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  • Christa Pike discharged from hospital and returned to Tennessee prison

    Christa Pike discharged from hospital and returned to Tennessee prison

    Pike survived two doses of lethal-injection drugs on September 30, renewing scrutiny of capital punishment.

    Published On 10 Oct 2026

    Christa Pike has been discharged from hospital and returned to a Tennessee women’s prison after surviving the US state’s attempt to execute her by lethal injection, her lawyers said on Saturday.

    The 50-year-old is back in the Deborah K. Johnson Rehabilitation Center where she had been incarcerated for 30 years. She had been in hospital since September 30 when officials administered two doses of pentobarbital in an attempt to execute her.

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    Pike was sentenced to death for the 1995 beating and stabbing of her classmate, Colleen Slemmer.

    Her lawyers said she was continuing to receive medical care in prison and that they would monitor her recovery. They also expressed gratitude to the first responders and medical team who treated her.

    The failed execution has drawn attention to the US death penalty as a separate controversy unfolds over the military’s plan to livestream the execution of Nidal Malik Hasan. The former army psychiatrist was convicted of killing 13 people at Fort Hood, Texas, in 2009. His execution is scheduled for December 3.

    Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s announcement on Thursday of the livestream drew criticism, even from some supporters of capital punishment. Vice President JD Vance questioned on Friday whether it would happen and said he would not watch. In a social media post, Republican Senator Thom Tillis of North Carolina called the proposal “beyond disgusting”.

    Archbishop Paul S Coakley, president of the US Conference of Catholic Bishops, also condemned the plan, calling it “a barbaric promotion of a culture of death”.

    In Tennessee, however, Pike’s failed execution has not prompted Republican legislators to reconsider capital punishment. Instead, some have discussed alternative methods, including the electric chair and firing squads.

    Support for the death penalty in the US has declined from its peak in the 1990s. Ten states have abolished capital punishment since Pike was sentenced in 1996, but executions continue nationwide.

    Thirty people have been executed in the US this year, with eight more scheduled, mostly in Texas and Florida.

    A Pew Research Center poll in July found that about two-thirds of US adults considered the death penalty morally justified for people convicted of murder. But roughly six in 10 said it did not deter crime, while about seven in 10 said there was some risk of an innocent person being executed.

  • DWF Labs Subsidiaries Sue BitGo for $141 Million Over Early Token Sales

    DWF Labs Subsidiaries Sue BitGo for $141 Million Over Early Token Sales

    In brief

    • DWF Maas and Falcon Digital, two firms tied to market maker DWF Labs, sued custodian BitGo for $141 million in London’s High Court, alleging it sold locked-up tokens early in breach of a private OTC deal.
    • The firms say BitGo got the tokens at a discount on a pledge not to sell before vesting, then moved them to exchanges early.
    • Both parties have ties to Trump-backed World Liberty Financial.

    Two companies tied to crypto market maker DWF Labs have taken BitGo to court, alleging the custodian dumped locked-up tokens early and tanked their value, in a $141 million dispute now before London’s High Court.

    DWF Maas and Falcon Digital filed the suit, the Financial Times reported Friday, accusing BitGo of breaching the terms of a private, over-the-counter deal involving Falcon Finance (FF) and ESPORTS tokens.

    Myriad: Who wins the midterm elections? Click to make your prediction.
    Myriad: Who wins the midterm elections? Click to make your prediction.

    According to the reporting, BitGo had received the tokens at a discount in exchange for a commitment not to sell them until lock-up and vesting periods expired, but instead moved them to exchanges roughly two months before the first unlock.

    DWF argues that selling into a thin market created heavy downward pressure, eroding the value of the tokens it still held. The firms say they raised the issue with BitGo in April and May before suing when the company didn’t provide assurances.

    BitGo declined to comment, per the report, and the allegations have not been tested in court.

    The clash pits two institutional heavyweights against each other. BitGo is one of crypto’s largest custodians, with roughly $5 billion in assets under custody. The company went public on the NYSE this year at around a $2 billion valuation and recently acquired NYDIG’s institutional trading arm.

