World’s most expensive ice cream

A Japanese ice cream brand Cellato used some of the world’s rarest ingredients to create an ice cream flavour, dubbed Byakuya, that costs $6,696 per serving, Guinness World Records announced.

The ingredients include a rare white truffle grown in Alba, Italy, that costs about $6,905 per pound, Parmigiano Reggiano and sake lees.

Cellato developed the flavour with Tadayoshi Yamada, the head chef at Osaka restaurant RiVi, and sought to combine European and Japanese flavours.

“It took us over 1.5 years to develop, with a lot of trials and errors to get the taste right. Achieving a Guinness World Records title made the effort all worth it,” a Cellato representative told.

Albino echidna spotted in Australian town

Local officials in New South Wales, Australia, are asking residents to keep a respectful distance from a rare animal spotted in the area: an albino echidna.

The Bathurst Regional Council said in a Facebook post that a council employee snapped photos of the ghostly white echidna while out walking.

The echidna, named Raffie by locals, is albino, meaning its entire body lacks pigment.

“If you see Raffie out, please feel free to take a couple of snaps but do not approach, touch, or try and contain him. It is important to leave wildlife alone, as you could risk them losing their scent trail or leaving young unattended in the burrow,” the council wrote.

San Diego man visits all 193 countries

San Diego resident Randy Williams, aka Ramblin’ Randy, reached his decade-long goal of visiting every country in the world when he took a tour of Turkmenistan.

He landed in Turkmenistan recently, a destination that was long-delayed when the nation was closed to visitors for four years.

“Turkmenistan is one of the most mysterious countries on the planet, and it’s one of the most restricted when it comes to visitors,” Williams said.

Turkmenistan wasn’t the only destination to face lengthy delays -- Williams was told when he visited Syria last month that he was only the second tourist to be allowed in the country since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Williams has now visited all 193 countries observed by the United Nations, as well as the two “observer states,” Vatican City and Palestine. He also made stops in disputed territories including Kosovo, Western Sahara and Taiwan.

Marmoset monkeys escape their abode

Officials in an English city are asking residents to check their bird boxes, garages and sheds for marmoset monkeys that escaped from a local home.

The Lancaster City Council said an unspecified number of marmosets escaped from a home in the Carnforth area.

The council said the marmosets are native to Central and South America and would be likely to seek out a warm place to spend the night.

Local police said they are aware of the escaped monkeys and the investigation has been turned over to the RSPCA.

Published in Dawn, Young World, May 27th, 2023