Image copyright Getty Images Image caption The firm has faced legal difficulties in many countries across the world

Uber has suspended its UberPOP taxi-ordering app in France, according to newspaper Le Monde.

The suspension comes in a week that two managers of the taxi-ordering app Uber were arrested for "illicit activity".

In June France's interior minister ordered a ban on UberPOP after a day of nationwide protests by taxi drivers.

Bernard Cazeneuve has said Uber's service is '"illegal". It has been banned in France since January.

Uber is unpopular with registered drivers in many cities because they tend to undercut prices, and there have been violent protests.

The firm said on Friday that it was suspending the service as a safety measure.

"We have decided to suspend UberPOP in France from 20.00 [19.00 BST] this Friday evening, primarily to assure the safety of Uber drivers," Thibaud Simphal, head of Uber France, told Le Monde.