journey

The Huajiang Grand Canyon Bridge in China has been officially opened and is now the highest bridge in the world – reducing the journey time for locals from two hours to just two minutes

China has unveiled a stunning new record-breaker after officially opening the world’s highest bridge in Guizhou province in the southwest of the country. The Huajiang Grand Canyon Bridge has slashed journey times from two hours down to just two minutes, according to local state media.

The remarkable structure boasts a deck-to-surface measurement of 625 metres – more than half a kilometre – making it tower above the previous record holder. It beats the Beipanjiang Bridge (Duge Bridge), also in China, which stands at 565.4 metres, by nearly 60 metres.

China’s rapid construction capabilities have recently drawn admiration from figures including Reform UK MP Zia Yusuf, who publicly expressed frustration on social media about the lengthy timescales for smaller infrastructure schemes in the United Kingdom.

Work on the Huajiang Grand Canyon Bridge commenced in January 2022 and was finished in under four years. The ambitious scheme resulted in a structure stretching almost 3km across a canyon dubbed the “Earth crack”.

The bridge measures 2,890 metres in total length and underwent rigorous testing before authorities gave the green light for public use.

As reported by ITV, before the bridge could be deemed safe for traffic, a dynamic load test was conducted, reports the Express.

This involved 96 lorries driving onto specific points of the structure in groups.

The new structure has now bagged the Guinness World Record for being the tallest bridge globally.

Now, globetrotters from all corners of the world are keen to witness the magnificent construction that officially opened its doors on 28 September 2025.

The Huajiang Grand Canyon Bridge boasts glass walkways for visitors to gaze down at the Beipan River, approximately 580 metres below.

It also features viewing platforms and a glass lift leading to its sky-high café, set to open in November this year.

For those seeking a thrill, they can bungee jump from the bridge.

State media have reported plans for professional BASE jumping events.

In 2019, a Sudanese team of jiu-jitsu athletes set out on an extraordinary quest: to travel by land from Sudan to Kenya, despite having no funding and limited resources, to compete in the LionHeart Nairobi Open.

Together members of the Muqatel Training Center for martial arts travelled across three countries, carrying not just their hopes and dreams, but the spirit of a revolution that reshaped Sudan.

Journey to Kenya is a documentary short about resilience, unity and determination — a powerful reminder that dreams can transcend borders.

A film by Ibrahim “Snoopy” Ahmed, produced by In Deep Visions.

In the world of child prodigies, novelists are the rarest breed. Barbara Newhall Follett, born in Hanover, N.H., in 1914, fit the bill. By the time she was 9 years-old she had completed her first novel, a subsequent draft of which was published by Knopf when she was 12. Two years after that, she released her second novel. Both were met with critical acclaim, and Newhall became a celebrity in the publishing world.

Nearly a decade later, after a fight with her adulterous husband, the 25-year-old Follett left her apartment in Brookline, Mass., with $30 in her pocket and a notebook. She was never seen or heard from again. The mystery of the vanished former child genius has pulled at the public imagination ever since, resulting in a number of books and articles about her life and disappearance, including a 2019 essay in the Los Angeles Review of Books speculating that Newhall had committed suicide by ingesting barbiturates.

Barbara Follett, a child literary prodigy, is the subject of a new musical titled “Perfect World.”

(Courtesy of Stefan Cooke / Farksolia.org)

A world-premiere musical can now be added to the growing list of Newhall-themed explorations. “Perfect World,” written by Alan Edmunds and composed by Richard Winzeler, with lyrics by both men, opens Saturday at the El Portal Theatre in North Hollywood, running through Nov. 9.

The project marks Edmunds’ debut as a librettist. The retired psychologist — who specialized in gifted children — hit upon the idea of creating a musical about Follett’s life after a deep dive into her archives at Columbia University almost 15 years ago.

“As I’m reading through this, I start to feel the tragedy of what really happened to her,” Edmunds said during an interview at the theater over the pounding of hammers and the buzzing of drills as the detailed set was put together. “I thought this is the hero’s journey. Unfortunately, it’s not a happy ending.”

Edmunds was so inspired by the 15 boxes of archival material, including hundreds of hand-typed letters that Follett wrote to dozens of relatives and acquaintances, and endless lyrical descriptions of the imaginary world of Farksolia at the heart of her debut novel, “The House Without Windows,” that he drafted his initial outline for the musical on his knee while taking the subway from Columbia to Broadway to see “La Cage aux Folles.”

