Former US president Barack Obama has scaled back his 60th birthday bash set for this weekend at his Martha’s Vineyard home off the Massachusetts coast due to the surge of infections blamed on the Delta variant of the coronavirus, his office announced on Wednesday.
Attendance is now limited to family and close friends. Published reports had said hundreds of celebrities, political figures and others were expected at Mr Obama’s sprawling house.
“This outdoor event was planned months ago in accordance with all public health guidelines and with Covid safeguards in place,” Mr Obama's spokeswoman Hannah Hankins said.
“Due to the new spread of the Delta variant over the past week, the president and Mrs Obama have decided to significantly scale back the event to include only family and close friends.”
“President Obama is appreciative of others sending their birthday wishes from afar and looks forward to seeing people soon,” Ms Hankins added.
The two-term president turned 60 on Wednesday. Some conservatives criticised the plans for a milestone birthday celebration after details about the event were published this week.
“If the [Centres for Disease Control and Prevention] doesn’t recommend Obama cancel his birthday party, don’t listen when they recommend you shut down your business,” conservative activist Charlie Kirk tweeted on Monday.
Ohio Congressman and Donald Trump loyalist Jim Jordan took to Twitter to air his grievances, speculating what Democrats would say if it were Mr Trump’s party.
“If this was President Trump's birthday,” Democrats would be saying 'How can someone be so reckless?' or 'They're killing people,'" he wrote.
Last week, the CDC recommended that people — including those fully vaccinated against Covid-19 — resume wearing face coverings in public indoor spaces in areas of “substantial or high transmission” to protect against the Delta variant.
Some states and cities also have reinstated mask requirements as infections surge around the country.
The CDC website on Wednesday listed the rate of transmission in Dukes County, Massachusetts, which includes the island of Martha’s Vineyard, as “substantial".
Massachusetts has not reinstituted mask requirements, leaving those decisions to individual communities.
So far, the towns on Martha’s Vineyard have issued mask advisories, but no mandates.
The Biden administration has blamed the latest surge on the approximately 90 million people who remain unvaccinated. Mr Obama’s defenders stressed that the birthday party is being held outdoors, guests were asked to provide a negative coronavirus test result and that a co-ordinator had been enlisted to ensure the event followed all public health guidelines.
Both Mr Obama and former first lady Michelle Obama have been fully vaccinated and have urged Americans to also take their shots and follow public health protocols.
“Covid-19 has got more contagious, so it’s more important than ever to get vaccinated,” the former president said last week in a tweet that included a link for people to find vaccines.
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The five pillars of Islam
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The biog
Age: 23
Occupation: Founder of the Studio, formerly an analyst at Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi
Education: Bachelor of science in industrial engineering
Favourite hobby: playing the piano
Favourite quote: "There is a key to every door and a dawn to every dark night"
Family: Married and with a daughter
What is the FNC?
The Federal National Council is one of five federal authorities established by the UAE constitution. It held its first session on December 2, 1972, a year to the day after Federation.
It has 40 members, eight of whom are women. The members represent the UAE population through each of the emirates. Abu Dhabi and Dubai have eight members each, Sharjah and Ras al Khaimah six, and Ajman, Fujairah and Umm Al Quwain have four.
They bring Emirati issues to the council for debate and put those concerns to ministers summoned for questioning.
The FNC’s main functions include passing, amending or rejecting federal draft laws, discussing international treaties and agreements, and offering recommendations on general subjects raised during sessions.
Federal draft laws must first pass through the FNC for recommendations when members can amend the laws to suit the needs of citizens. The draft laws are then forwarded to the Cabinet for consideration and approval.
Since 2006, half of the members have been elected by UAE citizens to serve four-year terms and the other half are appointed by the Ruler’s Courts of the seven emirates.
In the 2015 elections, 78 of the 252 candidates were women. Women also represented 48 per cent of all voters and 67 per cent of the voters were under the age of 40.
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Key facilities
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Transmission: eight-speed automatic
Power: 325bhp
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Company name: baraka
Started: July 2020
Founders: Feras Jalbout and Kunal Taneja
Based: Dubai and Bahrain
Sector: FinTech
Initial investment: $150,000
Current staff: 12
Stage: Pre-seed capital raising of $1 million
Investors: Class 5 Global, FJ Labs, IMO Ventures, The Community Fund, VentureSouq, Fox Ventures, Dr Abdulla Elyas (private investment)
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Building boom turning to bust as Turkey's economy slows
Deep in a provincial region of northwestern Turkey, it looks like a mirage - hundreds of luxury houses built in neat rows, their pointed towers somewhere between French chateau and Disney castle.
Meant to provide luxurious accommodations for foreign buyers, the houses are however standing empty in what is anything but a fairytale for their investors.
The ambitious development has been hit by regional turmoil as well as the slump in the Turkish construction industry - a key sector - as the country's economy heads towards what could be a hard landing in an intensifying downturn.
After a long period of solid growth, Turkey's economy contracted 1.1 per cent in the third quarter, and many economists expect it will enter into recession this year.
The country has been hit by high inflation and a currency crisis in August. The lira lost 28 per cent of its value against the dollar in 2018 and markets are still unconvinced by the readiness of the government under President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to tackle underlying economic issues.
The villas close to the town centre of Mudurnu in the Bolu region are intended to resemble European architecture and are part of the Sarot Group's Burj Al Babas project.
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Our legal advisor
Rasmi Ragy is a senior counsel at Charles Russell Speechlys, a law firm headquartered in London with offices in Europe, the Middle East and Hong Kong.
Experience: Prosecutor in Egypt with more than 40 years experience across the GCC.
Education: Ain Shams University, Egypt, in 1978.
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Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants
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