Maisie Williams as Arya Stark in Game of Thrones. Courtesy OSN
Maisie Williams as Arya Stark in Game of Thrones. Courtesy OSN

Maisie Williams and Jack Gleeson continue Game of Thrones stars’ love affair with the UAE



One-by-one, the cast of hit TV show Game of Thrones are dropping in on the UAE for high-profile public appearances.

The fantasy drama continues to be one of the hottest offerings on the small screen and its stars are happy to spread the love in the UAE.

Two of the stars are making glitzy media appearances in the country this week alone.

Tonight (October 12), Maisie Williams, who plays Arya Stark in the blockbuster HBO series, will walk the red carpet at OSN’s season-launch bash, hosted at Dubai’s MusicHall on Palm Jumeirah, after attending a press conference for the event earlier in the day.

And this weekend Irish actor Jack Gleeson – best known as villain Joffrey Baratheon – will appear at the IGN Convention Abu Dhabi, the capital’s first pop-culture and gaming convention, which is at Du Forum on Friday (October 16) and Saturday (October 17).

Next month, celebrity strongman Hafthór Björnsson will follow suit. Known for playing Gregor "The Mountain" Clegane in Game of Thrones, the 2.06 metre-tall Icelandic athlete has reportedly been booked as the star attraction at the forthcoming Etisalat Fitness Fest, which will take place at Dubai Autodrome from November 5 to 7.

These latest appearances follow the visit of another fellow cast member, Miltos Yerolemou, known to Game of Thrones fans as sword master Syrio Forel, to the Middle East Film and Comic Con in April.

While his character only appeared in season one of the show, the Greek-Cypriot actor is known for teaching Williams’ character some serious swordsmanship – the same skills Yerolemou shared with fans during the event at Dubai World Trade Centre.

Since its premiere in 2011, Game of Thrones – based on the best-selling series of novels by George R R Martin – has grown into one of the world's most-popular TV dramas, attracting an internationally devoted fan base. The UAE, where it screens on OSN, is no exception. The fifth season ended in June and season 6 is expected to begin in April next year.

Williams will be joined in Dubai tonight on the red carpet (October 12) by The Mask of Zorro star Antonio Banderas, as well as regional celebrities including Arabs Got Talent judge Ahmed Helmy, Saudi YouTube sensation Omar Hussein, and actors Hayat Al Fahad and Abdulmohsin Al Nimer. The event will be hosted by popular Egyptian satirical comedian Bassem Youssef.

This weekend (October 16-17) Gleeson will be joined during the IGN Convention at Du Forum by video game and animation voice-over artists Adam Harrington (Bigby Wolf in The Wolf Among Us video game) and Dave Fennoy (Lee Everett in The Walking Dead game).

This flurry of Game of Thrones activity tops an action-packed week for the UAE's film and TV industry, which is currently enjoying the heady buzz of the continuing Dubai shoots for upcoming blockbuster Star Trek Beyond, and the Jackie Chan movie Kung Fu Yoga. Brad Pitt is also expected this month for filming on his latest movie, War Machine.

The IGN Convention, which runs from 2pm to 10pm on Friday and Saturday (October 16-17), also feature gaming tournaments, a cosplay contest, regional artist showcases, workshops and concerts.

For tickets and more information on the IGN Convention visit ignconvention.com/ad

rgarratt@thenational.ae

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How to protect yourself when air quality drops

Install an air filter in your home.

Close your windows and turn on the AC.

Shower or bath after being outside.

Wear a face mask.

Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.

If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.

Cricket World Cup League 2

UAE squad

Rahul Chopra (captain), Aayan Afzal Khan, Ali Naseer, Aryansh Sharma, Basil Hameed, Dhruv Parashar, Junaid Siddique, Muhammad Farooq, Muhammad Jawadullah, Muhammad Waseem, Omid Rahman, Rahul Bhatia, Tanish Suri, Vishnu Sukumaran, Vriitya Aravind

Fixtures

Friday, November 1 – Oman v UAE
Sunday, November 3 – UAE v Netherlands
Thursday, November 7 – UAE v Oman
Saturday, November 9 – Netherlands v UAE

The Buckingham Murders

Starring: Kareena Kapoor Khan, Ash Tandon, Prabhleen Sandhu

Director: Hansal Mehta

Rating: 4 / 5

COMPANY%20PROFILE%20
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%20name%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EAlmouneer%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%202017%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounders%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Dr%20Noha%20Khater%20and%20Rania%20Kadry%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EEgypt%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ENumber%20of%20staff%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E120%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestment%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EBootstrapped%2C%20with%20support%20from%20Insead%20and%20Egyptian%20government%2C%20seed%20round%20of%20%3Cbr%3E%243.6%20million%20led%20by%20Global%20Ventures%3Cbr%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Almnssa
Started: August 2020
Founder: Areej Selmi
Based: Gaza
Sectors: Internet, e-commerce
Investments: Grants/private funding
Company%20profile
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Company%20Profile
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If you go
Where to stay: Courtyard by Marriott Titusville Kennedy Space Centre has unparalleled views of the Indian River. Alligators can be spotted from hotel room balconies, as can several rocket launch sites. The hotel also boasts cool space-themed decor.

