BEIJING - HUNDREDS of striking Chinese cab drivers staged a five-hour sit-down protest on Sunday against a report that the authorities planned to give them licenses for a shorter period.

More than 5,000 drivers began a one-day strike on Saturday night in Xining, the capital of Qinghai province, after a newspaper said the provincial government intended to cut the validity of their operating licenses to eight years from 12.

SHANGHAI - CHINA'S first gay pride festival closed in Shanghai on Sunday after a week marred by authorities' last-minute cancellation of events, in a country where homosexuality remains largely hidden.

Shanghai authorities prevented a film screening and a play during the festival, and police officers turned up at the venue of Saturday's major events.

TAIPEI - TAIWAN'S coastguard said on Sunday it was likely to increase its presence in a disputed South China Sea archipelago, in response to a significant rise in the number of foreign fishing boats there.

Taiwan's coastguard, which has a base on Taiping, the biggest island in the Spratlys, has reported a steep rise in the number of foreign fishing vessels in the area, media reports said.