What do Middle Eastern dates and a plot of land in Australia have in common? They're both in the “Everyone Wins” bag that will be handed out to a select group of celebrities at this year’s Academy Awards.
Valued at $126,000 (Dh460,000), the gift bags will be given to 26 nominees in the acting and directing categories. Included this year is a box of dates from luxury Saudi brand Bateel, which is highlighted in the official video for the goody bags.
Here are 12 of the items in this year’s bag.
A box of dates from Bateel
Celebrities will be introduced to an array of Middle Eastern dates from Bateel, with a double layer assortment from the brand included in the gift bags.
“Bateel has taken an ancient fruit, the date, and transformed it into a modern delicacy,” says Lash Fary, founder of Distinctive Assets, the company that put the bags together. “These are nutritious, they’re delicious and the packaging is so exquisite.”
A three-night stay in Italy
Celebrities can take seven of their friends to the Italian island of Ischia for a stay worth $40,000, at the picturesque Faro Punta Imperatore Lighthouse.
A plot of land in Australia
Also to be had is one square metre of land in Queensland from the Pieces of Australia “Aussie Mate Conservation Pack”. The company plants two trees for each purchase of the “symbolic” ownership.
Havaianas flip-flops and luggage
Nominees will receive a pair of the popular Brazilian footwear as well as luggage from the brand in two tones.
Beli multivitamins
Any nominee thinking of starting a family will be pleased to receive these prenatal vitamins for women and men.
Opopop popcorn
Popcorn and films are the perfect pairing, and the stars will be able to feast on various flavours from this gourmet brand, from vanilla cake pop to Maui heat.
A three-night stay in Canada
Celebrities can jet off on a holiday worth $40,000, at The Lifestyle in Ottawa, a “10-acre ultra-modern estate”, where they’ll also have use of a 965 Shelby AC Cobra 427 Roadster and a 2023 McLaren Artura.
Miage skincare
Among the array of skincare items in the bag is a five-piece collection from Miage valued at $515, which uses human stem cell science to moisturise skin.
ReFa Fine Bubble S showerhead
This $300 showerhead will bring the Japanese spa art of “fine bubble” technology into the stars' homes. The attachment creates micro bubbles to cleanse the skin more thoroughly.
Tranquini Wellness Drink
Nominees will receive a pack of this adaptogen-infused drink, which is carbohydrate and sugar-free.
Artisanal Japanese milk bread
Gift bag recipients will find a loaf of Japanese milk bread from Ginza Nishikawa among the swag. The inclusion of the $18 loaf is to highlight female and minority-owned businesses.
$25,000 worth of home renovations
Celebrities will be given $25,000 worth of project management or construction time from Los Angeles company Maison Construction for house remodelling.
The biog
Favourite colour: Brown
Favourite Movie: Resident Evil
Hobbies: Painting, Cooking, Imitating Voices
Favourite food: Pizza
Trivia: Was the voice of three characters in the Emirati animation, Shaabiyat Al Cartoon
if you go
The flights
Etihad, Emirates and Singapore Airlines fly direct from the UAE to Singapore from Dh2,265 return including taxes. The flight takes about 7 hours.
The hotel
Rooms at the M Social Singapore cost from SG $179 (Dh488) per night including taxes.
The tour
Makan Makan Walking group tours costs from SG $90 (Dh245) per person for about three hours. Tailor-made tours can be arranged. For details go to www.woknstroll.com.sg
More from Neighbourhood Watch:
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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
Gothia Cup 2025
4,872 matches
1,942 teams
116 pitches
76 nations
26 UAE teams
15 Lebanese teams
2 Kuwaiti teams
More on Quran memorisation:
The biog
Hobbies: Writing and running
Favourite sport: beach volleyball
Favourite holiday destinations: Turkey and Puerto Rico
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%3Cp%3E1.%20Protracted%20but%20less%20intense%20war%20(60%25%20likelihood)%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E2.%20Negotiated%20end%20to%20the%20conflict%20(30%25)%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E3.%20Russia%20seizes%20more%20territory%20(20%25)%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E4.%20Ukraine%20pushes%20Russia%20back%20(10%25)%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cem%3EForecast%20by%20Economist%20Intelligence%20Unit%3C%2Fem%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Global Fungi Facts
• Scientists estimate there could be as many as 3 million fungal species globally
• Only about 160,000 have been officially described leaving around 90% undiscovered
• Fungi account for roughly 90% of Earth's unknown biodiversity
• Forest fungi help tackle climate change, absorbing up to 36% of global fossil fuel emissions annually and storing around 5 billion tonnes of carbon in the planet's topsoil
In numbers: China in Dubai
The number of Chinese people living in Dubai: An estimated 200,000
Number of Chinese people in International City: Almost 50,000
Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2018/19: 120,000
Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2010: 20,000
Percentage increase in visitors in eight years: 500 per cent
Washmen Profile
Date Started: May 2015
Founders: Rami Shaar and Jad Halaoui
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Laundry
Employees: 170
Funding: about $8m
Funders: Addventure, B&Y Partners, Clara Ventures, Cedar Mundi Partners, Henkel Ventures
'Munich: The Edge of War'
Director: Christian Schwochow
Starring: George MacKay, Jannis Niewohner, Jeremy Irons
Rating: 3/5
Countdown to Zero exhibition will show how disease can be beaten
Countdown to Zero: Defeating Disease, an international multimedia exhibition created by the American Museum of National History in collaboration with The Carter Center, will open in Abu Dhabi a month before Reaching the Last Mile.
Opening on October 15 and running until November 15, the free exhibition opens at The Galleria mall on Al Maryah Island, and has already been seen at the Jimmy Carter Presidential Library and Museum in Atlanta, the American Museum of Natural History in New York, and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.
Spain drain
CONVICTED
Lionel Messi Found guilty in 2016 of of using companies in Belize, Britain, Switzerland and Uruguay to avoid paying €4.1m in taxes on income earned from image rights. Sentenced to 21 months in jail and fined more than €2m. But prison sentence has since been replaced by another fine of €252,000.
Javier Mascherano Accepted one-year suspended sentence in January 2016 for tax fraud after found guilty of failing to pay €1.5m in taxes for 2011 and 2012. Unlike Messi he avoided trial by admitting to tax evasion.
Angel di Maria Argentina and Paris Saint-Germain star Angel di Maria was fined and given a 16-month prison sentence for tax fraud during his time at Real Madrid. But he is unlikely to go to prison as is normal in Spain for first offences for non-violent crimes carrying sentence of less than two years.
SUSPECTED
Cristiano Ronaldo Real Madrid's star striker, accused of evading €14.7m in taxes, appears in court on Monday. Portuguese star faces four charges of fraud through offshore companies.
Jose Mourinho Manchester United manager accused of evading €3.3m in tax in 2011 and 2012, during time in charge at Real Madrid. But Gestifute, which represents him, says he has already settled matter with Spanish tax authorities.
Samuel Eto'o In November 2016, Spanish prosecutors sought jail sentence of 10 years and fines totalling €18m for Cameroonian, accused of failing to pay €3.9m in taxes during time at Barcelona from 2004 to 2009.
Radamel Falcao Colombian striker Falcao suspected of failing to correctly declare €7.4m of income earned from image rights between 2012 and 2013 while at Atletico Madrid. He has since paid €8.2m to Spanish tax authorities, a sum that includes interest on the original amount.
Jorge Mendes Portuguese super-agent put under official investigation last month by Spanish court investigating alleged tax evasion by Falcao, a client of his. He defended himself, telling closed-door hearing he "never" advised players in tax matters.
