teddy bears news stories on Newser

Divers Rescue Teddy Bear From Costa Concordia

Kevin Spak — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 08:34:05 CST

At this point, dives into the Costa Concordia wreck usually involve recovering bodies, but divers recently got a break from that grim task for a more bittersweet rescue operation: recovering a little boy's teddy bear. The mayor of Giglio asked the divers to find the bear after seeing a letter...

1 of 4 Men Travel With Cuddly

Jane Yager — Wed, 25 Aug 2010 03:57:28 CDT

One out of four adult men travel with a secret tucked away in their suitcases—a special stuffed animal. That's what hotel chain Travelodge found out by tracing back to their owners the 75,000 teddy bears left behind in hotel rooms each year. Interested in how many of the...

Teddy Teacher Spurs UK to Kill Own Blasphemy Law

Jonas Oransky — Thu, 06 Mar 2008 14:12:00 CST

Britain's House of Lords voted yesterday to abolish blasphemy laws after an international incident sparked debate over secularism and tradition, the Los Angeles Times reports. With the UK and Sudan at odds in November over the prosecution of a British teacher allowing students to name a teddy bear Mohammad, many...

Teddy Bear Teacher Tells Her Own Tale

Katherine Thompson — Sun, 09 Dec 2007 10:34:37 CST

"I had no idea at all that I'd done something wrong," Gillian Gibbons tells the Guardian in an interview about her incarceration in Sudan for letting her class name a teddy bear Mohammed. But the teacher's ordeal hasn't soured her on Khartoum, which she calls a "wonderful place," and neither...

'Terrified' Teddy Bear Teacher Happy to Be Home

Lucas Laursen — Tue, 04 Dec 2007 05:15:25 CST

Safely home after a "terrifying" ordeal in a Sudanese jail for allowing a class Teddy bear to be named Muhammad, teacher Gillian Gibbons was delighted to be back with family today. "I went out there to have a bit of an adventure and I got more than I bargained for,...

Teddy Bear Teacher Goes Free

Kevin Spak — Mon, 03 Dec 2007 11:36:31 CST

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...

Armed Mob Wants British Teacher Dead

Sam Gale Rosen — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 11:24:50 CST

An armed mob thousands strong protested in front of the presidential palace in Khartoum today, demanding the execution of the British teacher who allowed her students to name a teddy bear "Mohammed." Meanwhile, Britain's first Muslim MP is flying to Sudan to push for the teacher's early release, the London...

Sudan Will Jail, Deport Teddy Bear Teacher

Kevin Spak — Thu, 29 Nov 2007 13:08:35 CST

A Sudanese court sentenced British schoolteacher Gillian Gibbons to 15 days in prison and deportation from Sudan for inciting religious hatred by allowing her students to name a class teddy bear Muhammad, the Guardian reports. The sentence represented something of a success for British officials, who had said they would...

British Teacher Charged in Teddy Bear Flap

Nick McMaster — Wed, 28 Nov 2007 15:35:54 CST

The British teacher held in Sudan for committing blasphemy by naming a teddy bear “Muhammed” has been charged with insulting religion, inciting hatred and showing contempt for religious beliefs, the BBC reports. The UK Foreign Secretary said he would summon the Sudanese ambassador; Prime Minister Gordon Brown said he was...