Associate Banker Job

Job Description

Requisition ID2521Office CountryTunisiaOffice CityTunisDivisionBankingDept. / Bus. GroupSouthern & Eastern MediterraneanBusiness UnitSEMED - Tunis (Tunisia)Contract TypeRegularContract LengthPosting End Date17/02/2017The role of the Associate Banker designated to work on Infrastructure and Energy projects is to contribute, as a key project team member, to the identification, structuring, implementation and monitoring of complex financing transactions. The Associate Banker may also be requiredto lead, as an operation leader, the development of less complex debt and equity transactions, and the effective implementation and monitoring of an assigned number of portfolio projects, in line with the Banks operational objectives. The role will focus on 4 sectors: Municipal and Environmental Infrastructure, Transport, Power and Natural Resources. Most projects to be financed will be to state-owned companies in Tunisia; the financing will often be accompanied with Technical Assistance and policy dialog to the authorities and companies.

The Associate Banker will take a leading role in the full project cycle, from origination to signing, followed by implementation and monitoring until full completion and repayment or exit. All the stages involve different tasks such as business marketing, project due diligence analysis, structuring and approval, negotiation and signing of project agreements, disbursement and monitoring.

The Associate Banker will build and maintain relationships with internal and external stakeholders in relation to business development, project execution, implementation and monitoring, policy dialogue, co-financing arrangements and donor funding, as applicable.

Key Responsibilities and Deliverables

Structuring and Execution

* Work as a key project team member with more experienced operation leaders on complex transactions, contributing to all aspects of project structuring and execution, including supporting the operation leader with the management of the project team;
* As an operation leader on less complex debt and equity transactions: Lead structuring, negotiation (including review of legal documentation) and the execution of transactions, working with clients, authorities, consultants and internal units;
* coordinate the resources and manage the project work load
* Oversee the project due diligence process ensuring it meets the Bank's standards;

* Ensure that all transactions within his/her responsibility are completed within the specified time frames to a high standard (including all internal memoranda and Board reports) and in line with the policies, procedures and objectives of the Bank.

Portfolio Monitoring, Value Creation and Reporting

* Take overall responsibility for the effective monitoring of all projects within his/her responsibility, including verifying the quality of regular monitoring reports; taking the lead in maintaining or supervising the management of client relationships; actively managing the resolution of any implementation/monitoring issues in cooperation with relevant Portfolio Managers; managing and supervising more junior bankers who assist in portfolio monitoring;
* Take responsibility for ensuring timely notification of any critical portfolio issues to the relevant Portfolio Manager and/or Management, ensuring availability of adequate data and information for the Portfolio Manager and/or Management to be able to take timely decisions.

Business Development

* Lead actively marketing and business development efforts in the four sectors in infrastructure and energy, particularly interacting with state-owned companies, authorities and other International Financial Institutions active in the different sectors to build reputable market contacts in order to develop a broad deal flow and cross selling of the Bank's competencies.

Essential Skills, Experience and Qualifications

* Relevant financial industry experience from an investment or commercial bank

Skills

The role of the Associate Banker designated to work on Infrastructure and Energy projects is to contribute, as a key project team member, to the identification, structuring, implementation and monitoring of complex financing transactions.

The Associate Banker may also be requiredto lead, as an operation leader, the development of less complex debt and equity transactions, and the effective implementation and monitoring of an assigned number of portfolio projects, in line with the Banks operational objectives.

The role will focus on 4 sectors: Municipal and Environmental Infrastructure, Transport, Power and Natural Resources. Most projects to be financed will be to state-owned companies in Tunisia; the financing will often be accompanied with Technical Assistance and policy dialog to the authorities and companies.

