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SOURCE: www.cnn.com
Sounds like trouble could be brewing in the Middle East... I'm not too familiar with the new Acting PM, but any instability in the Middle East is bad. Any input from those of you who are more knowledgeable in those things?
(Note to the mods: I apologize if this belongs somewhere else. It just seemed the most logical place to put the topic in.)
SOURCE: www.cnn.com
Sharon suffers 'significant' stroke
Power transferred to Israel's deputy prime minister
JERUSALEM (CNN) -- Power has been transferred from Prime Minister Ariel Sharon to Deputy Prime Minister Ehud Olmert after Sharon suffered a "significant stroke" Wednesday and was under anesthesia and on a respirator, officials said.
For the second time in less than three weeks, Sharon was taken to a Jerusalem hospital after suffering chest pain and weakness Wednesday night, a senior aide said.
"He felt slight pain to the chest and some weaknesses in the presence of his doctor and, upon his advice, the doctor said he should be taken to the hospital," said Ra'anan Gissin, Sharon's senior adviser.
Sharon was taken to the Hadassah Ein Kerem Hospital from his home in the south of Israel, Gissin said.
He arrived there shortly before 11 p.m. (4 p.m. ET) in an ambulance and entered the hospital's trauma unit via the emergency room, said Ron Krumer, a hospital spokesman.
Israeli Channel 2 reported he was taken in on a stretcher.
Sharon's illness came after a full day of meetings, though he has trimmed his workload since December 18, when he suffered a minor stroke, Gissin told CNN.
Sharon, 77, is scheduled for an operation Thursday to repair a small hole in his heart. The hole was discovered during tests after Sharon suffered a minor stroke December 18.
Although Sharon had difficulty speaking during the stroke, neurological testing found that he recalled everything from the night of his admission, Lotem said.
Doctors said Monday that Sharon suffered no lasting brain damage. He was released from the hospital two days after the stroke and has resumed his work load.
The health scare has raised concerns about the leader's ability to work as he runs for a third term. The elections will be held at the end of March.
Many Israelis feel he is the Israeli official best able to carry forward peace negotiations with the Palestinians.
This year Sharon orchestrated Israel's historic pullout from Gaza in hopes of jump-starting the peace process.
He recently broke with the conservative Likud bloc he helped found -- which did not support his pullout from Gaza and parts of the West Bank -- and is running for re-election as head of the moderate, newly formed Kadima Party.
Nicknamed "The Bulldozer" for his stamina during meetings and long working hours, he had not been in ill health prior to the stroke. The popular veteran military and political figure is widowed and lives alone.
Doctors have ordered the overweight prime minister to go on diet. Sharon's doctors said earlier this week that he weighed 118 kilograms (260.2 pounds) at the time of the stroke, and had lost 3 kilos (6.6 pounds) since then.
Sharon's doctors said then that his blood pressure and cholesterol levels were normal, though he has an underactive thyroid gland -- common in overweight people.
Sounds like trouble could be brewing in the Middle East... I'm not too familiar with the new Acting PM, but any instability in the Middle East is bad. Any input from those of you who are more knowledgeable in those things?
(Note to the mods: I apologize if this belongs somewhere else. It just seemed the most logical place to put the topic in.)