    BitcoinBTC · USD

    $83,018−2.1%

    Oct 4Oct 5Oct 7Oct 9Oct 11

    $86.7k$84.7k$82.7k$80.7k

    24h HighHigh$83,094

    24h LowLow$82,494

    VolVol$564.5M

    Market projectionsOdds by Myriad

    →

    DWF Labs, headquartered in Dubai, is a prolific market maker and investor across the token economy. A notable thread ties the warring parties together: both have links to World Liberty Financial, the Trump-family-backed crypto venture.

    DWF bought $25 million of World Liberty’s WLFI token last year, and BitGo custodies the reserves behind the project’s USD1 stablecoin, a role World Liberty is now moving to take over through its own newly approved trust bank.

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  • Horrifying simulation shows treadmill torture method that was banned from British prisons for being too brutal

    Horrifying simulation shows treadmill torture method that was banned from British prisons for being too brutal

    Ask someone what pops into their head when you mention the word ‘treadmill’ and they’ll probably think of the cardio machine in most gyms around the world.

    But did you know the treadmill actually originated as a labour device used to punish prisoners?

    Invented by Victorian engineer Sir William Cubitt in 1818, the treadmill – or everlasting staircase as it was known then – was designed as a way to punish inmates by subjecting them to hours of hard labour.

    That’s right, the exercise machine that very much feels like a torture machine during an intense workout was originally designed as a method of torture.

    The type of treadmill most of us will be familiar with (Getty Stock Images)

    The type of treadmill most of us will be familiar with (Getty Stock Images)

    What did the original treadmill look like?

    The treadmill looked a little different to the one you’re likely familiar with at the gym, as Cubitt’s design involved a large rotating wheel with steps, allowing multiple prisoners to climb the machine at the same time.

    Prisoners would often be forced to walk on the treadmills for an average of six hours a day, getting an average of 12 minutes’ rest for each hour walked.

    If you’re struggling to visualise how grim the punishment would’ve been, Zack D. Films has created a handy simulation revealing exactly what the prisoners were subjected to, which you can watch below:

    I’d argue the contraption more closely resembles a step machine than the modern treadmill but either way, you can imagine it was pretty unpleasant to spend several hours a day on there.

    According to academic Vybarr Cregan-Reid, the Victorian treadmill was the ‘perfect punishment’ of the time, with some of the devices created with the sole purpose of wearing out the prisoners rather than grinding corn or pumping water.

    “They were invented to solve a problem,” he told BBC Radio 4. “It came out of the Enlightenment… this idea that punishment should be fair and appropriate, and it should teach the criminal to behave in a certain way.

    “The idea was, they would walk, and they would do nothing and just go round and round and round… What they were doing was literally pointless.”

    An illustration depicting a penal treadmill (Getty Stock Images)

    An illustration depicting a penal treadmill (Getty Stock Images)

    The treadmill punishment was typically handed down to inmates sentenced to hard labour for their crimes, with Cregan-Reid noting that author Oscar Wilde was forced to walk on a treadmill after being sentenced to two years of hard labour in 1895.

    In Wilde’s case, two years of hard labour on the treadmill would cause irreparable damage to his health, as he died a couple of years after being released from prison.

    The penal treadmill was eventually abolished in 1902.

    One to think about next time you’re working out at the gym.

  • Gruesome simulation shows why you should never pop your blisters

    Gruesome simulation shows why you should never pop your blisters

    If you’re someone currently considering popping a blister, you might want to take a look at this simulation first.

    Although it can be extremely tempting to get rid of the small, painful lump that has appeared on your skin, it’s best to leave it alone.

    That’s because that pesky bubble is actually protecting you – as this gruesome simulation explains.

    Despite them having a bad reputation, blisters are actually doing us a favour in the health department, as they develop to protect skin that has been damaged to help it heal.

    They often crop up in an area that might have been subject to irritation, as we’ve all experienced when wearing a pair of new shoes for the first time that need wearing in a bit.

    Blisters might be painful, but they are actually protecting you (Getty Stock Photo)

    Blisters might be painful, but they are actually protecting you (Getty Stock Photo)

    You might have also come into contact with irritating chemicals and ended up with one, while extreme heat or cold can also bring on a blister.

    According to Harvard Health, infections, skin diseases and certain medications can also cause them. As a result, you’re left dealing with an uncomfortable round or oval bubble of fluid on your skin.

