China’s contemporary music scene takes off

After decades struggling with official censorship, China's contemporary music scene is finally taking off, fuelled by live shows, the Internet and a government eager to cash in on a growing market. Chinese indie bands came late to the music scene, largely missing out on the lucrative days of vinyl records, cassettes and compact discs, and also suffered enormously from state broadcasters' preference for pop.

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Obama, Putin agree on ‘political process’ for Syria

Presidents Barack Obama and Vladimir Putin agreed Monday that Syrians deserve a “political process” to choose their future, but could not frame an immediate plan to end the bloodshed. As Syrian cities reverberated with shell fire, the US and Russian leaders held their first presidential-level talks, following a sharp public dispute about a US call for the ouster of Syrian president Bashar al-Assad.

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