What happened
The man accused of murdering former Tory MP Ann Widdecombe has appeared in court charged with preparing acts of terrorism and trying to break into the home of Nigel Farage.

Joshua Kelly, 28 is alleged to have carried out online reconnaissance of “prominent people and institutions” – including the Reform leader – prosecutors said. Westminster Magistrates’ Court heard how Farage’s partner discovered damage to the couple’s front door in April last year along with a bottle of lighter fluid on the porch.

Who said what
Widdecombe’s death in July followed the murders of two sitting MPs over the past decade, “raising further concerns about politicians’ security”, said Reuters. Farage – “one of the most influential, but also one of the most divisive, figures in British politics” – has repeatedly described himself as the “most physically and verbally attacked politician of modern times”.

What next?
Kelly has yet to enter a plea to any of the charges he faces. He will next appear at London’s Old Bailey court tomorrow.

What happened
Royal Mail has announced plans to axe up to 2,500 staff from its 131,000-person workforce. The company said the cuts, which will affect head office jobs and support roles, would be achieved through “natural attrition and a voluntary redundancy programme” rather than compulsory lay-offs. Frontline staff will not be affected.

Who said what
Royal Mail chief executive Alistair Cochrane said the move was part of a wider effort to “reduce costs and simplify processes”, and that the proposed savings would “allow us to invest further in the service we deliver for our customers”.

The announcement “comes amid a period of upheaval at Royal Mail”, which has lost £800 million in the past four years amid a sharp decline in letter volume, said The Telegraph. The company is already “scrapping second-class letter deliveries on Saturday and watering down quality of service targets” in order to offset the losses.

What next?
Royal Mail is consulting with union representatives over the proposed job cuts, which it plans to implement by the end of next year.

Increasing numbers of people are seeking emergency medical care as a result of gambling addiction, according to a new study that suggests the increase in online sports betting has worsened mental health problems in young men.

Researchers looking at the effects of the 2022 decision to legalise sports betting in Ontario found that online gambling was “associated with a doubling of the rates of severe cases of gambling disorders”, according to a study published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine. The increase was most prevalent among young men, who have been showing up at emergency rooms with “major depression and suicidality”, as well as “mental health or substance abuse diagnoses” exacerbated by gambling, said Time.

The uptick in these health issues is “particularly concerning given the rapid growth and promotion of online sports betting, which targets this demographic”, said study author Ryan Forrest, a doctoral student at the University of Toronto.

While the study focused on Ontario, the US has had a similar spike in gambling. Since 2018, several states have legalised online sports betting. “It’s just not a regulated environment out there,” Cynthia Grant of Birches Health, the largest US provider specialising in treating gambling disorders, told Time. “People’s lives are being ruined, their relationships are being destroyed.”

The authors of the Ontario study said their data “likely represents only a small fraction of the overall harms associated with gambling in the population”, as many problem gamblers do not seek help. But increased ER visits may be “revealing much larger increases in gambling-related harm”.