Arafat's coma deepens, cleric at bedside

A top Islamic cleric was due at Yasser Arafat’s hospital bedside in Paris today after the Palestinian leader’s coma deepened and his caretaker government chose a burial site.

Although the 75-year-old Arafat has been comatose for a week, hooked up to a respirator and feeding tubes, his top lieutenants ruled out any suggestion of euthanasia.