Teddy Bear Teacher Goes Free

Gillian Gibbons was released today after a week behind Sudanese bars and apologized "if I have caused any distress," the Guardian reports. Though some called for her death, Gibbons wasn’t bearing a grudge. “I have encountered nothing but kindness from the Sudanese people,” she said in a statement. A spokesman for Sudan’s London embassy said protesters represented a fringe element.

“I’m sure she’ll be quite embarrassed to be on the news permanently,” said Gibbons' relieved son. But in Sudan, tension has built over the case, and “many Sudanese will see it as unfair to them,” said a government spokesman. In Britain, Muslims largely supported Gibbons, something Gordon Brown was quick to point out. (More teddy bears stories.)