It’s been eight years since The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2 film wrapped up Katniss Everdeen’s story and the hit tetralogy based on Suzanne Collins’s books.
And if you’ve ever wondered why the Hunger Games began, how those Capitol fashions came to be and why President Snow is so evil, the prequel The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes aims to answer all those questions and more.
Since the book was published in May 2020, fans have been waiting for the heroine Lucy Gray Baird's story to be brought to the big screen. Here’s everything we know about the prequel ahead of its November 16 UAE release date.
What is The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes about?
The book focuses on the 10th Hunger Games, meaning it is set 64 years before the first book.
The games are the Capitol’s retribution for the war with the districts that had the city under siege for months.
The Capitol is still damaged and in disarray since the end of the war, and the once-wealthy and powerful Snow family have lost their fortune and prestige since their munitions factory in District 13 was destroyed.
Seeing his chance to restore the family name, 18-year-old Coriolanus Snow signs up to be a mentor for the games.
He is assigned to train Lucy Gray, a District 12 tribute (a child selected to fight in The Hunger Games) who comes to the attention of the Capitol when she sings a defiant rebel song at the Reaping (where tributes are chosen).
As the games draw near, Lucy Gray and Coriolanus grow close, until he is forced to choose between love and ambition.
Who is in The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes?
Lucy Gray is played by West Side Story star Rachel Zegler. She is a member of a nomadic musical tribe called the Covey who settled in District 12 after the war with the Capitol.
British actor Tom Blyth takes on the role of Coriolanus, while Euphoria’s Hunter Schaefer plays his cousin, Tigris Snow.
Egot winner Viola Davis stars as head game-maker Dr Volumnia Gaul, a professor with different coloured eyes and an ice-cold demeanour who is the original mastermind behind the games.
Game of Thrones star Peter Dinklage is Casca Highbottom, the Academy dean who instructs the mentors – including Coriolanus – to turn the tributes into “spectacles, not survivors”. His order reveals how the games went on to become such an presentation by the time Katniss enters the arena decades later.
Jason Schwartzman stars as Lucky Flickerman, the host of the games, which is being televised for the first time. His surname suggests that Caesar Flickerman (Stanley Tucci) from the earlier films is Lucky’s son or grandson.
All the Easter eggs in the trailers
Two trailers have been released for the The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes containing plenty of Easter eggs and nods to the evolution of the games and arenas which Katniss enters much later.
The seeds of how the once liberal and caring Coriolanus evolves into the authoritarian president Snow are planted with the revelation that he becomes a mentor to restore his family’s fortune and get into university.
Fans will also recognise Lucy Gray's performance of The Hanging Tree, which Katniss sings in The Hunger Games: Mockingjay, Part 1, along with Rue’s four-note whistle which she used to communicate with Katniss in the first film.
Onstage at the District 12 Reaping, Lucy Gray performs a low, dramatic bow to the assembled peacekeepers, a precursor to the bow Katniss gives the game makers in The Hunger Games: Catching Fire after she hangs an effigy of Seneca Crane.
Meeting Lucy Gray when the train carrying the tributes arrives in the Capitol, Coriolanus gives her a white rose, which later becomes his chilling calling card through which he delivers warnings to Katniss.
And Tigris makes her first appearance as Coriolanus's cousin albeit in her unaltered state. Fans of the earlier films know that she has reconstructive surgery to make her features feline and helps Katniss and the rebels in The Hunger Games: Mockingjay, Part 2.
The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes is released in the UAE on November 16
Scoreline:
Everton 4
Richarlison 13'), Sigurdsson 28', Digne 56', Walcott 64'
Manchester United 0
Man of the match: Gylfi Sigurdsson (Everton)
Volvo ES90 Specs
Engine: Electric single motor (96kW), twin motor (106kW) and twin motor performance (106kW)
Power: 333hp, 449hp, 680hp
Torque: 480Nm, 670Nm, 870Nm
On sale: Later in 2025 or early 2026, depending on region
Price: Exact regional pricing TBA
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
The specs
Engine: 3.8-litre twin-turbo flat-six
Power: 650hp at 6,750rpm
Torque: 800Nm from 2,500-4,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed dual-clutch auto
Fuel consumption: 11.12L/100km
Price: From Dh796,600
On sale: now
Labour dispute
The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.
- Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
The Melbourne Mercer Global Pension Index
The Melbourne Mercer Global Pension Index
Mazen Abukhater, principal and actuary at global consultancy Mercer, Middle East, says the company’s Melbourne Mercer Global Pension Index - which benchmarks 34 pension schemes across the globe to assess their adequacy, sustainability and integrity - included Saudi Arabia for the first time this year to offer a glimpse into the region.
The index highlighted fundamental issues for all 34 countries, such as a rapid ageing population and a low growth / low interest environment putting pressure on expected returns. It also highlighted the increasing popularity around the world of defined contribution schemes.
“Average life expectancy has been increasing by about three years every 10 years. Someone born in 1947 is expected to live until 85 whereas someone born in 2007 is expected to live to 103,” Mr Abukhater told the Mena Pensions Conference.
“Are our systems equipped to handle these kind of life expectancies in the future? If so many people retire at 60, they are going to be in retirement for 43 years – so we need to adapt our retirement age to our changing life expectancy.”
