The French interior minister, Jean-Pierre Chevenement, has returned to work four months after a brush with death, when his heart stopped during routine surgery.

To mark his return, he acted as host for the traditional New Year breakfast meeting of the cabinet.

Mr Chevenement -- a veteran left-winger and a key figure in the Socialist-led government -- was undergoing a gall bladder operation in September when he suffered an alergic reaction to the anaesthetic.

He was in a coma for eight days.