Monday 23 March 2015

Dunya TV

Dunya TV

Kohli seeks SCG inspiration for semi-final

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SYDNEY (AFP) - India star Virat Kohli returns to the scene of one of his most memorable Test innings hoping to rediscover batting form for Thursdays World Cup semi-final against Australia in Sydney.It was at the Sydney Cricket Ground in January that Kohli, captaining India after the shock retirement of skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni from the longer format, hit 147 and 46 to lead his team to a creditable draw.It was his fourth century in the four-Test series and prevented Australia from making it 3-0 after the hosts had piled up a mammoth 572 for seven in their first innings.Kohlis form dipped alarmingly in the subsequent tri-series that also featured England, with scores of nine, four, three and eight as India failed to make the final and ended the bilateral tour without a win.But the elegant right-hander justified Dhonis assessment of his vice-captain being a big-match player by striking a match-winning 107 in their World Cup opener against arch-rivals Pakistan in Adelaide on February 15.Kohli followed that with 46 against mighty South Africa at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in the next match, helping the defending champions to the second of seven straight wins in the tournament so far.But as India cruised along, Kohli found runs hard to come by, making identical scores of 33 against the United Arab Emirates and the West Indies, an unbeaten 44 versus Ireland, 38 against Zimbabwe and three in the quarter-final against Bangladesh.The 26-year-olds lack of batting touch came to the fore against Bangladesh when he chased an away-swinger by the fired-up Rubel Hossain and was caught behind by Mushfiqur Rahim.As India prepare for the semi-final against the tournament co-hosts, Kohli will be expected to live up to his reputation as one of the most dominant batsmen of his generation.Skipper Dhoni was confident a match-winning innings from his star batsman was around the corner.I dont think he has batted badly, Dhoni said, pleading with fans to tone down their expectations every time Kohli goes out to bat.No one can score a century every time. But he is such a good player that people expect him to do it in every innings.He is a dominant batsman who likes playing shots. A big one is just around the corner because big players always score in big games.Kohli, who made his one-day debut in 2008, has already hit an astonishing 22 centuries in the shorter format, one of only eight batsmen in the world to achieve the feat.He was the fastest to 22 hundreds -- in 143 innings -- leaving former team-mate and batting record-holder Sachin Tendulkar trailing in second place.Tendulkar, the highest run-getter in both Test and one-day batsman, had scored the 22nd of his record 49 centuries in the shorter format in his 206th innings.With Ajinkya Rahane also without a big score since making 79 against South Africa and Suresh Raina struggling to overcome his weakness with the short ball, India will hope Kohli gets back his form on Thursday.

South Africa to bat first against New Zealand

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AUCKLAND (AFP) - South Africa won the toss and opted to bat first against New Zealand in their World Cup semi-final at Eden Park on Tuesday.Conditions are ripe for swing bowling with moisture in the atmosphere following overnight rain and with showers forecast for later in the day.Matt Henry replaces injured Adam Milne for the Black Caps while Vernon Philander comes in for Kyle Abbott for South Africa.There is a bit of cloud cover so hopefully it will swing for us a bit, New Zealand captain Brendon McCullum said while South Africa skipper AB de Villiers said he was happy with his decision to bat first.It looks a good wicket and we rank ourselves to do well against them, he said.Teams:New Zealand: Brendon McCullum (capt), Martin Guptill, Kane Williamson, Ross Taylor, Corey Anderson, Grant Elliott, Luke Ronchi, Daniel Vettori, Tim Southee, Trent Boult, Matt Henry.South Africa: AB de Villiers (capt), Hashim Amla, Quinton de Kock, Faf du Plessis, Rilee Rossouw, David Miller, JP Duminy, Dale Steyn, Vernon Philander, Morne Morkel, Imran Tahir.Umpires: Rod Tucker (AUS), Ian Gould (ENG).TV umpire: Nigel Llong (ENG).Match referee: David Boon (AUS).

