Leicester Fire Deaths: Father Pays Tribute As Arrests Made

BBC: The man who lost four members of his family in a Leicester house fire has said he "deeply misses" them, as police arrested five people over the deaths.

Dr Muhammad Taufiq Al Sattar said: "I deeply miss my beautiful wife and three beautiful children.

"What has happened has happened, and nothing can be reversed, but I hope justice prevails and in future this should not happen to any family."

Three woman, aged 27, 20 and 19, and men aged 49 and 19 have been arrested.

The arrests were made on Saturday afternoon.

The fire took hold shortly after midnight on Friday in Wood Hill with neighbours rushing to try to alert the family, named by the local mosque as Shehnila Taufiq, her teenage sons Jamal and Bilal and daughter Zainab, 19. (+ BBC video) » | Saturday, September 14, 2013

Pork Found in School Halal Lamb Burgers
THE GUARDIAN: Burgers produced by Doncaster-based Paragon Quality Foods withdrawn from schools in Leicester

Halal lamb burgers have been withdrawn from schools in Leicester after tests revealed a sample contained pork.

The decision follows DNA tests on a batch of frozen burgers manufactured by Doncaster-based Paragon Quality Foods in January, Leicester council said on Thursday.

Assistant mayor Vi Dempster said: "I am appalled by this situation. It is disgraceful that none of us can have confidence in the food we eat.

"We regret any distress this will cause families and staff, and would like to reassure them that robust action is being taken to address this serious matter." » | Press Association | Thursday, May 09, 2013

Richard III to Be Re-interred in Major Ceremony at Leicester Cathedral
King Richard III, the last English king to die in battle, will be re-interred in a major ceremony at Leicester Cathedral after DNA tests confirmed his skeleton has been found under a council car park in the city.

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Richard III: Skeleton Is the King
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Human remains found buried deep beneath a Leicester car park have been identified as those of Richard III, scientists confirmed today.

In an announcement that rewrote history, archaeologists confirmed that "beyond reasonable doubt" that the skeleton was found in the resting place of the Plantagenet king.

They said that long-awaited DNA results on the bones proved beyond doubt that they belonged to the king, more than 500 years after he was killed in battle.

Speaking before more than 140 journalists from all over the world, the University of Leicester team described their find as "truly astonishing".

They said the skeletal evidence "provides a highly convincing case for identification as Richard III". They said that the skeleton was the king as far as all scientific tests could prove.

"Ladies and gentlemen, it is the academic conclusion of the University of Leicester that, beyond reasonable doubt, the individual exhumed at Greyfriars... is indeed Richard III, the last Plantagenet king of England," said Richard Buckley, who led the research. » | Nick Britten, and Andrew Hough | Monday, February 04, 2013

One Fat Lady in Race Row over Muslim Ghetto Jibe

MAIL ONLINE: Chef was 'surprised any of the people who might object could read what I wrote as it is written in English' / She describes visit to the 'ghetto' after getting lost in traffic and found herself 'in an area where all the men were wearing Islamic clothing' / But she says there's an upside — she's thankful for the large number of Asian restaurants in the city as 'you can eat excellent curry' there / Her comments were criticised by the Muslim Council of Britain and the city's mayor, who claims her account 'may help sell books but it is cheap'

She is as renowned for her outspoken views as she is for her cooking.

So when celebrity chef Clarissa Dickson Wright decided to write about her day out in a multi-cultural part of Leicester, she didn't mince her words.

The former star of the BBC's Two Fat Ladies claimed a visit to the city, which has a large Muslim population, was 'the most frightening experience of her life'.

Describing parts of Leicester as a 'ghetto', she said seeing so many men in Islamic clothing and women in a burkas left her feeling 'in the middle of my own country, a complete outcast and pariah'.

Yesterday her comments provoked fury from Muslim groups and local leaders.
But Miss Dickson Wright remained defiant, saying: 'I'm surprised any of the people who might object could read what I wrote as it is written in English.' The Islamic area of Leicester frightened me, says TV chef » | Paul Bentley | Friday, November 17, 2012

Yob Who Yanked Off Muslim Woman's Headscarf Ordered to Pay Her £1,000 Compensation
MAIL ONLINE: A thug who ripped off a Muslim woman's headscarf as she passed him in the street says he's 'ashamed' of what he did.

Stephen Ard was handed a 16-week jail sentence, suspended for a year, after he admitted a charge of religiously aggravated assault.

Leicester magistrates also ordered him to pay his victim £1,000 compensation after hearing he was drunk at the time of the incident which took place in October in the Highfields area of the city.

His victim Rehana Sidat told the court she felt 'invaded' by the attack and is still scared to walk the streets alone.

Ard, 29, walked free after writing a letter of apology to the court. He said he felt 'ashamed and embarrassed' by his behaviour.

Miss Sidat, 28, was walking to her job at a drop-in centre for people with learning difficulties when her attacker suddenly snatched the veil - also called the niqab - from her face.

She said Ard's actions had left her 'emotionally and psychologically' hurt. >>>| Tuesday, December 15, 2009

BBC Interfaith Claptrap
WATCH BBC VIDEO: MUSLIMS AND CHRISTIANS UNITE!
Mark Alexander