    Blisters can often be painful or itchy, but no matter how desperate you are to get rid of it, you’re best off leaving it be.

    If it’s a run-of-the-mill blister, they typically go away on their own after a few days, so it’s just a matter of riding it out. Tampering with it could do a lot more harm than good, as YouTuber Zack D Films explained.

    He mocked up one of his famous simulations to depict how blisters protect us, and the visuals will no doubt encourage you to leave yours well alone.

    Zack explained why you shouldn't pop blisters, no matter how tempting it may be (YouTube/Zack D Films)

    Zack explained why you shouldn’t pop blisters, no matter how tempting it may be (YouTube/Zack D Films)

    In the stomach-churning clip, he explains: “If you get a blister, most people assume you are supposed to pop them. Blisters usually form on a spot of your skin that has become damaged.

    “Inside the bubble, there is a small pocket of clear fluid that builds up. This fluid actually protects and heals the skin underneath, acting as a barrier to keep it clean.

    “But when you pop a blister, it exposes the skin prematurely, before it has time to properly heal, which is why you shouldn’t pop them.”

    Social media users heaped praise on the content creator for sharing what they considered to be very valuable knowledge, as a lot of people said they were unaware of this.

    “He actually explains more then my science teacher,” one person wrote, while a second said: “Bro is answering questions we didn’t ask but secretly wanted to know.”

    A third commented: “Always heard that we should never pop a blister but never knew why. Thanks you for explaining.”

    A fourth remarked: “I’ll go crazy if I don’t pop it!”

    And a fifth said: “It’s amazing how much our bodies fight for us.”

    As Zack pointed out, it is best to leave blisters alone, as they ‘protect the underlying skin, breaking blisters open can increase the chance of infection’, according to Harvard Health.

    Sharing some tips to speed up the healing process, it adds: “Protect blisters with a bandage and cover them until they heal on their own. The liquid in the blister will be re-absorbed and the skin will flatten naturally. If a blister breaks, wash the area with soap and water, then apply a bandage. If a blister is very large or painful, your doctor may drain it and apply an antibacterial cream to prevent infection.”

    You can also prevent blisters on your feet that are caused by skin irritation if you wear well-fitting shoes and thick socks.

  • Andrew Cuomo Advocates for Tokenization of American Securities

    Andrew Cuomo Advocates for Tokenization of American Securities

    Andrew Cuomo advocates for the tokenization of American securities, suggesting that this could modernize market infrastructure and enhance the US’s position in global finance. His remarks, shared via a tweet from OKX, emphasize the need for trusted access to these markets, signaling a potential shift in how securities are managed. The implications could be significant, encouraging broader adoption of tokenization in financial markets.

    The Key Development

    The conversation around tokenization is gaining momentum, particularly as Andrew Cuomo, the co-chair of OKXICE and former New York Governor, highlights its potential benefits. His comments point to the idea that tokenizing American securities could streamline processes and improve access to capital markets. As the broader crypto market shows mixed signals, this advocacy for tokenization may resonate with traders and investors looking for innovative solutions to enhance liquidity and efficiency in the financial sector. The significance of these developments cannot be understated, as they may redefine how securities are issued and traded in the future.

  • Ethereum L2 Starknet Jumps 20% After Saying It Wants to Become an L1

    Ethereum L2 Starknet Jumps 20% After Saying It Wants to Become an L1

    In brief

    • Starknet is “actively considering” becoming an independent layer-1 blockchain, with 2027 as the target to become the first fully quantum-resistant network.
    • StarkWare CEO Eli Ben-Sasson said an L1 would let Starknet control its own security upgrades instead of waiting for Ethereum, whose roadmap targets core post-quantum infrastructure around 2029.
    • The STRK token traded near $0.073 on Friday, up about 20% in 24 hours and more than double its roughly $0.03 price in April.

    Starknet, the Ethereum scaling network built by StarkWare, said it is weighing a move to become its own blockchain.

    “We are actively considering becoming an L1,” the project wrote on X. “This would enable Starknet to become the first fully quantum-resistant network, with 2027 as our target.”

    Myriad: Where does Ethereum go next? Click to make your prediction.
    Myriad: Where does Ethereum go next? Click to make your prediction.