Saudi Arabia came in the middle of Mercer’s ranking with a score of 58.9. The report said the country's index could be raised by improving the minimum level of support for the poorest aged individuals and increasing the labour force participation rate at older ages as life expectancies rise.
Mr Abukhater said the challenges of an ageing population, increased life expectancy and some individuals relying solely on their government for financial support in their retirement years will put the system under strain.
“To relieve that pressure, governments need to consider whether it is time to switch to a defined contribution scheme so that individuals can supplement their own future with the help of government support,” he said.
Specs
Engine: Duel electric motors
Power: 659hp
Torque: 1075Nm
On sale: Available for pre-order now
Price: On request
Results:
5pm: Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 1,400m | Winner: Eghel De Pine, Pat Cosgrave (jockey), Eric Lemartinel (trainer)
5.30pm: Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 1,400m | Winner: AF Sheaar, Szczepan Mazur, Saeed Al Shamsi
6pm: Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan National Day Cup (PA) Group 3 Dh500,000 1,600m | Winner: RB Torch, Fabrice Veron, Eric Lemartinel
6.30pm: Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan National Day Cup (TB) Listed Dh380,000 1,600m | Winner: Forjatt, Chris Hayes, Nicholas Bachalard
7pm: Wathba Stallions Cup for Private Owners Handicap (PA) Dh 70,000 1,400m | Winner: Hawafez, Connor Beasley, Ridha ben Attia
7.30pm: Handicap (PA) Dh 80,000 1,600m | Winner: Qader, Richard Mullen, Jean de Roaulle
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
MATCH INFO
Champions League quarter-final, first leg
Ajax v Juventus, Wednesday, 11pm (UAE)
Match on BeIN Sports
Tips to stay safe during hot weather
- Stay hydrated: Drink plenty of fluids, especially water. Avoid alcohol and caffeine, which can increase dehydration.
- Seek cool environments: Use air conditioning, fans, or visit community spaces with climate control.
- Limit outdoor activities: Avoid strenuous activity during peak heat. If outside, seek shade and wear a wide-brimmed hat.
- Dress appropriately: Wear lightweight, loose and light-coloured clothing to facilitate heat loss.
- Check on vulnerable people: Regularly check in on elderly neighbours, young children and those with health conditions.
- Home adaptations: Use blinds or curtains to block sunlight, avoid using ovens or stoves, and ventilate living spaces during cooler hours.
- Recognise heat illness: Learn the signs of heat exhaustion and heat stroke (dizziness, confusion, rapid pulse, nausea), and seek medical attention if symptoms occur.
SPEC%20SHEET
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Kill%20
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Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
Founders: Abdulmajeed Alsukhan, Turki Bin Zarah and Abdulmohsen Albabtain.
Based: Riyadh
Offices: UAE, Vietnam and Germany
Founded: September, 2020
Number of employees: 70
Sector: FinTech, online payment solutions
Funding to date: $116m in two funding rounds
Investors: Checkout.com, Impact46, Vision Ventures, Wealth Well, Seedra, Khwarizmi, Hala Ventures, Nama Ventures and family offices
Gothia Cup 2025
4,872 matches
1,942 teams
116 pitches
76 nations
26 UAE teams
15 Lebanese teams
2 Kuwaiti teams
UAE%20ILT20
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Conflict, drought, famine
Estimates of the number of deaths caused by the famine range from 400,000 to 1 million, according to a document prepared for the UK House of Lords in 2024.
It has been claimed that the policies of the Ethiopian government, which took control after deposing Emperor Haile Selassie in a military-led revolution in 1974, contributed to the scale of the famine.
Dr Miriam Bradley, senior lecturer in humanitarian studies at the University of Manchester, has argued that, by the early 1980s, “several government policies combined to cause, rather than prevent, a famine which lasted from 1983 to 1985. Mengistu’s government imposed Stalinist-model agricultural policies involving forced collectivisation and villagisation [relocation of communities into planned villages].
The West became aware of the catastrophe through a series of BBC News reports by journalist Michael Buerk in October 1984 describing a “biblical famine” and containing graphic images of thousands of people, including children, facing starvation.
Band Aid
Bob Geldof, singer with the Irish rock group The Boomtown Rats, formed Band Aid in response to the horrific images shown in the news broadcasts.
With Midge Ure of the band Ultravox, he wrote the hit charity single Do They Know it’s Christmas in December 1984, featuring a string of high-profile musicians.
Following the single’s success, the idea to stage a rock concert evolved.
Live Aid was a series of simultaneous concerts that took place at Wembley Stadium in London, John F Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia, the US, and at various other venues across the world.
The combined event was broadcast to an estimated worldwide audience of 1.5 billion.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Voy!%20Voy!%20Voy!
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if you go
The flights
Emirates offer flights to Buenos Aires from Dubai, via Rio De Janeiro from around Dh6,300. emirates.com
Seeing the games
Tangol sell experiences across South America and generally have good access to tickets for most of the big teams in Buenos Aires: Boca Juniors, River Plate, and Independiente. Prices from Dh550 and include pick up and drop off from your hotel in the city. tangol.com
Staying there
Tangol will pick up tourists from any hotel in Buenos Aires, but after the intensity of the game, the Faena makes for tranquil, upmarket accommodation. Doubles from Dh1,110. faena.com
