Manchester Arena plotter’s alleged prison attack sparks call for US-style rewards system
A long-awaited report that examined how the Manchester Arena plotter was able to carry out an alleged violent attack on prison officers has recommended a new punishment and rewards system for the most dangerous inmates, similar to that used in a US Supermax jail,David Lammy, the deputy prime minister, is facing demands to publish the report, which looks into why Hashem Abedi, who was jailed for life for helping his brother carry out the 2017 bombing, was able to target staff at HMP Frankland with boiling oil and homemade weapons in a planned ambush,Jonathan Hall KC, the independent reviewer of terrorism legislation, was commissioned to carry out the review in May by the then lord chancellor, Shabana Mahmood,She requested that it be returned “promptly”,Sent to the lord chancellor’s office in August, the report is understood to recommend that lessons be learned from the US so that for the most dangerous prisoners privileges can be earned or taken away depending on closely monitored standards of behaviour.
In the ADX Florence prison in Colorado, known as the Alcatraz of the Rockies, staff evaluate prisoners continuously.Those who behave well are rewarded with modest but significant extra privileges.These can include access to exercise, radio and television.Bad behaviour can lead to access privileges being removed and restrictions in contact with other inmates.Andy Slaughter, the Labour chair of the House of Commons’ justice select committee, has called for the government to publish the report immediately.
“Allowances can be made for the MoJ and its ministers.This has been a very busy time for the department and there has been a change in the secretary of state,” he said.“But after waiting four months, prison officers, the public and parliament should be able to see the recommendations of the report written by Jonathan Hall KC so we can make sure that similar attacks to the one carried out by Hashem Abedi at HMP Frankland never happen again.”Abedi was jailed for life in 2020 for helping his brother carry out the 2017 bombing, which killed 22 people at the end of an Ariana Grande concert.He was sentenced to a minimum of 55 years in jail.
After the incident at HMP Frankland in Durham on 12 April, Abedi pleaded not guilty to attempted murder, to assault causing actual bodily harm, and having offensive weapons inside a prison.Prosecutors allege that he attacked four prison officers with makeshift knives and boiling oil.Three of the prison officers – two men and a woman – were taken to hospital, two with stab wounds.The attack triggered outrage among survivors and victims’ families.Martin Hibbert, who was left with life-changing injuries in the 2017 bombing, said in an open letter to ministers that the incident represented a “catastrophic failure” to protect staff and the public.
Abedi was held in a separation centre at Frankland, one of three introduced into the England and Wales prison estate by Theresa May’s government in 2017.They have been used to keep terrorists, particularly Islamists, away from most of the prison population.After the attack, questions were raised over why Abedi and other terror suspects had been given access to kitchen utensils.His knives were fashioned out of cake tins.Hall’s review has considered whether the internal findings from the Abedi incident point to a need for changes in how extremist offenders are placed into separation centres.
It also assesses whether the right balance is being struck between security and long-term offender management.Abedi is due to appear at the Old Bailey in Februrary.A Ministry of Justice spokesperson said: “Protecting our hardworking staff is a priority.In the past 10 weeks, we’ve announced the rollout of body armour to thousands of frontline officers and expanded the use of Tasers.“We have been thoroughly reviewing Jonathan Hall’s independent report into separation centres and will publish Mr Hall’s report and our response in due course.
