Congresswoman making recovery

The Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords's medical condition was upgraded from critical to serious, eight days after she was shot through the head by a gunman at close range.

Her doctors' decision was yet another sign of a remarkable recovery since she was badly injured when a gunman opened fire as she met constituents in a Tucson supermarket parking lot. Six people were killed and 13 were wounded, including the congresswoman.

Mrs Giffords is now able to move around well enough that she gave her husband, Mark Kelly, a back rub from her hospital bed, he told ABC in an interview to be broadcast today.

"[It is] so typical of her. She's in the ICU [intensive care unit]. You know, gone through this traumatic injury. And she spent 10 minutes giving me a neck massage," Mr Kelly said. "I keep telling her. I'm like, 'Gabby, you're in the ICU. You know, you don't need to be doing this'. But it's so typical of her that no matter how bad the situation might be for her, she's looking out for other people."

The gesture seemed to comfort Mrs Giffords and showed that his wife was improving and that her spirit and their personal bond remained strong, Mr Kelly said. He added that he would be willing to meet the parents of the suspect, Jared Loughner. Mr Kelly, who has two teenage daughters from a previous marriage, said they must be hurting.