Friends united as Wahab, Watson call truce

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SYDNEY (AFP) - Pakistan fast bowler Wahab Riaz and Australian all-rounder Shane Watson called a truce on Tuesday after their compelling World Cup quarter-final tussle.Wahab won widespread plaudits for a fierce spell of fast bowling which forced Watson to duck into and under a series of short-pitched deliveries in the game at the Adelaide Oval.Wahab even applauded the Australian and blew him a kiss as Watson survived on his way to helping the co-hosts to a six-wicket victory.It was a good battle on the field. U played well. @ShaneRWatson33 . Wishing u best of luck for the semis . Respect, tweeted Wahab, who was fined 50 per cent of his match fee for his exchanges with Watson.Special spell from @WahabViki the other night. Very lucky to have come out unscathed Nohardfeelings Respect, tweeted Watson, who was docked 15 per cent of his fee.Watson ended Fridays game on an unbeaten 64 off 66 balls but he was dropped on four by Rahat Ali at fine leg off a 145kmh Riaz bouncer.

Feces contains gold worth millions: study

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WASHINGTON (AFP) - Human feces contains gold and other precious metals that could be worth hundreds of millions of dollars, experts say.Now the trick is how to retrieve them -- a potential windfall that could also help save the planet. The gold we found was at the level of a minimal mineral deposit, said Kathleen Smith, of the US Geological Survey, after her team discovered metals such as platinum, silver and gold in treated waste.A recent study by another group of experts in the field found that waste from one million Americans could contain as much as $13 million worth of metals. Finding a way to extract the metals could help the environment by cutting down on the need for mining and reducing unwanted release of metals into the environment.If you can get rid of some of the nuisance metals that currently limit how much of these biosolids we can use on fields and forests, and at the same time recover valuable metals and other elements, thats a win-win, said Smith.There are metals everywhere -- in your hair care products, detergents, even nanoparticles that are put in socks to prevent bad odors. More than seven million tons of biosolids come out of US wastewater facilities each year: about half is used as fertilizer on fields and in forests and the other half is incinerated or sent to landfills.Smith and her team are on a mission to find out exactly what is in our waste. We have a two-pronged approach, said Smith. In one part of the study, we are looking at removing some regulated metals from the biosolids that limit their use for land application.In the other part of the project, were interested in collecting valuable metals that could be sold, including some of the more technologically important metals, such as vanadium and copper that are in cell phones, computers and alloys.The findings were presented at the 249th National Meeting & Exposition of the American Chemical Society (ACS), the worlds largest scientific society, taking place in Denver through Thursday.

Kids eat more veggies when tasty: study

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WASHINGTON (AFP) - Children just hate all vegetables, no matter how tasty you make them, right?Wrong, says an influential study out Monday that found US children in Massachusetts ate up to 30 percent more vegetables when school dinners were made more palatable with the help of a professional chef.The research, published by the Journal of the American Medical Associations website, provided an encouraging sign in the battle to fight childhood obesity.But it also found that the presentation of fruits and vegetables did not have a long-term impact on their consumption.The results highlight the importance of focusing on the palatability of school meals, said lead author Juliana Cohen of the Department of Nutrition at Harvard University. Additionally, this study shows that schools should not abandon healthier foods if they are initially met with resistance by students.About 32 million children eat meals at American schools each day and many low-income students get up to half their daily calories from school meals.Researchers conducted their trial during the 2011-2012 school year among 14 elementary and middle schools in two urban, low-income Massachusetts school districts.A total of 2,638 children participated in the study.The findings really illustrated that through persistence, school-aged children can learn to like healthy whole grains, fruits and vegetables, especially if they taste good, said senior author Eric Rimm, a professor at Harvard.

