Hopes rise for teacher in Sudan

Hopes that Gillian Gibbons, 54, a British teacher in Sudan, could be cleared of blasphemy charges were raised last night after Khalid al-Mubaraka, an official at Sudan's embassy in London, said the "minute" matter could be resolved very quickly.

Ms Gibbons could be given 40 lashes or six months in jail for letting her pupils at Unity High School in Khartoum name the class teddy bear Mohamed. Mr Mubarak said police had to follow proper procedure but the "minute" issue should be resolved amicably. "We wouldn't like such an issue to be overblown," he said.