    The STRK token traded around $0.073 on Friday, up about 20% in 24 hours. That is more than double the roughly $0.03 it fetched in April, when StarkWare cut staff to chase revenue.

    An L1, or layer 1, is a base blockchain such as Bitcoin or Ethereum that validates and secures its own transactions. Starknet is a layer 2, a network that sits on top of Ethereum, bundles transactions into batches and leans on the base chain for security.

    Starknet’s pitch centers on quantum computers, machines that could one day crack the elliptic-curve cryptography (the math behind the digital signatures that prove you own your coins) used by Bitcoin and Ethereum. Starknet’s own proofs rely on hash functions, which scramble data into fixed fingerprints and are considered quantum-resistant, though some elliptic-curve pieces remain that it said it would replace in a roadmap published June 30.

    Starknet price data. Image: Tradingview
    Starknet price data. Image: Tradingview

    StarkWare CEO Eli Ben-Sasson floated the idea in a thread on X, saying the quantum threat “may be much closer than we think” and that AI’s pace in mathematics adds a second risk that calls for “bunker mode”—a phrase recently popularized by Ethereum researcher Justin Drake in his own call to action earlier this week.

    Ben-Sasson wrote that Starknet, as an L2, relies on the security of Ethereum, which means it can only be as quantum-safe as its base layer. He said the network needs Ethereum to move “real fast,” and that becoming an L1 is among the options if it does not.

    Ethereum’s own roadmap targets core post-quantum infrastructure by around 2029, per ethereum.org, after the Ethereum Foundation formed a dedicated post-quantum team in January. Drake said at the time that “timelines are accelerating.” Bitcoin has made no such commitment, according to Ben-Sasson.

    Becoming an L1 would give Starknet control over its own security upgrades, so it would not have to wait for Ethereum or Bitcoin to move first, Ben-Sasson wrote. It would also mean Starknet secures itself instead of borrowing Ethereum’s protection, the arrangement that defines a layer 2. The statement does not say how existing apps and users would move over.

    BitcoinBTC · USD

    $83,018−2.1%

    Oct 4Oct 5Oct 7Oct 9Oct 11

    $86.7k$84.7k$82.7k$80.7k

    24h HighHigh$83,094

    24h LowLow$82,494

    VolVol$564.5M

    Market projectionsOdds by Myriad

    →

    On the other hand, it would also mean Starknet is responsible for its safety and development, which could be a hurdle considering Ethereum as a project is the second largest and most active in the crypto ecosystem after Bitcoin.

    No quantum computer can break these systems today, and experts disagree on when one might. Strategy co-founder Michael Saylor told Bloomberg last year that he does not worry about it, arguing that banks and tech giants would be hit first.

    Ben-Sasson said Starknet could reach quantum resistance by 2027, two years before the end-of-2029 date he cited for Ethereum.

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  • Woman who spent two years behind bars for giving herself a miscarriage wins $1.6 million payout

    Woman who spent two years behind bars for giving herself a miscarriage wins $1.6 million payout

    A woman who spent two years in prison has been awarded $1.6 million after being accused of causing her own miscarriage

    Patience Rousseau, from Nevada, was struggling with drug addiction and homelessness when found out she was pregnant in 2018.

    Aged 26 and living with her two sons at the time, she was unable to travel 165 miles to Reno for an abortion.

    Instead, she looked online for ways to end the pregnancy herself and tried eating cinnamon and lifting heavy objects, believing they might cause a miscarriage.

    Two months later, she gave birth to a stillborn baby boy, whom she named Abel, and buried him in her garden.

    In 2019, she was found guilty of manslaughter under a Nevada law dating back to 1911, which made it illegal for women to deliberately end a pregnancy after 24 weeks through drug use.

    The once-homeless mum from Nevada was jailed for two years (Humboldt County Sheriff's Office)

    The once-homeless mum from Nevada was jailed for two years (Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office)

    Rousseau was the first person to be convicted under the law and was sentenced to up to eight years in prison.

    Her lawyers, however, appealed the conviction, arguing there was no evidence that her drug use had caused the miscarriage or that she had been taking drugs to end the pregnancy.

    They also said she had not known exactly how far along she was when she lost the baby.

    The conviction was overturned in 2021 after Rousseau had already spent two years in prison.