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VIP viewing: cinemas bet on luxury bars and beds to usher in a new film era
From champagne coolers to front row VIP beds, cinema owners are investing heavily in premium experiences as the industry gets its box office mojo back.As the third instalment in James Cameron’s blockbuster Avatar series pulls in the Christmas holiday crowds, the UK box office is expected to surpass £1bn in 2025 for the first time since before the global Covid pandemic.Amid financially testing times – with the pace of a hoped-for box office recovery derailed by the Hollywood actors’ and writers’ strikes – cinema owners have focused on reinventing the movie-going experience to win back film fans.“We are rolling out 200 of our Ultra Lux seats, which have a built-in champagne or wine cooler, each day across Europe,” says Tim Richards, chief executive and founder of the Vue cinema chain. “Our ‘worst’ seat in the house is a leather recliner, and it is amazingly comfortable
Sustainable aviation fuel take-up in UK unlikely to hit 2025 target, data suggests
The take-up of sustainable aviation fuels is on course to fall short of the UK government’s first annual mandate, official figures suggest.Production data published by the Department for Transport (DfT) covering most of 2025 shows that sustainable fuels (SAF) only accounted for 1.6% of fuel supplied for UK flights – 20% less fuel in volume than the 2% needed to fulfil the requirement.The government introduced the mandate in January, which requires suppliers to hit targets for SAF – which the industry has argued is important for cutting its carbon emissions – within the overall UK aviation fuel mix.Themandatory target rises sharply from 2% in 2025 to 10% in 2030 and then to 22% in 2040, including the use of second-generation fuels that are seen as more sustainable in the long term
Visa ban for European critics of online harm is first shot in US free speech war
For Maga politicians, European tech regulation hits hard in two areas: at the economic interests of Silicon Valley and at their view of free speech.The action against five Europeans who are taking on harmful content and the platforms that host it has had an inevitable feel to it, given the increasingly vociferous reactions to the EU’s Digital Services Act (DSA) and the UK’s Online Safety Act (OSA). Both pieces of legislation require social media firms to protect users or face the threat of sizeable fines. Indeed, Elon Musk’s X has been fined €120m (£105m) this month for breaching the DSA.These acts are prime examples of what US Republicans see as an anti-free speech culture on the other side of the Atlantic
European leaders condemn US visa bans as row over ‘censorship’ escalates
European leaders including Emmanuel Macron have accused Washington of “coercion and intimidation”, after the US imposed a visa ban on five prominent European figures who have been at heart of the campaign to introduce laws regulating American tech companies.The visa bans were imposed on Tuesday on Thierry Breton, the former EU commissioner and one of the architects of the bloc’s Digital Services Act (DSA), and four anti-disinformation campaigners, including two in Germany and two in the UK.The other individuals targeted were Imran Ahmed, the British chief executive of the US-based Center for Countering Digital Hate; Anna-Lena von Hodenberg and Josephine Ballon of the German non-profit HateAid; and Clare Melford, co-founder of the Global Disinformation Index.Justifying the visa bans, the US secretary of state, Marco Rubio, wrote on X: “For far too long, ideologues in Europe have led organised efforts to coerce American platforms to punish American viewpoints they oppose. The Trump administration will no longer tolerate these egregious acts of extraterritorial censorship
New York Jets reverse decision and reinstate fan in $100k field-goal contest after uproar
The New York Jets have reversed a decision that had barred a longtime fan from participating in a $100,000 halftime field-goal contest, announcing Friday that she will be allowed to take part in Sunday’s game against the New England Patriots.The New York Post first reported that Ashley Castanio-Gervasi, a Long Island high-school soccer coach and lifelong Jets supporter, had been informed earlier this week that she was no longer eligible for the team’s “Kick for Cash” promotion because of her coaching status.The decision prompted widespread criticism from public figures including former Jets star Damien Woody and California congressman Eric Swalwell as it became a trending topic on social media, leading the Jets to reconsider.“We realized there was an unfortunate misunderstanding regarding Ashley’s eligibility for the contest,” the team said in a statement. “In an effort to remedy the situation, we are allowing her to kick this Sunday for an opportunity to win the prize
Jacques Vermeulen on song as Sale batter Harlequins in second half
Of all the indignities heaped on Harlequins this season, and goodness knows there have been a few, this Christmas stuffing was perhaps the most humiliating.Leading 17-12 at the interval against a Sale side who had lost their last four in the Prem, they succumbed so meekly that Jason Gilmore, their senior coach, was forced to question their collective desire. This abject surrender came just six days after Quins were thumped 40-14 by Bristol at Twickenham.“The boys care for the club – but there’s a difference between caring for the club and doing something about it,” the Queenslander said pointedly after his players conceded 31 second-half points without reply. “We will be looking hard at the squad in terms of what next year looks like
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