M A I N   N E W S

Sharon battles for life
Harinder Mishra

Jerusalem, January 5
Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon was in "grave" but stable condition today after undergoing a seven-hour emergency surgery to stop "massive, widespread" bleeding in his brain, plunging the Jewish state into political uncertainty less than three months before a crucial election.

"He is stable. All his signs are within normal limits but his condition is grave," Hadassah University Hospital Director Shlomo Mor-Yosef said. 77-year-old Sharon, whose massive brain hemorrhage came less than three weeks after he suffered a mild stroke, was transferred to the intensive care unit after the surgery, which was conducted to stop the "massive, widespread" bleeding in his brain. — PTI