The show’s team took creative license in the retelling of Follett’s story, but for the most part Edmunds adhered to the broad strokes of her short, vibrant life. The musical hops back and forth between two story lines: Follett’s experiences up until her disappearance, and the nationwide investigation that unfolded afterward, led by the dogged Capt. Stahl and forever pushed forward by her grieving mother, Helen Thomas Follett.

Follett’s childhood was marked by unhappiness, Edmunds said, noting that Helen, who wrote for a commercial shipping company, and Follett’s father, a Knopf literary editor named Wilson Follett, fought often.

“They were at each other hammer and tongs,” Edmunds said. “And even when they wrote about Barbara, subsequently, you could feel the animosity between them.”

This made sense because about a year after the publication of Barbara Follett’s first book, Wilson left Helen for a much younger woman, moving in with her in Greenwhich Village. Her father’s desertion dealt a crushing blow to Barbara, who adored him. She subsequently embarked on a sailing journey with Helen from New York to Barbados and then on through the Panama Canal. Barbara became seriously ill during the journey — the result of nerves and depression, Helen thought.

Barbara Follett, a child literary prodigy, is the subject of a new musical titled “Perfect World.”

(Courtesy of Stefan Cooke / Farksolia.org)

Around that time, Follett met and fell in love with a 25-year-old sailor named Edward Anderson. Helen did not approve, and Edmunds said she conspired to get Anderson fired from his position as second mate. The loss of Anderson was the second major blow in Follett’s life, Edmunds said, and it’s a thread that runs through the musical, leading to Follett’s meeting with a recent Dartmouth graduate named Nickerson Rogers — the man who would become her husband, and who would eventually leave her after having an affair with her best childhood friend.

The couple shared a love of nature, and before they were married, spent months hiking and camping together along the Appalachian Trail. Photos from the early 1930s show a slender, bare-legged Follett with short-cropped hair, sitting beside an open fire with a cooking pan and an old tin coffee pot.

Follett’s life was filled with crushing disappointment and near-constant stress, but nature provided a release. This is likely why she conjured up the perfect world of Farksolia at such a young age. It was an escape, and Follett packed it with as much detail as possible, including its own system of mathematics, its own language — Farksoo — and its own alphabet.

The heroine of “The House Without Windows” is a young girl named Eepersip who runs away from home to live contentedly with her animal friends in the woods. If it sounds simple, it was. But that was also its genius.

Critics loved it and it sold more than 20,000 copies upon its initial printing.

“I can safely promise joy to any reader of ‘The House Without Windows.’ Perfection,” wrote the English author of children’s books, Eleanor Farjeon, in a review.

Barbara Follett, a child literary prodigy, is the subject of a new musical titled “Perfect World.”

(Courtesy of Stefan Cooke / Farksolia.org)

There are many theories about what happened to the adventurous and headstrong young woman after she vanished, including that she was killed by her husband, who had demanded she stop writing and failed to report her missing until two weeks after she left. Others think she simply moved far away, changed her name and continued to write under a pseudonym. Then there is the recently surfaced idea that she went to a family-owned cottage in the woods and swallowed enough barbiturates to end her life. That theory holds that a body discovered in the late 1940s was misidentified as another woman, when it was actually Follett.

Edmunds has given the matter extensive thought and believes that Follett loved life too much to kill herself. The idea that appeals to him the most comes from a crumb of a clue in Follett’s archives — a letter from the sailor Anderson that Follett received a short time before her disappearance. It could be surmised from her letters that she never stopped loving Anderson. Could it be that she went to find him when her husband’s affair became known to her?

Edmunds ultimately decided not to go down the rabbit hole of speculation about Follett’s demise, opting instead to focus the musical on Follett’s life, “What she did, how she rescued herself, how she was so engaged and connected to nature, and how she wanted people to take care of each other and be good to each other,” Edmunds said. “How we could have a better world.”

The Bentham Line, nestled in the scenic northern English countryside, offers more than just a train ride; it’s an opportunity to immerse oneself in an almost three hour train ride to the coast

Lonely Planet, the renowned travel guide experts, have just unveiled their much-anticipated Best in Travel guide for 2025. The guide features 30 must-visit destinations for the upcoming year and reveals the top 10 travel trends.

One of these trends is the simple joy of train hopping, turning a regular train journey into an exciting adventure by getting off at different stops along the way. The Bentham Line, tucked away in the picturesque northern English countryside, offers more than just a means of transport; it’s a chance to embark on a nearly three-hour journey to the coast.