    She then sought compensation for her imprisonment, but Nevada authorities initially agreed to pay her just $100,000.

    Her lawyers continued fighting the case and eventually secured a $1.6 million settlement, of which Rousseau received $1.2 million after legal fees.

    The mum-of-three has been awarded $1.6 million (Humboldt County Sheriff's Office)

    The mum-of-three has been awarded $1.6 million (Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office)

    “They fought so much to avoid paying me,” the 34-year-old told The Nevada Independent.

    “I went through so much and so did my children, who are still facing these issues. It’s not fair.”

    Civil rights attorney Paola Armeni, who represented Rousseau in her settlement claim, said to the outlet that it was like being targeted by a lynch mob, ‘all the while under a statute that was on the books before women were even allowed to vote in Nevada.’

    “The trauma of all of it was pretty horrendous,” Armeni said.

    “I don’t ever want to come back to Nevada again, or honestly ever see any of the people in Winnemucca again,” she added.

    “They ruined it for me.”

    Rousseau plans to use the money to pay off her house in South Dakota, buy her mother a car and open a shop selling rare aquatic plants and animals.

  • Woman issues urgent warning after reta ‘nearly killed and ‘paralyzed’ her

    Woman issues urgent warning after reta ‘nearly killed and ‘paralyzed’ her

    A TikTok creator has issued an urgent warning about the weight-loss drug retatrutide after claiming a dosing mistake left her seriously ill.

    Lyndsey Jones (@Lyndz99) opened up about her frightening experience after previously sharing positive opinions about GLP-1 medications and retatrutide.

    Despite suggesting that she was a supporter of the injections, Lyndsey said she felt it was important to share what happened to her.

    “I think it’s only fair that I come on here, tell you guys how it almost killed me,” she explained.

    The TikToker revealed that her ordeal began after she took retatrutide earlier than she was supposed to, something she is now urging others never to do.

    “Never take your reta before you’re supposed to. I made that mistake, ended up in the ER twice, couldn’t keep down any food or water,” she said.

    (TikTok/@Lyndz99)

    (TikTok/@Lyndz99)

    Lyndsey described suffering extreme abdominal pain and frightening digestive symptoms, claiming her stomach began to feel as though it was becoming paralysed.

    “I was in excruciating pain. My stomach was like starting to become paralyzed. It was terrifying.”

    The experience became so severe that Lyndsey feared she might not survive.

    “I seriously thought I was going to die at some point,” she admitted.

    Her health struggles also had a dramatic impact on her weight and ability to eat.

    According to Lyndsey, she went an entire week without being able to consume food, eventually dropping below 100 pounds, equivalent to approximately seven stone two pounds.

    “I ended up weighing under 100 pounds. I couldn’t eat for a whole entire week.”

    Following the frightening ordeal, Lyndsey has decided to stop taking GLP-1 medications and is now receiving professional nutritional support as she focuses on maintaining her weight.

    “Currently I am now seeing a nutritionist and I am not on GLP-1s, but I’m going to try to maintain the healthy way or the healthier way.”

    What is retatrutide?

    (Getty Stock Images)

    (Getty Stock Images)

    Retatrutide is an experimental medication that’s being developed by Eli Lilly and Company – the world’s largest pharmaceutical company and makers of Mounjaro.

    Phased clinical trials have been taking place for both obesity and type 2 diabetes, with some remarkable results.

    Often dubbed the ‘Godzilla’ of weight loss drugs, retatrutide targets three different hormone receptors to dramatically suppress appetite and increase fat burning, while current medications like Wegovy and Mounjaro only target one or two.

    In a major trial involving more than 2,300 overweight adults, people taking the highest dose lost an average of 28.3 percent of their body weight, while some patients lost around 5st.

    Retatrutide side effects

    In Phase 2 trial data, the most commonly reported adverse effects included:

    • Nausea
    • Vomiting
    • Diarrhoea
    • Constipation
    • Decreased appetite

    “Retatrutide is not yet available in the UK and has not been approved for use by any regulatory bodies – it is still undergoing clinical trials to assess its safety and effectiveness,” Dr Clair Grainger, from Superdrug Online Doctor, said.

    LADbible Group has contacted Eli Lilly and Company for comment.

