Rome airports practically without taxis as drivers protest parliament vote.

Rome's taxi drivers are striking on Thursday 16 February ahead of a senate vote on a raft of measures which they say could favour multinational app-based car transport companies such as Uber.

The spontaneous strike is causing major problems for commuters in the capital, particularly at the city's Fiumicino and Ciampino airports which are currently being served by just a handful of official white cabs.

Roman taxi drivers are staging a sit-in near Rome's senate building, Palazzo Madama, while their counterparts in Milan and Turin are engaged in similar protests on 16 February.

The Italian senate is voting on a maxi-amendment to the so-called Milleproroghe decree which traditionally follows the passage of the annual budget.