Paris - France's unemployment rate remained stable at 7.2 per cent in the second quarter of 2008, the government's statistical office INSEE reported on Thursday.

A little more than 2 million men and women of working age remained unemployed on average in the quarter, which was about the same number as in the first quarter of the year.

The report generally surprised analysts, who had expected a small rise in joblessness in the period due to the slumping economy.

According to the Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), France's GDP is expected to grow by only 1 per cent this year, well below previous government forecasts.

Paris-  French police have placed radical gay militants under surveillance ahead of the visit of Pope Benedict XVI to France on September 12-15, the daily Le Figaro reported on Wednesday.

Eager to avoid a repeat of the condom shower that greeted the Pope in Sydney, Australia, in July, certain gay activist groups such as Act Up are being closely watched in the run-up to the visit.

Paris  - French Justice Minister Rachida Dati on Wednesday said she was pregnant, confirming rumours that have been swirling around Paris for weeks.

"I am still in a risk area," the 42-year-old said in reference to her age. "If it stabilizes, I will be happy... If not I will be very upset, but I will cover it with lipstick and deal with it myself."

Paris - French President Nicolas Sarkozy was to travel to Damascus later Tuesday for a two-day visit, the first voyage to Syria by a French head of state in four years.

The trip will include a summit meeting on the Mideast peace process on Thursday with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, Turkish President Recep Tayyid Erdogan and the Emir of Qatar, Sheik Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani.

Paris  - French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner on Thursday said European nations were considering imposing sanctions against Russia as a result of its actions in Georgia.

Addressing journalists three days before an emergency EU summit in Brussels, Kouchner said "sanctions were being considered, as well as other means" to address the issue, but he did not specify.

"I, myself, would not anticipate sanctions (being imposed), while the meeting has not yet taken place," said Kouchner. France is currently president of the Union and has been at the forefront of the EU's attempts to resolve the crisis.

It was the first time France has brought up the possibility of sanctions against Moscow.

Paris - French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner voiced fears Wednesday that Russia may destabilise other countries following its recognition of two Georgian breakaway regions.

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev formally recognized on Tuesday the breakaway territories of Abkhazia and South Ossetia after Russian lawmakers on Monday unanimously passed a resolution to that effect.

Russia had "acted outside international law," Kouchner told French radio station Europe-1. "Other targets" for Russia now could be "the Crimea, Ukraine, Moldova."

"We cannot accept these violations of international law" and "the taking of a territory by the army of a neighbouring country," Kouchner said.