Weaker dollar lifts oil prices

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NEW YORK (AFP) - Oil prices rose Monday as the attractiveness of a weaker dollar offset news of higher crude production by Saudi Arabia.The US benchmark, West Texas Intermediate for May delivery, closed 88 cents higher at $47.45 a barrel.In London, Brent North Sea crude for May added 60 cents, settling at $55.92 a barrel.Buyers were lured into the market by the weaker dollar, which makes dollar-priced crude relatively cheaper.A further decline in the US dollar index is supporting a wider round of buying across the global commodity space, with crude oil attracting some share, said Tim Evans of Citi Futures.Oil futures had fallen earlier in the day after Saudi oil minister Ali al-Naimi cited a recent increase in production, showing the OPEC kingpin remains committed to competing for market share.Bloomberg News quoted Naimi as saying Sunday that his country, the leading producer in the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, is pumping almost 10 million barrels of crude a day, compared to 9.85 million barrels a day in February.Naimi called on oil producers outside OPEC to help boost falling prices as the cartel refuses to bear that burden alone.We refuse to take responsibility alone because (OPEC) produces 30 percent of market output and 70 percent comes from outside, Naimi said in remarks reported by the Saudi Press Agency.

Euro supported as Greece-Germany talks continue

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NEW YORK (AFP) - The euro edged higher against the dollar Monday as talks between German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras went late with no sign of fireworks.The euro pushed to $1.0945 in late trade, up more than one cent from late Friday, and more than one yen to 131.02 yen, as Tsipras told reporters in an update during the talks that the two sides have to play down recriminations and name-calling.Neither are the Greeks lazy louts nor are the Germans to blame for Greeces ills -- we have to work hard to overcome these stereotypes, he said.Merkel agreed that Europe must surmount these types of stereotypes about good and bad eurozone members to ensure the future of the currency.We both have a vested interest in building cooperation based on trust, she said.The comments came at a break in talks that saw Tspiras making his first visit to the German capital since taking office in January.Greeces push for a new, less-austere bailout program and the hardline pushback from Berlin and its allies have raised worries that Athens will default on its debt and possibly split with the eurozone, with unclear financial consequences for the region.Neal Gilbert of Forex.com said the lack of fireworks helped the common currency.Merkel and Tsipras appeared on much more conciliatory ground than the finance ministers of each nation, who have been trading jabs through the press over the last few weeks, he said in a research note.Since no major hang-ups were detected, the euro had a little relief rally which has advanced the EUR/USD to a very intriguing level which may help determine the future course of the pair.

SCG set to turn Indian for Australia semi-final

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SYDNEY (AFP) - India fans are likely to outnumber their Australian counterparts when the two teams clash in the World Cup semi-final in Sydney on Thursday -- much to the annoyance of the home captain.Australia skipper Michael Clarke and team-mate David Warner sent out identical tweets, saying: I call on all Australian cricket lovers to paint the SCG gold on Thursday. We need your support. goldoutThe hashtag, referring to the Australian team colours, has ironically caught the fancy of more Indian Twitter users than Australian.Organisers believe that 70 percent of tickets at the sold-out 42,000-capacity Sydney Cricket Ground have been bought by by India fans, threatening to create an environment reminiscent of the frenzied atmosphere of Eden Gardens in Kolkata.If the pitch suits spinners, as has been the case at the SCG in the past, co-hosts Australia may well feel as though they have been kicked out of their own party.Kartik Ayyalasomayajula, one of the founders of the Swami Army -- Indias version of Englands Barmy Army supporters group -- forecast the Australian team would be in for a hard time from fans on Thursday.It will be very loud, very intimidating, Kartik told the Sydney-based Daily Telegraph newspaper. It will feel like an away game for them.The drummers will be going around the ground and people will be dancing, singing and cheering every run India score, every wicket they take. People will be going nuts.Kartik, a Melbourne-based IT professional, said the tweets by Clarke and Warner pleading for Australian support at the match indicated how much the home team were worried.I think those tweets definitely say theyre going to be outnumbered, he said.I would have thought that would be a standard expectation for the Aussie fans without their heroes going on Twitter to plead with them.Theyre really scraping the barrel there. I think its a message in itself.India versus Australia in a World Cup semi-final, it doesnt get much bigger than that.Australian all-rounder James Faulkner said the team was prepared for a hostile response from Indian fans.Asked if the match will feel like an away fixture, Faulkner said: We were talking about it last night at dinner, the last game we played here it definitely felt like that.The passion the Indian fans show towards their cricket team is sensational, so were definitely expecting that.The last game we played against India here (a tri-series match) was a washout and the fans were unbelievable in the way they supported.Swami Armys Kartik said those Australians who turned up at the SCG on Thursday would get another taste of what cricket means in South Asia.This country wont have seen this level of support or atmosphere for cricket games, he said.You have to go to the sub-continent to get that kind of feel, so we are effectively bringing that atmosphere to Sydney. Its going to be a spectacle.Kartik said fans were still looking for tickets as they looked to cheer on the defending champions.Its pretty much name your price kind of thing, he said. Its the hottest ticket in town at the moment.India, who won the 2011 World Cup in South Asia, defeated Ricky Pontings Australia in the quarter-finals in Ahmedabad.