Job Details

Job Location:

Tunisia

Company Industry:

Banking                                           

Company Type:

Employer (Private Sector)

Job Role:

Engineering

Employment Type:

Full Time Employee

Monthly Salary Range:

Unspecified

Number of Vacancies:

1

Job Ref.:

JB3615799  

Career Level:

Management

Years of Experience:

Unspecified

Residence Location:

Unspecified

Gender:

Unspecified

Nationality:

Unspecified

Degree:

Unspecified

Age:

Unspecified

Preferred Candidate

Career Level:

Management

Years of Experience:

Unspecified

Residence Location:

Unspecified

Gender:

Unspecified

Nationality:

Unspecified

Degree:

Unspecified

Age:

Unspecified

How to get a job in UAE without leaving your home

Dubai : You’ve browsed through job listings on your favourite career portal or social media network and sent out dozens of CVs, but failed to get some feedback. You’ve tried to pop into career fairs but were unable to gain entry. In a job market where expatriate employment opportunities can be hard to come by, it can be frustrating to be a jobseeker.

But despair not. There are other ways to find work outside search engines, social networking sites and physical job expos. Companies across the region are increasingly turning to the Internet to connect and interact with potential candidates in real time.

Welcome to the world of virtual career fairs, where job hunters - regardless of their nationality - can search for new vacancies, learn about companies that are hiring, make positive first impressions and appear for interviews in the comfort and privacy of their homes.  Yes, applicants don’t need to leave the house to do a job interview.

Online career events work like the actual job fairs, where applicants can view job postings, drop their CVs and meet employers through an online booth. Applicants can wait in a queue and get the chance to speak to employers which can be impossible when merely submitting a CV online.

“In a virtual job fair, employers can virtually carry open vacancies. [Candidates] can instantly see fresh and exciting jobs, submit their CV and apply directly for several jobs. [Companies and applicants] can also interact via text, audio and video chat, both one-on-one and in a group setting,” explains Muhammad Younas, general manager of vFairs.com.

Each year, a number of online job fairs are hosted for UAE residents. Bayt.com, for example, is planning to open at least three online events in the UAE and at least six across the Middle East.

A study by the online job portal showed that virtual career fairs are gaining popularity in the region, with more than a quarter of respondents confirming they participate in such online events.

Satisfaction levels among these participants are also very high. About six in ten (61.1 per cent) of those who are from the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and other parts of the Middle East and North Africa region said they are satisfied with their online job fair experience, while about a quarter (23.4 per cent) are “extremely” satisfied with the results.

“Virtual job fairs are a great way for expats to get in touch with employers all around the region, as you can partake in them from the comfort of your own home without having to travel and incur additional logistical expenses,”  Muhammad Younas, general manager of vFairs.com, told Gulf News.

“Virtual job fairs cater to an increasingly internet-based job market, enabling easy job hunting and hiring for both sides of the employment process,” said Bayt.com.

Besides, the event is accessible to everyone, not just to some candidates from  a certain location or nationality.

Online job fairs also attract a number of companies, from small and medium enterprises to institutions and government offices.

“Due to the benefits that are reaped from the virtual fairs platform, such as reduced costs, larger talent pools, and higher [return on investment], many organisations and businesses in the UAE and across the region have chosen to [join virtual job fairs] for their hiring needs,“ Younas said.

Jadea Abolahrari, careers brand manager at Nestle Purina, shared her experience with online job events. “ We couldn’t be more pleased with the outcome,” she told Gulf  News, adding that the entire process was seamless.

“During the event, vFairs supported us technically from start to finish, though thankfully, we never really needed it. At the conclusion of the event, [they] sent us a thorough report of the visits, views, and downloads from the booths. Their customer service is top notch from start to finish – it was an enjoyable experience.”

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TUSDEC Jobs Technology Up gradation And Skill Development Company 2017

TUSDEC Jobs Technology Up gradation And Skill Development Company 2017

TUSDEC Jobs Technology Up gradation And Skill Development Company 2017

Department: Govt of Punjab

Dated: 30th January 2017

Published In : Jang

Technology Upgradation and Skill Development Company (TUSDEC) is establishing Engineering Support Centres for SME’s in Peshawar, Hyderabad and Lasbela. These Centres will provide common facilitation as well as help improve technical skills level of the local workforce, thereby enabling the local industry to produce quality products and achieve competitiveness. TUSDEC intends to hire progressive and dynamic individuals for the following positions based in Hub Lasbela (Balochistan), Peshawar (KPK) and Hyderabad (Sindh).

