Teacher's teddy plight is focus

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The words "Kill Her! Kill Her!" are printed across the front of The Daily Mirror next to a picture of a protester armed with a sword.

The man was one of thousands to join a demonstration in Khartoum in which some called for a British teacher to be executed for allowing her pupils to call a teddy bear Muhammad.

"All because of a teddy" is how the Sun sums up the story as it prints the same picture of the angry protester, next to one of the teddy bears in question.

In its editorial, the Sun talks of scenes of savagery in Khartoum and describes Gillian Gibbons as the unwitting victim of a petty row.

The Daily Express says the teacher had to be moved to another prison as the mob bayed for her blood.

Spying

The Times leads with an accusation from the government that China is spying on vital parts of Britain's economy, including the computer systems of big banks and financial services firms.

MI5 is reported to have sent a confidential letter to 300 chief executives and security chiefs at banks, accountants and legal firms warning them that they are under attack from Chinese state organisations.

The paper says it is thought to be the first time that the government has directly accused China of involvement in web-based espionage.

The so-called "Tapas 7" return to the front page of the Daily Mirror.

The paper says that police investigating the disappearance of Madeleine McCann are to re-interview the group who were dining with the four-year-old's parents on the night she disappeared.

It reports that it could mean the seven friends are made official suspects.

Internet shopping

The Telegraph and The Sun print a picture of a 500,000 square foot warehouse owned by the internet shopping site, Amazon.

Almost 1m Christmas gifts, including books, CDs and toys, are stacked high in seemingly never-ending rows.

The Telegraph says that internet shoppers are set to spend £200m a day from today through to 20 December.

The Times, the Daily Mail and the Daily Telegraph all enjoy the fact that police are being issued with a guide advising them how to tell if someone is drunk.

The checklist from the Home Office includes an unkempt appearance, making a lot of noise, fumbling with change and being annoying.

The Times says the manual has been ridiculed by publicans who point out that the above could apply to the majority of their customers, even before they have had a drink.