French prosecutors have opened a murder inquiry into the death of Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat near Paris eight years ago, according to AFP News Agency.

FRANCE rugby captain Jerome Thion, who suffered a fractured larynx during their 26-20 victory over South Africa, will be out for at least six weeks, team doctor Thierry Hermerel said last night.

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.

Yasser Arafat is alive, the head doctor at a French military hospital said today, refuting reports saying the Palestinian leader had died.