Required Qualification:	Master In Engineering
Company Profile:	Technology Up gradation And Skill Development Company
Locality:	Balochistan. KPK. Sindh
Deadline For Apply:	February 2017

Project Director 03 Posts (Age limit 35-45year s) The position is responsible to:

• Operate, plan, develop and execute strategies to achieve targets and objectives of the Centre
• Manage and operate a common facility centre specializing in providing efficient access to local industry to process their requirements, use the machines and obtain training in utilizing and assimilating the latest technology
• Manage and operate a common facility centre equipped with state-of-the-art machinery and technology for the targeted sector
• Assist and facilitate the regional industrial cluster in upgrading its current technology to catch up with the required standards
• Design, develop and implement training activities focused on enhancing skills of local industry on upgraded technologies
• Help plan. develop and implement strategies for generating resources for the Centre
• Provide consultancy and advisory services to local industry
• Manage the centre to help reach operational self-sustainability Masters in Engineering (Mechanica Electrical or related field) with atleast 8 years experience on shop floor preferably on CNC Machines. EDMs, Wire Cut Machine, Injection Molding, Conventional Machinery and Material Testing.

We invite applicants, who are self-starters, highly organized, polished presenters and possess top level interpersonal, business management and facilitation skills.

State Cement Corporation Building, Kot Lakhpat, Lahore Tel: 042-111 000 143, Fax: 042-35121658, E-mail: careers@tusdec.org.pk

Apply Procedure: Interested candidates are required to send the filed application form available at TUSDEC website (www.tusdec.or.pk) along with updated resume within 15 days of publication of this advertisment at the address given bellow: Human Resource Department, Technology Upgradation & Skill Development Company (TUSDEC)

PAKISTAN RAILWAY JOBS (2017)

Nearly half of breast cancer patients have severe treatment side effects

Many women being treated for breast cancer suffer from severe treatment side effects even when they don’t receive chemotherapy, a recent study suggests.

For the study, researchers surveyed 1,945 women diagnosed with early-stage breast cancer about the severity of seven treatment side effects: nausea and vomiting, diarrhea, constipation, pain, arm swelling, shortness of breath and breast skin irritation.

Overall, 45 percent of participants reported severe or very severe forms of at least one of these side effects. When women got chemotherapy, the odds of severe side effects were twice as high, though the side effects were just 30 percent more likely when chemo was paired with radiation.

“We did know that some of these side effects were associated with these treatments, but we did not know how severe or how common these side effects were,” said study co-author Dr. Allison Kurian, a researcher at Stanford University School of Medicine in California.

“I found it striking that nearly half of all women treated for early-stage breast cancer reported suffering toxicity that they considered severe or very severe,” Kurian added by email. “This emphasizes the prevalence and seriousness of the problem.”

Early-stage breast cancer is the most common type of invasive breast cancer diagnosed in the U.S, and it involves smaller tumors that may have spread to nearby lymph nodes but not other parts of the body.

Most early-stage breast cancer patients have surgery – either a lumpectomy that removes malignant tissue while sparing the rest of the breast or a mastectomy that removes the entire breast. After surgery, they may also get chemotherapy or radiation to destroy any remaining abnormal cells and reduce the risk of cancer coming back.

Overall, 93 percent of the women in the study experienced at least one of the seven side effects, researchers report in the journal Cancer.

Nearly one in 10 women surveyed said they made at least one unscheduled clinic visit because of side effects, and 5 percent said they went to an emergency department or hospital.

