It was meant to be the summer party of the year, but a new wave of the Delta variant of the coronavirus led former US president Barack Obama to scale down his star-studded birthday plans.
Obama, who turned 60 on Wednesday, was set to host a garden party with a reported 475-person-strong guest list at his $12 million mansion in Martha’s Vineyard island in Massachussetts.
However, according to The New York Times, many of the A-list guests received a call earlier in the week, to be told that they’d been uninvited, because of growing concerns about the spread of the Delta variant.
Curb Your Enthusiasm actor Larry David, and talk show hosts David Letterman and Conan O’Brien were among those who didn’t make the cut, The New York Times reported, while close friend Oprah Winfrey and filmmaker Ava DuVernay pulled out of the party earlier because of Covid-19 concerns.
For those who did make it, however, the bash was a “magical” event, according to guest Chrissy Teigen, who, along with husband John Legend, are known to be close friends of the former president and his wife Michelle Obama.
“Well, that was magical. Goodnight Martha’s Vineyard. I have fallen in love with you hard,” Teigen posted on Sunday, along with a video of herself singing Happy Birthday.
Teigen and Legend also posted images of themselves at the venue, with one photo featuring Pearl, a basset hound they adopted in July.
The menu at the bash included an extensive meat-free selection, co-ordinated by musician Questlove, according to Bloomberg.
Items included Spam musubi, made with Impossible Foods's faux meat and Eat Just’s plant-based eggs. Questlove also created his cheesesteak eggrolls, made using Impossible “beef” and “cheese sauce” from Perfect Day, a start-up in Berkeley, California, that makes animal-free and non-dairy proteins.
In lieu of gifts, Obama encouraged guests to donate to programmes that support young people, such as My Brother's Keeper, which helps young men of colour; the Girls Opportunity Alliance, which empowers adolescent girls around the world; and the Obama Foundation's Global Leadership Programmes, which aims to equip the next generation of emerging leaders, according to USA Today.
Actress Gabrielle Union and her husband, NBA player Dwyane Wade, were also spotted at the event.
"He rang. I answered," Union posted, along with photos of herself and Wade.
Union also posted another photo of the couple in the same location the next day, suggesting that there may have been several events.
Other guests included Bruce Springsteen, who teamed up with the former president earlier this year for a Spotify podcast, as well as Beyonce and her husband Jay Z. The Late Show host Stephen Colbert also attended.
Guests listed by The Daily Mail also include actors Tom Hanks, Bradley Cooper, Don Cheadle and directors Spike Lee and Steven Spielberg. Pearl Jam singer Eddie Vedder and Alicia Keys were also in attendance.
Grammy-winning musician HER, who made it to Obama's summer playlist this year, was also spotted at the party, which had performances by rapper Common and singer Erykah Badu.
"Happy birthday to the coolest @barackobama what an amazing night!" HER posted on Sunday, along with a video of her and the former president dancing. She deleted the post a few hours later.
Current US President Joe Biden did not attend, but made sure to wish his former boss a happy birthday on Wednesday.
Critics of Obama, especially those from the Republican Party, have slammed the former Democratic president for hosting such a large-scale event.
Republican congressman Jim Jordan, a loyalist of Obama's successor Donald Trump, took to Twitter to joke that "if this was President Trump's birthday" Democrats would be saying "How can someone be so reckless?" or "They're killing people".
Obama's spokesperson Hannah Hankins said the outdoor event was "planned months ago in accordance with all public health guidelines and with Covid safeguards in place".
"Due to the new spread of the Delta variant over the past week, the [former] president and Mrs Obama have decided to significantly scale back the event to include only family and close friends,” Hankins said. “President Obama is appreciative of others sending their birthday wishes from afar and looks forward to seeing people soon.”
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Panipat
Director Ashutosh Gowariker
Produced Ashutosh Gowariker, Rohit Shelatkar, Reliance Entertainment
Cast Arjun Kapoor, Sanjay Dutt, Kriti Sanon, Mohnish Behl, Padmini Kolhapure, Zeenat Aman
Rating 3 /5 stars
What can victims do?