When to go: Florida is best experienced during the winter months, from November to May, before the humidity kicks in.

How to get there: Emirates currently flies from Dubai to Orlando five times a week.

Final results:

Open men
Australia 94 (4) beat New Zealand 48 (0)

Plate men
England 85 (3) beat India 81 (1)

Open women
Australia 121 (4) beat South Africa 52 (0)

Under 22 men
Australia 68 (2) beat New Zealand 66 (2)

Under 22 women
Australia 92 (3) beat New Zealand 54 (1)

EA Sports FC 25
Tree of Hell

Starring: Raed Zeno, Hadi Awada, Dr Mohammad Abdalla

Director: Raed Zeno

Rating: 4/5

The specs

Engine: 3-litre twin-turbo V6

Power: 400hp

Torque: 475Nm

Transmission: 9-speed automatic

Price: From Dh215,900

On sale: Now

Women%E2%80%99s%20T20%20World%20Cup%20Qualifier
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The bio

Favourite book: Peter Rabbit. I used to read it to my three children and still read it myself. If I am feeling down it brings back good memories.

Best thing about your job: Getting to help people. My mum always told me never to pass up an opportunity to do a good deed.

Best part of life in the UAE: The weather. The constant sunshine is amazing and there is always something to do, you have so many options when it comes to how to spend your day.

Favourite holiday destination: Malaysia. I went there for my honeymoon and ended up volunteering to teach local children for a few hours each day. It is such a special place and I plan to retire there one day.

THE BIO

Born: Mukalla, Yemen, 1979

Education: UAE University, Al Ain

Family: Married with two daughters: Asayel, 7, and Sara, 6

Favourite piece of music: Horse Dance by Naseer Shamma

Favourite book: Science and geology

Favourite place to travel to: Washington DC

Best advice you’ve ever been given: If you have a dream, you have to believe it, then you will see it.

NEW%20UTILITY%20POLICY%3A%20WHAT%20DOES%20IT%20REGULATE%3F
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What drives subscription retailing?

Once the domain of newspaper home deliveries, subscription model retailing has combined with e-commerce to permeate myriad products and services.

The concept has grown tremendously around the world and is forecast to thrive further, according to UnivDatos Market Insights’ report on recent and predicted trends in the sector.

The global subscription e-commerce market was valued at $13.2 billion (Dh48.5bn) in 2018. It is forecast to touch $478.2bn in 2025, and include the entertainment, fitness, food, cosmetics, baby care and fashion sectors.

The report says subscription-based services currently constitute “a small trend within e-commerce”. The US hosts almost 70 per cent of recurring plan firms, including leaders Dollar Shave Club, Hello Fresh and Netflix. Walmart and Sephora are among longer established retailers entering the space.

UnivDatos cites younger and affluent urbanites as prime subscription targets, with women currently the largest share of end-users.

That’s expected to remain unchanged until 2025, when women will represent a $246.6bn market share, owing to increasing numbers of start-ups targeting women.

Personal care and beauty occupy the largest chunk of the worldwide subscription e-commerce market, with changing lifestyles, work schedules, customisation and convenience among the chief future drivers.

UAE Tour 2020

Stage 1: The Pointe Palm Jumeirah - Dubai Silicon Oasis, 148km
Stage 2: Hatta - Hatta Dam, 168km​​​​​​​
Stage 3: Al Qudra Cycle Track - Jebel Hafeet, 184km​​​​​​​
Stage 4: Zabeel Park - Dubai City Walk, 173km​​​​​​​
Stage 5: Al Ain - Jebel Hafeet, 162km​​​​​​​
Stage 6: Al Ruwais - Al Mirfa, 158km​​​​​​​
Stage 7: Al Maryah Island - Abu Dhabi Breakwater, 127km

COMPANY PROFILE

Name: Qyubic
Started: October 2023
Founder: Namrata Raina
Based: Dubai
Sector: E-commerce
Current number of staff: 10
Investment stage: Pre-seed
Initial investment: Undisclosed 

The specs

Engine: 3.8-litre, twin-turbo V8

Transmission: seven-speed automatic

Power: 592bhp

Torque: 620Nm

Price: Dh980,000

On sale: now

'The Lost Daughter'

Director: Maggie Gyllenhaal

Starring: Olivia Colman, Jessie Buckley, Dakota Johnson

Rating: 4/5