Labelled as a “near-secret” by the experts, this lesser-known 75-mile train route is predicted to be one of the UK’s best train journeys for 2025, reports the Express.

This historic line, which stretches between Leeds, Lancaster and Morecambe, meanders through charming villages, rolling hills and historic towns, encouraging travellers to step back in time.

For over 170 years, The Bentham Line has been a crucial link for local communities.

The 75-mile (120 km) trans-pennine journey starts in the heart of West Yorkshire, crosses stunning valleys, passes the Ribblehead Viaduct and the Yorkshire Dales National Park, before ending at the scenic shores of Morecambe Bay.

The Bentham Line, a gem in Scenic Rail Britain’s crown, is managed by a community rail partnership (CRP), bringing together local community groups and organisations to enhance the passenger experience.

Setting off from Leeds Station, the journey winds its way westwards, swiftly trading the city’s frantic energy for the peaceful countryside of the Yorkshire Dales.

The service calls at Shipley, Bingley, and Keighley before arriving at Skipton, dubbed the “Gateway to the Dales.”

Boasting a 900-year-old castle and a historic cobbled High Street, this town serves as a beloved day-trip spot encircled by stunning landscapes.

Another favourite destination to disembark is Giggleswick.

This charming village, nestled just beyond the market town of Settle, boasts numerous elegant properties and a historic church featuring captivating architectural details.

The distinctive copper dome of Giggleswick School’s Chapel dominates the horizon, creating a striking landmark across the region.

Every station along this route provides its own enchanting experience.

Step into yesteryear at Carnforth, where the railway station served as the backdrop for the most memorable moments in the 1945 classic Brief Encounter, or alight at Lancaster to discover the Edwardian butterfly conservatory in the ‘Taj Mahal of the North’ alongside Lancaster Castle.

Travellers can marvel at the classic Yorkshire stone architecture and the magnificent Ribblehead Viaduct, a remarkable example of Victorian craftsmanship.

Beyond this point stretches the tranquil Lune Valley, an unspoilt expanse of countryside that traces the River Lune, providing breathtaking panoramas around every bend.

The journey concludes in Morecambe, a seaside town where the vast horizon meets the Irish Sea.

Known for its Winter Gardens, the iconic art deco Midland Hotel and its broad sandy bay, visitors are drawn here to enjoy fish and chips on the seafront after a charming train ride.

Whether you’re a seasoned traveller or simply in need of a breath of fresh air, The Bentham Line offers an effortless route through some of England’s most captivating landscapes.

It serves as a reminder that the finest travel experiences aren’t always about the destination, but the journey itself.

So, hop on board, and let the rhythm of the rails carry you away.

Thousands of displaced Palestinians have begun returning to their abandoned and mostly destroyed homes, as the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas takes hold, with Israeli forces withdrawing from parts of Gaza.

Families started moving from western residential areas on Friday back towards Gaza City’s main districts, areas from which they were previously forced to flee.

Several Israeli military brigades and divisions have pulled out from central Gaza regions as well.

At the Nuseirat camp in central Gaza, families have begun travelling northward, though many remain waiting to enter areas in the Netzarim Corridor, where Israeli forces were stationed. They are holding there until the final Israeli tank departs the area.

Concerning developments include heightened activity of Israeli drones, fighter jets, and warships since early morning. Multiple attacks were reported in the morning at locations where people were gathering to return home.

A huge procession of displaced Palestinians moved northward through dust-filled roads towards Gaza City, the territory’s largest urban centre, which had experienced intense Israeli military operations just days earlier.

“Thank God my house is still standing,” said Ismail Zayda, 40, in the Sheikh Radwan area in Gaza City. “But the place is destroyed, my neighbours’ houses are destroyed, entire districts have gone.”

The Israeli military announced the ceasefire agreement took effect at noon local time (09:00 GMT). Israel’s government ratified the ceasefire with Hamas early Friday, setting in motion a partial troop withdrawal and complete suspension of hostilities in Gaza within 24 hours.

Israeli captives are scheduled for release within 72 hours afterwards, in exchange for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners held in Israel.

The first phase of United States President Trump’s plan to end the two-year Gaza conflict requires Israeli forces to withdraw from major urban centres, though they will maintain control of approximately half the enclave’s territory.

Once the agreement takes effect, aid trucks carrying food and medical supplies will enter Gaza to assist civilians, hundreds of thousands of whom have been living in tents after their homes were destroyed and entire cities reduced to rubble.