'No change' for comatose Sharon

Mr Sharon has yet to wake up from his coma

The condition of comatose Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon has shown no change, hospital officials said.

"He is still in a serious condition and stable," a spokesman for Jerusalem's Hadassah hospital said on Sunday.

Doctors last week cut a hole in his windpipe to help wean him off a respirator. He has shown only minor responses to stimuli.

His deputy and interim PM, Ehud Olmert, will lead the newly-formed, centrist Kadima party to the polls in March.

Mr Sharon was initially kept under heavy sedation to limit damage to his brain from the stroke.

His failure to wake up after being taken off the sedatives over a week ago has led to speculation that he has suffered severe brain damage.