Sarabjit's survival "slim", doctors say 

Pakistani doctors has said that there has been no improvement in the condition of Sarabjit Singh, currently in coma in hospital and that his chances of survival are "slim". More than 45 hours after Sarabjit was admitted to Jinnah Hospital with a severe head injury, there has been "no sign" of recovery or improvement in his condition, the doctors were quoted as saying by sources. The doctors believe Sarabjit's chances of survival are "slim" as he sustained injuries over a widespread area of his head that led to unconsciousness. The doctors found a haematoma (a localised collection of blood outside vessels) larger than 3 cm, indicating that he was in need of surgical intervention, the sources said. Another source quoted doctors as saying that Sarabjit's condition was measured as 5 on the Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS), which indicates the level of damage to a person's central nervous system. The lowest possible GCS score is 3 while the highest is 15. The GCS assesses level of consciousness after a profound head injury and Sarabjit's reading indicated deep unconsciousness, making his treatment a major neurosurgical challenge for the medical board set up by authorities, the source said. After the medical board examined Sarabjit again on Sunday, its members agreed it would not be possible to perform surgery on him at this stage. The medical board's members are Anjum Habib Vohra, neurosurgeon and principal of Post-Graduate Medical Institute, Jinnah Hospital neuro-department head Zafar Chaudhry and Naeem Kasuri, neuro-physician of King Edward Medical University. A separate intensive care unit has been set up in Jinnah Hospital for Sarabjit because of security concerns. People have been barred from approaching the unit and a large police contingent has been deployed there to guard him. Sarabjit sustained several injuries, including a skull fracture, when six prisoners attacked him in Kot Lakhpat Jail on Friday afternoon. He was hit on the head with bricks and his neck and torso cut with sharp weapons. Sarabjit was convicted for alleged involvement in a string of bomb attacks in Punjab province that killed 14 people in 1990.

Italian PM Enrico Letta government sworn in

A  businessman went on shooting  on policemen outside Italian government headquarters in Rome on Sunday during the hours  the country’s new coalition cabinet was being sworn in.

Two policemen were wounded, as well as a woman passerby, in the shooting to have occurred within one km away from the presidential palace where Prime Minister Enrico Letta and his ministers were taking the oath of office.

Enrico Letta today  formed a government, ending a political stalemate of two months.
Letta handed the list of his Cabinet members to President Giorgio Napolitano on Saturday.

Letta and his twenty one  ministers took the oath at a ceremony led by President Giorgio Napolitano, who appointed him after the centre-left won February elections but without the majority needed to govern.Mid forty’s Letta is one of the European Union’s youngest prime ministers, is expected to unveil his programme in a parliamentary session on Monday, before the government is put to a confidence vote in parliament on Tuesday.

He succeeded in forging a grand coalition between his center-left Democratic Party and the center-right People of Freedom party led by former prime minister Silvio Berlusconi. Centrist groups led by outgoing prime minister Mario Monti will also take part in the coalition.

Berlusconi himself will not join the Cabinet, but his top political aide, Angelino Alfano, will serve as deputy Prime Minister and interior minister. Other key appointments is Bank of Italy deputy governor Fabrizio Saccomanni. He will lead Italy’s financial reconstruction as the economy minister.Letta expressed satisfaction over the lineup, saying that the team is highly capable and includes many women and young members. Italy’s center-left alliance gained the largest number of seats in the February elections, but not enough to form a new government. President Napolitano called on major parties to forge a coalition.

 Italy faces  the worst recession in last two decades Letta has said he wants to move quickly to tackle unemployment viz is currently 11.6 percent  and boost growth.

The leftist leader also wants to move away from the austerity imposed by his technocrat predecessor Mario Monti to protect Italy from the eurozone debt crisis  a promise, which will be followed closely by investors concerned about Italy’s two trillion euro debt mountain.

Italy’s debt will rise to 130.4 percent of gross domestic product this year, according to an official forecast.