Severe swelling in the arm or skin irritation were the most common reasons for unscheduled clinic visits. Severe breathing difficulties, arm swelling, pain or diarrhea were the most common side effects that brought women to the hospital.

Most patients in the study got some type of surgery and about half of them had radiation. There were 736 women who had chemotherapy, including 217 who received this in addition to radiation.

About 29 percent of chemotherapy patients reported severe or very severe pain, compared with 19 percent of women who didn’t receive chemo.

Women who had both chemotherapy and radiation treatment were 30 percent more likely to report a severe side effect, compared to women who had only one of those treatments.

Women who had double mastectomy were twice as likely as those who had lumpectomy to report severe or very severe pain.

Severe side effects were also more common for Latina women, who were 30 percent more likely than white women to report a severe or very severe side effect.

The study wasn’t a controlled experiment designed to prove that certain treatments directly cause specific severe side effects, the authors note. Researchers also lacked data on the timing or dosing of chemotherapy and radiation, both of which can influence the severity of side effects.

“It is intuitive that patients who have worse disease, and who therefore require more therapy, experience worse toxicity,” said Dr. Anees Chagpar, a researcher at Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut, who wasn’t involved in the study.

Still, the results should encourage doctors to consider when patients' treatment regimens might be able to achieve the same survival benefit with fewer side effects, Chagpar added by email.

“The treatments we have for cancer are very effective, but there is a growing recognition of the ‘collateral damage’ that can accompany these treatments,” said Dr. Shelley Hwang, a researcher at Duke University in Durham, North Carolina, who wasn’t involved in the study.

“Patients should recognize two things: first, that cancer treatments involve trade-offs; second, that some toxicities can be long-lasting,” Hwang added by email.

Saudi king agrees in call with Trump to support Syria, Yemen safe zones: White House

WASHINGTON: Saudi Arabia's King Salman, in a phone call on Sunday with U.S. President Donald Trump, agreed to support safe zones in Syria and Yemen, a White House statement said.

Trump, during his presidential campaign last year, had called for Gulf states to pay for establishing safe zones to protect Syrian refugees.

A statement after their phone call said the two leaders agreed on the importance of strengthening joint efforts to fight the spread of Islamic State militants.

"The president requested and the King agreed to support safe zones in Syria and Yemen, as well as supporting other ideas to help the many refugees who are displaced by the ongoing conflicts," the statement said.

They also agreed on the need to address "Iran's destabilizing regional activities," the statement said.

It said the two also discussed what it called an invitation from the king for Trump "to lead a Middle East effort to defeat terrorism and to help build a new future, economically and socially," for Saudi Arabia and the region.

Global backlash grows against Trump's immigration order

BAGHDAD/CAIRO: A global backlash against US President Donald Trump's immigration curbs gathered strength on Sunday as several countries including long-standing American allies criticized the measures as discriminatory and divisive.

Governments from London and Berlin to Jakarta and Tehran spoke out against Trump's order to put a four-month hold on allowing refugees into the United States and temporarily ban travelers from Syria and six other Muslim-majority countries. He said the move would help protect Americans from terrorism.

In Germany - which has taken in large numbers of people fleeing the Syrian civil war - Chancellor Angela Merkel said the global fight against terrorism was no excuse for the measures and "does not justify putting people of a specific background or faith under general suspicion", her spokesman said.

She expressed her concerns to Trump during a phone call and reminded him that the Geneva Conventions require the international community to take in war refugees on humanitarian grounds, the spokesman added.

Merkel's sentiments were echoed in Paris and London; "Terrorism knows no nationality. Discrimination is no response," said French Foreign minister Jean-Marc Ayrault, while his British counterpart Boris Johnson tweeted: "Divisive and wrong to stigmatize because of nationality."

Along with Syria, the US ban of at least 90 days affects travelers with passports from Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen, including those with dual nationality that includes one of those countries.

Trump said his order, which indefinitely bans refugees from Syria, was "not a Muslim ban", though he added he would seek to prioritize Christian refugees fleeing the country.