Somerset sign show-stopper Gayle for T20 Blast

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LONDON (AFP) - Somerset have pulled off a coup by signing all-action West Indies batsman Chris Gayle for this years domestic T20 Blast competition, the English county announced on Monday.The explosive 35-year-old opener will join Somerset in late May, depending on how long his involvement in the Indian Premier League lasts, and will remain with the team until June 13.The swashbuckling Gayle has amassed 8,000 runs in his Twenty20 career, including 13 centuries, and Somersets director of cricket Matthew Maynard said his signing was tremendously exciting for the club.Im excited about joining Somerset for the NatWest T20 Blast this year, Gayle said in a statement on the Somerset website.Many of the clubs members and supporters will know that I came close to playing for the county in 2012 and I have always felt that, if I was able to, I wanted to honour that commitment to Somerset.Im looking forward to coming to Taunton and scoring some runs.Maynard added: He will be a tremendous addition to our already extremely strong squad. He is an inspirational character and we are delighted to be bringing him to Somerset.Gayle smashed a world-record innings of 215 against Zimbabwe at the ongoing World Cup, which was subsequently bettered by New Zealands Martin Guptill with 237. The West Indies went out in the quarter-finals.Gayle is due to miss next months Test series against England in the Caribbean as he continues to struggle with a back problem that has limited his impact in crickets longer formats.

New Zealand, South Africa eye final spot

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SYDNEY (AFP) - New Zealand and South Africa will both be seeking a first World Cup semi-final victory when they meet in Auckland today (Tuesday).Between them, New Zealand and South Africa have appeared in nine semi-finals without reaching a World Cup final.But they both have a chance to put that unwanted record behind them at Aucklands Eden Park.New Zealand go into the match with Martin Guptill in fine form after his stunning World Cup-record 237 not out against the West Indies in a comfortable quarter-final win in Wellington last weekend. The opener has scored 57, 105 and 237 not out in his last three innings.Hes been a huge player for us in this tournament and Id suggest hes probably not quite done yet, said New Zealand captain Brendon McCullum.However, the openers record against South Africa is relatively poor with a total of 115 runs scored in 11 matches and five of his last six innings against the Proteas producing single-figure scores.New Zealand were forced to hastily rearrange their squad Monday after fast bowler Adam Milne was ruled out of the rest of the tournament with a heel injury and replaced by Matt Henry.But McCullum said they remained confident without their express bowler, given New Zealand have alternative seamers in Mitchell McClenaghan and veteran Kyle Mills, as well as Henry, to call upon.The way we dealt with the expectations of the last game and the pressure which that had in itself, that should hold us in reasonable stead, said the skipper.I expect the team that is able to handle the crunch situations the best will come out on top.South Africa went some way to ridding themselves of the unwanted tag of chokers with a nine-wicket thrashing of Sri Lanka in the quarter-finals.I feel the team is in a really good space at a really good time. We have a lot of reason to be confident, said South Africa captain AB de Villiers.We know if we play a good game of cricket, we will come out on top.

