THE ailing Yasser Arafat will be flown to Paris for treatment, one of his doctors said yesterday after the Palestinian leader spent most of the day sleeping, was confused at times and unable to hold down food.

Ailing Yasser Arafat performed Muslim prayers before dawn today, but his condition remains serious and a team of doctors flying in from Arab countries will decide whether he needs to be transferred from his compound to a hospital.

Yasser Arafat was in a serious condition today after collapsing and briefly losing consciousness, as his persistent two-week illness took a sudden turn for the worse.