FRANCE’S first lady Carla Bruni is expected to give birth any day soon, keeping French media on tenterhooks before an event that could offer President Nicolas Sarkozy a welcome respite from non-stop political headwinds.

French commuters squeezed on to limited public transport and fought for rare parking spots today as a second round of strikes against President Nicolas Sarkozy's plan to raise the retirement age from 60 to 62 hobbled trains, planes and schools across France.

FRENCH President Nicolas Sarkozy’s tough talk on Gypsies and immigrants faced a fierce backlash yesterday, drawing fire from the right, the left and the Catholic Church while failing to boost him in the polls.