Egypt signs up to Ethiopian Nile dam, citing trust

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KHARTOUM (AFP) - Egypt, Ethiopia and Sudan Monday agreed a preliminary deal on a controversial dam project that Cairo feared would reduce its share of vital waters from the Nile.The leaders of Egypt, Ethiopia and Sudan all gathered in Khartoum to sign the agreement of principles on Ethiopias Grand Renaissance Dam project.I confirm the construction of the Renaissance Dam will not cause any damage to our three states and especially to the Egyptian people, Ethiopian Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn said at the signing ceremony.Egypt, heavily reliant for millennia on the Nile for agriculture and drinking water, feared that the Grand Renaissance Dam would decrease its water supply.However, Egypts President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi said on Monday that this is a framework agreement and it will be completed.We have chosen cooperation, and to trust one another for the sake of development.Sisi said the final accord will achieve benefits and development for Ethiopia without harming Egypt and Sudans interests.Sudans President Omar al-Bashir hailed the deal as historic.The agreement is made up of 10 principles, Egypts Water Resources Minister Hussam al-Maghazi told AFP.The countries agreed on the fair use of waters and not to damage the interests of other states by using the waters.They also agreed to establish a mechanism for solving disputes as they occur, Maghazi said.He gave no details as to when the final agreement would be signed.Sudans deputy water resources minister, Saif al-Din Hamed, said the signing of the agreement will not stop the current construction and building of the dam in Ethiopia.- Africas largest dam -========================Ethiopia began diverting the Blue Nile in May 2013 to build the 6,000 MW dam, which will be Africas largest when completed in 2017.Ethiopian officials have said the project to construct the 1,780-metre-long and 145-metre high dam will cost more than $4 billion.Before the agreement, the dam sparked a dispute between Ethiopia and Egypt, which use the river in different ways.For Egypt, the Nile is its only water supply and thus underpins the very existence of the country, providing water for its cities, industries and farms, as well as generating hydropower, said Dale Whittington of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.Whereas for Addis Ababa, it provides the opportunity to develop financially attractive hydropower projects to fuel its economic development, the professor of environmental sciences and engineering said.Ethiopia had said that the project would not adversely affect Egypts share of the precious waters, but its plans still raised tensions with Cairo.Bashir said at the ceremony on Monday that the preliminary deal would reflect positively on the security of the region.Sudan, Ethiopia and Egypts foreign ministers agreed to the basis of the deal signed on Monday after hours of talks in Khartoum.Egypt believes its historic rights to the Nile are guaranteed by treaties from 1929 and 1959 which grant it 87 percent of the rivers flow and the power to veto upstream projects.But Nile Basin countries, including Ethiopia, signed another deal in 2010 allowing them to work on river projects without Cairos agreement.In protest, Egypt withdrew from the Nile Basin Initiative (NBI), a forum to discuss management and development of the regions resources, but later resumed participation.Neither Sudan nor Egypt has signed the 2010 Nile Basin deal, however.Sudan, like Egypt, relies on Nile resources but has said it does not expect to be affected by Ethiopias Grand Renaissance project.

Confederate flag at center of US Supreme Court free speech case

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WASHINGTON (AFP) - Can US motorists put the Confederate flag -- seen by some as a symbol of racist oppression of the slavery-era South -- on their license plates and call it freedom of expression?The US Supreme Court will decide.The court heard arguments Monday in a freedom of expression case to determine whether a state or its residents should control the images and slogans printed on state-issued license plates.In Texas, the Sons of Confederate Veterans filed suit claiming their First Amendment right to free speech had been violated when state officials refused to honor their request for specialty plates featuring the Civil War-era flag.The Supreme Court took the case after a federal appeals court backed the Sons of Confederate Veterans, saying Texas had discriminated against the groups view that the flag celebrates Southern heritage.In the United States, license plates often act as mini-billboards for a cherished cause or ideal. Some honor sports teams, universities and other organizations.The motto Live Free or Die is printed on many license plates in New Hampshire, for example. Some plates in Kentucky, meanwhile, display an endorsement of the states powerful coal industry.Like most US states, Texas allows motorists who pay an extra fee to buy specialty license plates.State officials can however reject the request if it determines that the requested message could be offensive to members of the public.The group argues that Texas has been inconsistent at best in its attitude toward Confederate symbols, often allowing it at government-organized parades and other events celebrating Southern Civil War history.The State apparently does not believe that the message of the Confederate flag is offensive to the public, the group said in written arguments sent to the court.Texas insisted in its pleading to the court that the speech that appears on state-issued license plates is government speech, and so the government has the right to control what is printed on them.The Supreme Court was expected to issue its ruling by June.