Always use only regulated platforms
Stop all transactions and communication on suspicion
Save all evidence (screenshots, chat logs, transaction IDs)
Report to local authorities
Warn others to prevent further harm
Courtesy: Crystal Intelligence
Trump v Khan
2016: Feud begins after Khan criticised Trump’s proposed Muslim travel ban to US
2017: Trump criticises Khan’s ‘no reason to be alarmed’ response to London Bridge terror attacks
2019: Trump calls Khan a “stone cold loser” before first state visit
2019: Trump tweets about “Khan’s Londonistan”, calling him “a national disgrace”
2022: Khan’s office attributes rise in Islamophobic abuse against the major to hostility stoked during Trump’s presidency
July 2025 During a golfing trip to Scotland, Trump calls Khan “a nasty person”
Sept 2025 Trump blames Khan for London’s “stabbings and the dirt and the filth”.
Dec 2025 Trump suggests migrants got Khan elected, calls him a “horrible, vicious, disgusting mayor”
Dunki
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Company%C2%A0profile
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The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young
The Little Things
Directed by: John Lee Hancock
Starring: Denzel Washington, Rami Malek, Jared Leto
Four stars
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cylinder turbo hybrid
Transmission: eight-speed automatic
Power: 390bhp
Torque: 400Nm
Price: Dh340,000 ($92,579
Results
5pm: Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 (Turf) 1,600m; Winner: Rawat Al Reef, Adrie de Vries (jockey), Abdallah Al Hammadi (trainer)
5.30pm: Wathba Stallions Cup Handicap (PA) Dh70,000 (T) 1,400m; Winner: Noof KB, Richard Mullen, Ernst Oertel
6pm: Handicap (PA) Dh80,000 (T) 1,200m; Winner: AF Seven Skies, Bernardo Pinheiro, Qaiss Aboud
6.30pm: Handicap (PA) Dh80,000 (T) 2,200m; Winner: Jabalini, Szczepan Mazur, Ibrahim Al Hadhrami
7pm: UAE Arabian Derby – Prestige (PA) Dh150,000 (T) 2,200m; Winner: Dergham Athbah, Richard Mullen, Mohamed Daggash
7.30pm: Emirates Championship – Group 1 (PA) Dh1,000,000 (T) 2,200m; Winner: Somoud, Richard Mullen, Jean de Roualle
8pm: Abu Dhabi Championship – Group 3 (TB) Dh380,000 (T) 2,200m; Winner: Irish Freedom, Antonio Fresu, Satish Seemar
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THE SPECS
Engine: 4.0L twin-turbo V8
Gearbox: eight-speed automatic
Power: 571hp at 6,000rpm
Torque: 800Nm from 2,000-4,500rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 11.4L/100km
Price, base: from Dh571,000
On sale: this week
Liverpool's all-time goalscorers
Ian Rush 346
Roger Hunt 285
Mohamed Salah 250
Gordon Hodgson 241
Billy Liddell 228
Profile of Tarabut Gateway
Founder: Abdulla Almoayed
Based: UAE
Founded: 2017
Number of employees: 35
Sector: FinTech
Raised: $13 million
Backers: Berlin-based venture capital company Target Global, Kingsway, CE Ventures, Entrée Capital, Zamil Investment Group, Global Ventures, Almoayed Technologies and Mad’a Investment.
Avengers: Endgame
Directors: Anthony Russo, Joe Russo
Starring: Robert Downey Jr, Chris Evans, Scarlett Johansson, Chris Hemsworth, Josh Brolin
4/5 stars
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 261hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 405Nm at 1,750-3,500rpm
Transmission: 9-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 6.9L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh117,059
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Our legal consultant
Name: Dr Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
ABU%20DHABI'S%20KEY%20TOURISM%20GOALS%3A%20BY%20THE%20NUMBERS
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In-demand jobs and monthly salaries
- Technology expert in robotics and automation: Dh20,000 to Dh40,000
- Energy engineer: Dh25,000 to Dh30,000
- Production engineer: Dh30,000 to Dh40,000
- Data-driven supply chain management professional: Dh30,000 to Dh50,000
- HR leader: Dh40,000 to Dh60,000
- Engineering leader: Dh30,000 to Dh55,000
- Project manager: Dh55,000 to Dh65,000
- Senior reservoir engineer: Dh40,000 to Dh55,000
- Senior drilling engineer: Dh38,000 to Dh46,000
- Senior process engineer: Dh28,000 to Dh38,000
- Senior maintenance engineer: Dh22,000 to Dh34,000
- Field engineer: Dh6,500 to Dh7,500
- Field supervisor: Dh9,000 to Dh12,000
- Field operator: Dh5,000 to Dh7,000
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets