with Deliveroo for at least one year and completed 2,000 orders will receive £200 (Dh1,000), the company said when it announced the scheme.

Islamophobia definition

A widely accepted definition was made by the All Party Parliamentary Group on British Muslims in 2019: “Islamophobia is rooted in racism and is a type of racism that targets expressions of Muslimness or perceived Muslimness.” It further defines it as “inciting hatred or violence against Muslims”.

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Dubai works towards better air quality by 2021

Dubai is on a mission to record good air quality for 90 per cent of the year – up from 86 per cent annually today – by 2021.

The municipality plans to have seven mobile air-monitoring stations by 2020 to capture more accurate data in hourly and daily trends of pollution.

These will be on the Palm Jumeirah, Al Qusais, Muhaisnah, Rashidiyah, Al Wasl, Al Quoz and Dubai Investment Park.

“It will allow real-time responding for emergency cases,” said Khaldoon Al Daraji, first environment safety officer at the municipality.

“We’re in a good position except for the cases that are out of our hands, such as sandstorms.

“Sandstorms are our main concern because the UAE is just a receiver.

“The hotspots are Iran, Saudi Arabia and southern Iraq, but we’re working hard with the region to reduce the cycle of sandstorm generation.”

Mr Al Daraji said monitoring as it stood covered 47 per cent of Dubai.

There are 12 fixed stations in the emirate, but Dubai also receives information from monitors belonging to other entities.

“There are 25 stations in total,” Mr Al Daraji said.

“We added new technology and equipment used for the first time for the detection of heavy metals.

“A hundred parameters can be detected but we want to expand it to make sure that the data captured can allow a baseline study in some areas to ensure they are well positioned.”

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Best Foreign Language Film nominees

Capernaum (Lebanon)

Cold War (Poland)

Never Look Away (Germany)

Roma (Mexico)

Shoplifters (Japan)

More on Quran memorisation:

Mastering the memory: the phenomena of Quran memorisation

Teenager girls recite the Quran flawlessly, despite not speaking Arabic

COMPANY PROFILE

Name: HyperSpace

Started: 2020

Founders: Alexander Heller, Rama Allen and Desi Gonzalez

Based: Dubai, UAE

Sector: Entertainment

Number of staff: 210

Investment raised: $75 million from investors including Galaxy Interactive, Riyadh Season, Sega Ventures and Apis Venture Partners

Naga

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