Israel's Prime Minister, Ariel Sharon, was taken to hospital in Jerusalem last night. He's said to have suffered a mild stroke. But with Israel's general election only three months away, the question now is whether Mr Sharon's health will be a problem. This report from James Menendez:

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The prime minister's political advisors have been keen to stress that he's still running the government and that there's no question of him resigning. But there's little chance that the issue of Ariel Sharon's health will now go away. Israel's general election is just three months away - an election which Mr Sharon recently announced he would fight for a new political party: Kadima. Up until now, Ariel Sharon has been Kadima's biggest electoral asset. He won't want to become a political liability.

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a comfortable night
a night spent without pain or suffering, despite being ill

tests
procedures and investigations to help make a definite decision on what is wrong

scans
medical tests using machines that produce a picture of something inside the body

a mild stroke
when a tube carrying blood to the brain suddenly bursts or becomes blocked, causing the patient to lose the use of muscles and sometimes their speech; in this case, a stroke that wasn't too serious

at least another day or so
at minimum, about another day but not much more than that

undergoes
is given

keen to stress that
eager to make clear that

resigning
giving official notice that he will no longer serve as Prime Minister

Kadima's biggest electoral asset
the most important reason why people might vote for Kadima

a political liability
a danger to the political party

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