The $10,000 per litre luxury bottled water

Fillico Jewellery Water, a Japanese brand, sells ultra-luxury bottled water for up to $10,000 per bottle, with regular editions starting at $1,000.

Sourced from Kobe’s pristine Nunobiki Spring, the water is known for its purity and high mineral content. However, its price is largely driven by its handcrafted, Swarovski-encrusted bottles adorned with gold and royal symbols, making it a status symbol.

Limited to 5,000 bottles per month, Fillico gained popularity through partnerships with brands like Dior and events like the Cannes Film Festival, becoming a favourite among royals and the wealthy.

Non-Spanish speaker wins Spanish Scrabble World Championship

Nigel Richards, a 57-year-old from New Zealand, won the 2024 Spanish-Language Scrabble World Championship in Granada, Spain, despite not speaking Spanish.

Known as the ‘Tiger Woods of Scrabble,’ Richards memorised thousands of Spanish words without learning their meanings, a feat he previously accomplished in the French-Language Scrabble Championship in 2015.

Richards’ incredible memory and ability to strategise with words make him a dominant force in competitive Scrabble.

Man trapped in well for three days

A 22-year-old man, Liu Chuanyi, spent three days in a 12-metre-deep well on the Thailand-Myanmar border, after villagers mistook his cries for ghostly wails and avoided the area.

Liu fell while trekking, suffering injuries including a fractured wrist and a concussion. To conserve energy, he shouted for help only hourly but went unnoticed. Eventually, police, alerted to strange sounds, found and rescued him after a 30-minute operation. Authorities plan to question Liu once he recovers in the hospital.

Zoo criticised for shockingly thin crocodile

Guangzhou Zoo, in China, faced backlash after videos of an alarmingly thin crocodile, with visible ribs and spine, went viral. Social media users accused the zoo of neglect and animal cruelty.

The Guangzhou Zoo put out a statement explaining that the reptile had not been mistreated in any way and that its shocking figure was a consequence of gastroenteritis. Usually caused by bacteria or viruses, the condition is characterised by vomiting and diarrhoea symptoms that caused its dramatic weight loss.

“He is currently receiving treatment and will be given extra care in the future,” a zoo spokesperson told Chinese journalists. Critics remain sceptical, questioning how long the condition had gone untreated.

Published in Dawn, Young World, January 11th, 2025