Gabrielle Giffords is under intensive care at Texas Medical Centre after a flawless trip from Arizona, where throngs of well-wishers gave her a farewell that brought a tearful smile from the congresswoman.

Crowds cheered Arizona congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords as she left a Tucson hospital where she stunned doctors with her recovery two weeks after being shot in the head in an assassination bid.

NUI Galway today conferred honorary degrees on four academics for their work on human rights and Irish humanitarian studies.