Shot schoolgirl Malala still stable

Doctors treating the Pakistani schoolgirl shot in the head by Taliban gunmen have said she remains in a stable condition after spending a third night in hospital.

Malala Yousafzai is being treated at Birmingham's Queen Elizabeth Hospital where medical staff said they were "pleased with her progress so far".

A spokeswoman for the hospital would not comment on reports that the 14-year-old was said to be moving her limbs, saying doctors had to respect patient confidentiality and would release more information when possible.

A statement from the hospital said: "The various specialist consultants from both the Queen Elizabeth and Birmingham Children's hospitals continue to assess her on a daily basis. At this time Malala's family remain in Pakistan."

The schoolgirl was flown to the UK on Monday after being attacked for promoting the education of girls and criticising the militant group.

A vigil will be held for Malala at 11am by Women2Gether and Amina Women's Group outside Birmingham's Council House in Victoria Square.

More than 600 people from around the world have posted messages of support for Malala on the University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust website. Doctors at the hospital, which has a decade's experience of treating British military casualties, are now planning the reconstructive operations needed to treat her horrific injuries.

The teenager was shot with two classmates as they made their way home from school in Swat, in the north west of Pakistan in what Foreign Secretary William Hague described as a "barbaric attack".

Malala was saved by neurosurgeons in a Pakistani military hospital and has since been in intensive care. She was transferred to the UK by an air ambulance arranged by the United Arab Emirates.

Mr Hague has said: "Malala's bravery in standing up for the right of all young girls in Pakistan to an education is an example to us all. The public revulsion and condemnation of this cowardly attack shows that the people of Pakistan will not be beaten by terrorists."

Source: GazetteLive.UK