According to the World Tribune, Ariel Sharon has been declared dead:

Sharon was declared dead by physicians at Jerusalem's Hadassah Hospital before 1 p.m. Israeli time [6 a.m. EST], Middle East Newsline reported. Authorities have already been notified of the death, and a government announcement was expected to be issued over the next hour.

UPDATE: According to an AP report cited by Breitbart, the hospital says Sharon is alive:

JERUSALEM

A hospital official says Ariel Sharon is in "stable but serious" condition after five hours of brain surgery.

MORE: And this later report says he is improving:

Prime Minister Ariel Sharon showed "significant improvement" after five hours of emergency brain surgery Friday, and his intracranial pressure returned to normal, hospital officials said.

Sharon remains in serious condition, said Hadassah Hospital director Dr. Shlomo Mor-Yosef. He said Sharon was returned to intensive care after the surgery and a brain scan.

The facts will just have to wait.

MORE: The World Tribune has revised its earlier report:

JERUSALEM — Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, the most powerful Israeli leader in 50 years, has died, Middle East Newsline reported. He was 77. However other reports are presenting conflcting information.

Sharon was declared dead by physicians at Jerusalem's Hadassah Hospital before 1 p.m. Israeli time [6 a.m. EST]. Authorities have already been notified of the death, and a government announcement was expected to be issued over the next hour, the report stated.

I'm reminded of the coal miners.

AFTERTHOUGHT: I find this sort of blogging extremely annoying, but the event is important enough that it warrants attention. Because I only want to know what happened, I don't like changing or conflicting reports. I mean, if you can't ascertain what's happening, what's the point of discussing it?

MORE: Conflicting reports notwithstanding, from this Yahoo report, it's obvious that things look very bad for Ariel Sharon:

Friday's surgery followed a seven-hour operation Thursday morning after Sharon suffered a massive brain hemorrhage. Doctors had put him in a medically induced coma to give his body time to heal, but most outside experts said his chances for recovery were slim.

Sharon's sons, Omri and Gilad, were camped out in a room next door to their father's at the neurological intensive care unit.

Dr. Yonathan Halevy, a senior doctor at Jerusalem's Shaarei Zedek Hospital who is not treating Sharon, said he was also worried about the Israeli leader's condition.

"The fact that the bleeding has resumed is a sign of a significant deterioration," he told Israel TV.

Outside medical experts said bleeding from the stroke may have led to interference of the drainage of the cerebral spinal fluid that bathes the brain, or he may have developed inflammation and fluid leakage within the substance of the brain.