8 h. ago Lazarus Lake, the ‘Leonardo da Vinci of pain’ behind the world’s cruelest race

In an extract from his new book, Jared Beasley introduces the eccentric figure behind the Barkley Marathons, where runners are terrified and tested in equal measureFor over a century, Brushy Mountain State Penitentiary was the end of the line. Built in the shape of a Greek cross, the pale limestone structure had housed the worst of the worst – murderers, madmen, monsters – its bulk hunched beneath a crown of scarred mountains the guards called the fifth wall.Now it sits empty – cracking and molding and dying. But each spring around April Fool’s, on a cold, crisp day like today, a retired accountant appears at its gate. He carries a book with an ominous title and plants it against the back wall. Then sometime between midnight and noon the next day, he lights a cigarette, and the world’s most grueling footrace begins. Continue reading...

Politics

1 week ago Woman who spent 20 years restoring 'The Last Supper' and correcting 'big mistake'

Penin Brambilla was given the task of restoring Leonardo da Vinci’s masterpiece The Last Supper which took more than 20 years and she had to tackle one major problem

Politics

2 w. ago Woman who spent £20,000 on surgery in Turkey left in 'world of pain' after horror results

'It could've taken my life. But it doesn't stop me from wanting to get more work done in the future'

Economics

2 w. ago King's tour artist is first to create paintings digitally as he draws 'whatever inspires them' to make unique record of global royal travels

Rather than look to Italian greats such as Leonardo da Vinci or Titian for inspiration this week, the monarch decided to commission something with a more modern bent.

Politics

3 w. ago Boris Johnson shrieks in pain after being bitten by ostrich through car window

The disgraced former Prime Minister was in Texas with his family when he was bitten by an ostrich, with his wife Carrie sharing the hilarious video on social media.

Politics

3 w. ago Trump’s ‘Liberation Day’ could mean recession in the US and pain worldwide | Steven Greenhouse

The US president’s tariffs are vengeful and impetuous – and will have immense costs with no clear goalWith the huge and painful tariffs that Donald Trump announced on Thursday, “Tariff Man” is acting like a paranoid 12-year-old bully who is convinced that everyone has wronged him, and he wants revenge. But the president’s instrument of revenge – massive tariffs – is going to do serious damage to the US and global economies. Stock market investors are convinced that’s the case, with Wall Street and world stock markets losing trillions of dollars in value in recent days as a result of Trump’s obsession.The president has escalated his risky, vengeful trade war even though the US economy was in strong shape when he took office – the jobless rate was just 4.1%, inflation was below 3% and US economic growth was the strongest in the industrial world, with its stock market at record levels. So it’s unclear whether the US economy needed the shock treatment that Trump is inflicting. The price...

Politics

4 w. ago What will Trump do when his tariffs backfire? | Nils Pratley

The US president’s tariffs are almost certain to have dire consequences and he is not impervious to market decline or public opinionSo much for the idea that “liberation day” would free financial markets from their fear of the unknown. Publication of precise tariff rates, went a cheerful line of advance thinking, would at least allow investors to assess the probable trade effects on the basis of hard information. True optimists clung to the idea that Donald Trump would not wish to risk a truly severe market reaction.That narrative was blown apart when the president reached for his pub-style display of wares. This really was a case of going back to the tariffs rates of the 1920s or 1930s. Not even the penguins of Heard Island and the McDonald Islands were spared. Continue reading...

Politics

4 w. ago World braces for economic pain as White House confirms Trump will go ahead with tariffs

Tariffs will take effect immediately but precise details are yet to be unveiled

Economics