Some of his slogans were taken up after he committed suicide in 1994 by a few far-right French writers and British singers who briefly posed as situationists.

ECONOMIST: May 1968

The French Open champion was held up briefly when he squandered a 0-40 lead and three match points at 5-3 but raced through his final service game to seal victory in just over two hours.

BBC: Nadal win sets up Federer final

France's continuing nuclear tests in the South Pacific have turned the international spotlight, if only briefly, on Tahiti and the other islands in French Polynesia.

CNN: HE BRITISH FORCES LANDED

Visited by the explorer Christopher Columbus and briefly occupied by the Spanish, Martinique was settled by the French in 1635.

BBC: Martinique profile

It could be that Mr Sarkozy's fainting episode in July, after which he was briefly hospitalised, has helped to humanise the hyperactive president in the eyes of French voters.

ECONOMIST: France returns to work

Djokovic reached a career high ranking of number two in the world earlier this year, Jankovic went one better and briefly topped the women's rankings in 2008 while Ivanovic claimed grand slam glory at the French Open in the same year.

CNN: Djokovic leads Serbian tennis revolution

Many French voters support Mr Chirac for his strong opposition to the Iraq war, which even made him briefly popular.

ECONOMIST: A long political career comes to a welcome end