Libyan pro-government warplanes launch strikes near Tripoli

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TRIPOLI (AFP) - Libyan pro-government forces said Monday they had targeted a weapons depot belonging to an Islamist-backed militia, as peace talks continued in Morocco.A militia spokesman said however that the raid had hit a refugee camp, killing eight civilians.Military spokesman Colonel Ahmed al-Mesmari said the air strike targeted a weapons storage facility belonging to Libya Dawn in Tarhuna, some 80 kilometres (50 miles) southeast of Tripoli.Libya Dawn is a militia alliance that includes Islamists and has installed a rival government and legislature in opposition to the countrys internationally recognised government.A spokesman for the group denied any of its weapons were in the area.Eight Libyan civilians died in the strike. Sadly this is their strategy, to kill civilians and claim to the international community that they are after weapons, he said, referring to the Western-backed government.Mesmari said that after the air raid members of Libya Dawn attacked the house of a military officer and killed his wife, his daughter, his son, his brother and other people who were there in retaliation.The Islamist group denied the claim.Mesmari meanwhile told AFP that pro-government forces had shot down a Libya Dawn plane at Ar-Rajban, some 170 kilometres (105 miles) southwest of Tripoli.The Libya TV channel reported that pro-government forces had captured one of the pilots and another had died at the scene.Libya has been in turmoil since the overthrow of Moamer Kadhafi in 2011 by rebels backed by NATO air strikes.Libya has had two governments and parliaments since Tripoli was seized in August 2014 by Libya Dawn and the internationally recognised government fled to the countrys far east.UN-backed efforts to reconcile the two sides have so far failed, but UN special envoy Bernardino Leon said Monday he hoped for progress at ongoing talks in Morocco.The first names for a new Libyan unity government could emerge this week, Leon said.It is going to be a difficult discussion and I wouldnt like expectations to be too high, bearing in mind how difficult the situation is on the ground. But there is a possibility and we will do our best to reach there by the end of this week, he said in Brussels.On Friday the internationally recognised cabinet based in the eastern city of Tobruk said loyalist forces had launched an offensive to liberate Tripoli.The Tripoli parliaments delegation threatened to walk out of the peace talks in the Moroccan resort of Skhirat when the fighting erupted at the end of last week.

Car bomb kills 8 in Shiite area of Baghdad: officials

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BAGHDAD (AFP) - A car bombing in the Shiite-majority Sadr City area of north Baghdad killed eight people and wounded more than 20 on Monday, Iraqi security and medical officials said.The bomb exploded near a restaurant and a mosque where pilgrims were gathering ahead of a visit to a Shiite shrine in Samarra, north of the capital.There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack, but Sunni extremists, including the Islamic State jihadist group which led an offensive that overran large parts of Iraq last year, often target Shiite Muslims, whom they consider to be apostates.Car and roadside bombings used to be a daily occurence in Baghdad, but with militants tied down battling Iraqi security forces and allied paramilitary groups, such attacks have fallen off sharply.The conflict against IS still results in hundreds of deaths every month in other parts of Iraq, and has displaced more than two million people.

US Court OK's Citibank to process Argentina bond payments

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NEW YORK (AP) -Citibank says a U.S. court has authorized it to process two debt payments for Argentina without facing contempt charges over a long-running dispute with U.S. bondholders.The U.S. bank acts as a custodian for some Argentine bonds and has been in the middle of a bitter court fight over the South American countrys debt obligations.The court stipulated it will not restrict Citi from having its Argentine branch process payments on dollar-denominated Argentine bonds on March 31 and June 30.Citibank, which issued a statement over the weekend, has said it was getting out of the business of making bond payments for Argentina due to an unprecedented international conflict of laws.
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