Power move as Arafat fights for his life

AS Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat was fighting for his life in a French hospital last night after slipping into a coma, a senior official said some of his powers had been handed to his prime minister.

The 75-year-old leader, who embodies the Palestinian struggle for statehood, went into a coma overnight at the Percy military hospital in Clamart where he has been treated since last week.

Aides said he was in a critical condition but they and a French hospital spokesman denied he was dead. They also dismissed reports that he was brain dead, but said they were becoming increasingly pessimistic about his health.