WeekDay AM: 10 Things you need to know this morning
Mangione charged, a boost for Reform UK, and Britain's adult literacy problem

 
today's international story

Mangione charged with murder 'as terrorism'

What happened
Luigi Mangione has been formally accused of first-degree murder in the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson amid a series of charges that branded him a terrorist.

Who said what
"This was a frightening, well-planned, targeted murder that was intended to cause shock, attention and intimidation," said Alvin Bragg, the Manhattan district attorney, at a news conference yesterday.

As well as the first-degree murder charge, Mangione faces 11 other charges including two counts of second-degree murder, one of which describes the killing as an "act of terrorism". The charge is "aimed directly at the idea that the killing of UnitedHealthcare's chief executive was a legitimate political act", said The New York Times.

The case has "prompted a significant public debate about health insurance providers", said The Daily Telegraph, as well as "backlash against some leftists who celebrated Thompson's murder". Both Bragg and New York Police Department Commissioner Jessica Tisch "lambasted the public" for praising Mangione after the 4 December shooting, said the BBC.

"In the nearly two weeks since Mr Thompson's killing we have seen a shocking and appalling celebration of cold-blooded murder," Tisch said. "We don't celebrate murders and we don't lionise the killing of anyone."

What next?
Mangione will appear in court tomorrow to determine whether he will be extradited to New York. His lawyer suggested that he was likely to plead not guilty to the charges laid against him.

 
 
today's politics story

Musk mulling Reform UK donation, says Farage

What happened
Elon Musk is in "ongoing negotiations" about making a major financial contribution to Reform UK, according to Nigel Farage.

Who said what
Farage met Musk at Mar-a-Lago, Donald Trump's Florida resort, on Monday and "the issue of money was discussed", said the Reform UK leader.

There has been ongoing speculation that Musk "could donate as much as $100 million (£78 million)", said The Daily Telegraph, which would be the biggest single party donation in British history, easily eclipsing the £10 million gift by Lord Sainsbury to the Conservative Party last year.

Musk has become a "prominent critic" of Keir Starmer, said the BBC, and has backed Reform UK to form the next government on his social media platform X.

What next?
As a US citizen Musk is not allowed to make personal political donations in the UK, but some reports have suggested he could contribute through the British arm of X. Alternatively, the billionaire could try to secure UK citizenship, which his father, Errol, says he is eligible for because his grandmother was British.

 
 
Today's crime story

Nigeria arrests hundreds of scammers

What happened
Hundreds of "Yahoo boys" – online scammers – have been arrested in a raid on a luxury office block in Lagos, Nigeria.

Named after the search engine that first provided free email accounts, anti-corruption officials described the operation as Nigeria's largest ever crackdown on romance and crypto fraudsters.

It targeted 792 suspects, most of whom are Nigerian nationals. But the number also includes 148 Chinese and 40 Filipinos, who investigators claimed were recruiting and training locals, reported The Times.

Who said what
"Nigerian accomplices were recruited by the foreign kingpins to prospect for victims online through phishing, targeting mostly Americans, Canadians, Mexicans and several others from European countries," said Wilson Uwujaren from the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.

What next?
Uwujaren said the suspects would face trial, adding that many locals were unaware of the companies they worked for and were paid in cash or through a personal account.

 
 

It's not all bad

Researchers at the University of Oregon have developed tiny implantable sensors that help tailor rehabilitation for broken bones. In lab tests rats with femur fractures recovered significantly faster using resistance-training exercises monitored by the sensors. The devices provide real-time data, allowing rehab programs to be adjusted for optimal recovery. By the end of an eight-week study, resistance-trained rats showed denser tissue and bone strength comparable to uninjured bones. The team hopes the technology will soon help personalise recovery programs for human patients.

 
 
under the radar

The UK's growing adult literacy problem

One in five Britons aged between 16 and 65 can only read at or below the level expected of a 10-year-old, according to a major new study of literacy rates across the developed world.

The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development has been assessing adult literacy and numeracy levels in more than 30 countries for the past 20 years. And its latest Survey of Adult Skills report, released last week, makes for "extremely uncomfortable reading", said Robert Glick, chair of the UK's Adult Literacy Trust, writing in The Big Issue.

Countries with falling literacy scores "outnumber those making significant progress", said The Economist. That's despite more people in those countries finishing secondary school and getting degrees. One explanation, said the magazine, could be "increased migration", with non-native speakers naturally tending to score lower on literacy tests that involve "juggling words".

But if adults are getting less adept at coping with complex texts, "I put the blame squarely on technology", said Helen Coffey in The Independent. The "insignificant strips of dead time" that were once filled by "whipping out a fantasy novel or juicy biography" are now "firmly in the custody" of Netflix, WhatsApp and social media. Mornings spent "reading over a bowl of cereal" are now spent "scrolling in bed" and "quiet evenings spent rifling pages" have "given way to binge-watching streaming services" where "there's always something on the telly".

Reversing the decline means making literacy programmes "more accessible and relevant" through a "robust, well-funded and well-promoted adult education programme", wrote Glick. This would require significant government investment, of course, but the OECD report shows in "glaring terms" that the "time to act is now".

 
 
on this day

18 December 1865

The US adopted the 13th Amendment to the Constitution, outlawing slavery in America. About four million people were freed, although slavery continued on Native American tribal land until 1866. Advocacy groups are calling for the revision of one clause of the amendment, which allows prisoners to be subjected to forced labour.

 
 
Today's newspapers

Campaigners believe Labour have "betrayed our OAPS time after time", says the Daily Express, as it covers the government's rejection of payouts for women affected by changes to the state pension age. This "proves Labour cynically said anything to get elected", says the Daily Mail. Meanwhile, the Financial Times says the death of a Russian general accused of using chemical weapons in Ukraine "bore the signs of the work of Ukraine's spy agencies inside Russia".

See the newspaper front pages

 
 
tall tale

Japanese chain ends slap-up meal

A Japanese bar chain has ended its infamous "face slap service" after receiving a customer complaint about injury. Yotteba, a popular spot for cheap beer and chicken wings, offered patrons a binta – a sharp slap across the face from a waitress – for 500 yen (£2.70), which was billed as a quick way for tipsy customers to sober up. It became an internet sensation as patrons filmed themselves taking a well-placed slap while onlookers cheered them on. The service has now been axed.

 
 

Morning Report was written and edited by Arion McNicoll, Harriet Marsden, Sorcha Bradley and Chas Newkey-Burden, with illustrations by Julia Wytrazek.

Image credits, from top: Jeff Swensen / Getty Images; Allison Robbert / AFP / Bloomberg / Getty Images; Witthaya Prasongsin / Getty Images.