The desire for season two of Game of Thrones burns hotter than dragon's breath in our veins, and rightly so. Before the heads piled up on pike poles last season, who would have thought mediaeval swords and sorcery could make The Sopranos look like schoolyard bullies and Deadwood look like kids playing cowboys?
HBO got royally mediaeval on all of us, indeed, even the author George RR Martin - whose bestseller, A Song of Ice and Fire, inspired the TV show - says he can't wait to find out how his second novel, A Clash of Kings, is brought to life this month.
And for all the fans who jumped from their sofas and pitched a fit last season when the head of Ned Stark, Lord paramount of the North - so tenderly and charismatically portrayed by Sean Bean - was lopped off by a bratty boy-king, Martin insists he doesn't hate the luckless, battered Starks.
"I don't! I love the Starks!" he protested to Postmedia News recently. "It's not me who is cruel to them; it's the world, it's the Lannisters and the other characters - that's what I always say. I don't kill these characters; the other characters kill these characters."
Set in the Seven Kingdoms of Westeros, Game of Thrones chronicles the violent dynastic struggles among the kingdom's noble families for control of the Iron Throne.
In The North Remembers, the first episode of the new season, the newly proclaimed "King in the North" Robb Stark (Richard Madden), out to avenge his father's death, wages war against the affluent Lannisters and the sadistic young king Joffrey (Jack Gleeson).
But more claimants to the Iron Throne arise, including Stannis Baratheon (Stephen Dillane), who's backed by a priestess of a strange god. Expect Ned's illegitimate son Jon Snow (Kit Harington) and the Night's Watch to continue their trek beyond the Wall into a forbidden, mystical frozen wasteland.
Also expect the steely platinum-haired siren, Daenerys "Dany" Targaryen (Emilia Clarke), to take fine care of those leathery-winged fire-spitters she hatched on her husband's funeral pyre. As she vows: "When my dragons are grown, we will burn cities to the ground."
"In season two, the world just got a lot bigger," says the executive producer and the series co-creator DB Weiss. "We're already at war, so there's no more peace. Everywhere you go, this world has become a lot more dangerous. There are more characters and things just got a lot more brutal. Many of the characters who were together in season one have been dispersed to the four winds. Season two is definitely bigger in scope."
Visually, Game of Thrones takes the breath away with its mountains, glaciers, rolling hills, seaside vistas and mediaeval towns and castles; it wrings feature-film heft from its relatively modest television budget.
"The locations we were at - Malta, Croatia, Iceland - were so stunning, you know, they kind of look like CGI," says Harington. "But they're not CGI ... and that kind of makes the show what it is. Everything's done in a very real way."
"When you're in a cave in the mountains and you see your own breath - and you don't have to CGI breath - you're cold and you don't have to 'act' cold. It does a lot of the work for you," adds the breakout star from the show, Peter Dinklage, who steals every scene he's in as the cunning dwarf Tyrion Lannister, a role for which he won both an Emmy and Golden Globe this past year.
In this world, keeping it real also means the female characters don't take any guff and wield as much might as the males.
"I've heard the show referred to as feminist," says Harington. "We have characters such as Cersei the Queen, or Daenerys the exiled princess, who find their strength through being wronged. And they're possibly some of the strongest characters and the most brutal, in a lot of ways."
As Daenerys, her eyes afire with rage, tells one foolish man: "The next time you raise a hand to me will be the last time you have hands."
What has truly impressed Weiss is the appeal of Game of Thrones to attract fans from all walks of life and corners of the globe, who watch it for many different reasons.
"We've been really lucky - there's been a wide base of people who've come to enjoy the show and lots of them are fans of the books and some of them have never heard of the books," he told The Los Angeles Times in early March.
"There are fantasy fans who love the books and there are car mechanics who love the show and there are politicians and mixed martial arts fighters who love the show. It's a pretty wide, random base of people. It's hard to know what any group is fixating on or not fixating on."
"Not to give too much away," adds Dinklage, "but fans who want blood and battle won't be disappointed with season two."
• Game of Thrones returns tonight and is broadcast on Mondays and Tuesdays on OSN First HD, OSN First and OSN First +2
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The specs
Engine: four-litre V6 and 3.5-litre V6 twin-turbo
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Price: from Dh229,900 to Dh355,000
Tips for newlyweds to better manage finances
All couples are unique and have to create a financial blueprint that is most suitable for their relationship, says Vijay Valecha, chief investment officer at Century Financial. He offers his top five tips for couples to better manage their finances.
Discuss your assets and debts: When married, it’s important to understand each other’s personal financial situation. It’s necessary to know upfront what each party brings to the table, as debts and assets affect spending habits and joint loan qualifications. Discussing all aspects of their finances as a couple prevents anyone from being blindsided later.
Decide on the financial/saving goals: Spouses should independently list their top goals and share their lists with one another to shape a joint plan. Writing down clear goals will help them determine how much to save each month, how much to put aside for short-term goals, and how they will reach their long-term financial goals.
Set a budget: A budget can keep the couple be mindful of their income and expenses. With a monthly budget, couples will know exactly how much they can spend in a category each month, how much they have to work with and what spending areas need to be evaluated.
Decide who manages what: When it comes to handling finances, it’s a good idea to decide who manages what. For example, one person might take on the day-to-day bills, while the other tackles long-term investments and retirement plans.
Money date nights: Talking about money should be a healthy, ongoing conversation and couples should not wait for something to go wrong. They should set time aside every month to talk about future financial decisions and see the progress they’ve made together towards accomplishing their goals.
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IF YOU GO
The flights: FlyDubai offers direct flights to Catania Airport from Dubai International Terminal 2 daily with return fares starting from Dh1,895.
The details: Access to the 2,900-metre elevation point at Mount Etna by cable car and 4x4 transport vehicle cost around €57.50 (Dh248) per adult. Entry into Teatro Greco costs €10 (Dh43). For more go to www.visitsicily.info
Where to stay: Hilton Giardini Naxos offers beachfront access and accessible to Taormina and Mount Etna. Rooms start from around €130 (Dh561) per night, including taxes.
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The specs
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Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
Why your domicile status is important
Your UK residence status is assessed using the statutory residence test. While your residence status – ie where you live - is assessed every year, your domicile status is assessed over your lifetime.
Your domicile of origin generally comes from your parents and if your parents were not married, then it is decided by your father. Your domicile is generally the country your father considered his permanent home when you were born.
UK residents who have their permanent home ("domicile") outside the UK may not have to pay UK tax on foreign income. For example, they do not pay tax on foreign income or gains if they are less than £2,000 in the tax year and do not transfer that gain to a UK bank account.
A UK-domiciled person, however, is liable for UK tax on their worldwide income and gains when they are resident in the UK.
The five pillars of Islam
1. Fasting
2. Prayer
3. Hajj
4. Shahada
5. Zakat
Game Changer
Director: Shankar
Stars: Ram Charan, Kiara Advani, Anjali, S J Suryah, Jayaram
Rating: 2/5
