French Taxi Strikes Subsiding

PARIS (AP) -- Paris police are clearing out protesting taxi drivers around airports and key intersections following government promises to help them cope with rising competition from app-based services like Uber.

Striking taxi drivers disrupted traffic around Paris' Charles de Gaulle and Orly airports and marched on a major highway this week. Some threatened Uber drivers and kicked and spraypainted traditional taxis whose drivers refused to strike.

Prime Minister Manuel Valls met late Thursday with taxi representatives to defuse the crisis. In a statement, he pledged new controls next week to ensure car services aren't violating tax and other rules, and suggested potential financial help for taxi drivers.

The Paris police department said traffic was returning to normal Friday morning around the airports and a major interchange at Porte Maillot in western Paris.

(KA)