  • Papertrade Traders Lose $18.2 Million as Staking Rewards Reach $12.6 Million

    Papertrade Traders Lose $18.2 Million as Staking Rewards Reach $12.6 Million

    Papertrade offers leverage of up to 1,000 times. Its launch announcement scheduled frontend trading for 10 a.m. ET on Oct. 10, following a HyperEVM network upgrade.

    By the data snapshot, the venue reported approximately 3.17 billion PAPER issued and 3.09 billion staked. Its protocol summary, timestamped four seconds later, showed about $5.01 million in the house liquidity pool and no queued payout debt.

    Losses Fund the House—and Stakers

    Unlike an exchange that matches buyers and sellers, Papertrade settles synthetic BTC and ETH positions against a common liquidity pool. Losing trades replenish that pool; winning trades draw from it. Stakers receive fees and surplus above a $5 million pool threshold, as researcher Tempest described in a prelaunch analysis.

    That structure makes the rewards dependent on trading activity, rather than a separate source of money that erases losses. The $12.6 million is the venue’s cumulative staking-reward total, not a measurement of cash claimed by each wallet. PaperDash’s methodology, which distinguishes the venue’s trading results from staking income, likewise cautions against inferring wallet income from protocol fee totals.

    PAPER issuance also cannot be read as a fixed-dollar refund. The token starts minting from zero supply through user losses, according to Papertrade’s rollout plan. Its launch rules permit staking and unstaking but do not allow transfers between wallets; transfers are assigned to a later phase without a fixed date.

  • Lego Is Bringing Marvel and ‘Star Wars’ Together for First-Ever Fan-Designed Crossover Set

    Lego Is Bringing Marvel and ‘Star Wars’ Together for First-Ever Fan-Designed Crossover Set

    If you purchase an independently reviewed product or service through a link on our website, Variety may receive an affiliate commission.

    Ever wondered what would happen if Darth Vader joined the Avengers? Or if the Millennium Falcon got a Tony Stark-approved upgrade? Lego is giving fans the chance to find out.

    The toy company announced a first-of-its-kind Lego Ideas challenge at New York Comic Con on Saturday, inviting builders to combine the worlds of Marvel and “Star Wars” for a chance to have their creations turned into an official Lego set. The competition marks the first time the two Disney-owned franchises have been brought together in a Lego Ideas challenge, allowing fans to dream up their own cross-universe creations.

    The announcement was made by filmmaker, actor and Marvel Comics writer Kevin Smith, who is also working on the upcoming “Star Wars/Marvel: Hope Assembles” comic series. Set to launch in January, the series will mark the first official crossover between the two comic book universes, arriving as “Star Wars” prepares to celebrate its 50th anniversary in 2027.

    “Working on the upcoming Star Wars/Marvel: Hope Assembles comic series has been incredibly exciting, and this Lego Ideas challenge reflects the same spirit of creativity inspired by these two iconic universes,” Smith said in a statement. “This challenge gives fans a chance to be part of something never done before and I can’t wait to see all of the creative Marvel and Star Wars mash ups it inspires!”

    The competition invites fans to submit original builds across three categories: vehicles, characters and scenes. That could mean reimagining familiar spacecraft with superhero technology, bringing characters from the two franchises face-to-face or creating entirely new settings that unite their respective worlds.

    Submissions are now open through the Lego Ideas platform, with fan voting set to begin Dec. 8. Grand prize selections will be announced in 2027, with winning designs eligible to be developed into official Lego products.

    The challenge builds on Lego’s longstanding relationships with both franchises, which have produced some of the company’s most elaborate and collectible sets. Lego’s “Star Wars” partnership dates back to 1999, while its Marvel lineup has brought characters including Spider-Man, Iron Man and the Avengers into brick form through everything from smaller character sets to large-scale collector’s builds.

    “This challenge is a milestone for Lego Ideas and our fan community,” said Fede Begher, senior vice president and head of product group at the Lego Group. “For the first time ever, fans can build with both Marvel and Star Wars in a single LEGO Ideas challenge, unlocking entirely new possibilities for creativity and storytelling.”

    Fans can enter the “Star Wars” and Marvel crossover challenge and review the official submission guidelines at ideas.lego.com/campaigns/hope-assembles