The Arab League - whose members include many of the countries included in the ban as well as allies of Washington such as Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Jordan - expressed deep concern and said the restrictions were unjustified.

The government in Iraq, which is allied with Washington in the battle against ultra-hardline Daesh group and hosts over 5,000 US troops, did not comment on the executive order.

But some members of its parliament said Baghdad should retaliate with similar measures against the United States.

IRAN VOWS TO RESPOND

In Baghdad, influential Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr said American nationals should leave Iraq, in retaliation for the travel curbs.

"It would be arrogance for you to enter freely Iraq and other countries while barring to them the entrance to your country ... and therefore you should get your nationals out," he said on his website.

There was no immediate reaction to the curbs from Daesh, although in the past it has used US monitoring of Muslim foreigners to stoke Muslim anger against Washington.

The Tehran government vowed to respond in kind to the US ban on visitors from Iran, but on Sunday Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said on Twitter that Americans who already hold Iranian visas can enter the country.

"Unlike the US, our decision is not retroactive. All with valid Iranian visa will be gladly welcomed," Zarif said.

Authorities in Sudan, which is also targeted by the ban, summoned the US charge d'affaires in Khartoum. They said the order sent a "negative message", coming two weeks after Washington announced it would ease economic sanctions on the country.

Trump's executive order on Friday took effect immediately, wreaking havoc and confusion for would-be travelers with passports from the seven countries and plunging America's immigration system into chaos.

The Department of Homeland Security said about 375 travelers had been affected by the order, 109 of whom were in transit and were denied entry to the United States. Another 173 were stopped by airlines before boarding.

Fuad Sharef, his wife and three children were among the first victims. They had waited two years for a visa to settle in the United States, selling their home and quitting jobs and schools in Iraq before setting off for a new life they saw as a reward for working with US organizations.

They were prevented from boarding their connecting flight to New York from Cairo airport on Saturday, detained overnight and forced to board a flight back to northern Iraq.

'I AM TOTALLY BROKEN'

"We were treated like drug dealers, escorted by deportation officers," Sharef told Reuters, likening Trump's decision to the dictatorship of former Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein. "I am broken, I am totally broken."

A 32-year-old Syrian man, Nail Zain, was among dozens of people at Istanbul's Ataturk Airport prevented from flying to the United States on Sunday. He told Reuters he was supposed to fly to Los Angeles, but officials said his visa was canceled.

"My wife and my son are in the United States. My son has American nationality. And we have been waiting for this moment for two years. Finally when I got the chance, they prevented me as a Syrian passport holder from traveling," he said.

He was later taken out of the terminal by authorities.

Trump, a businessman who successfully tapped into American fears about militant attacks during his campaign, had promised what he called "extreme vetting" of immigrants and refugees from areas the White House said the US Congress deemed high risk.

He said on Saturday of his order: "It's working out very nicely. You see it at the airports, you see it all over."

The travel curbs, however, also drew criticism from several other countries around the globe.

In Jakarta, Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi said the Muslim-majority nation deeply regretted Trump's plans for "extreme vetting" of people from some Muslim countries.

Italian Prime Minister Paolo Gentiloni said "open society, plural identity, no discrimination" were the "pillars of Europe", while the Danish, Swedish and Norwegian governments also registered their opposition.

Danish foreign minister Anders Samuelsen tweeted: "The US decision not to allow entry of people from certain countries is NOT fair." 

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said his country welcomed those fleeing war and persecution, even as Canadian airlines said they would turn back US-bound passengers to comply with an immigration ban on people from seven Muslim-majority countries.

"To those fleeing persecution, terror & war, Canadians will welcome you, regardless of your faith. Diversity is our strength #WelcomeToCanada," he tweeted.

Attorneys general from 16 states condemn Trump travel ban

Attorneys general from 16 US states, including California and New York, on Sunday condemned President Donald Trump's executive order on immigration as "unconstitutional" and vowed to fight it.

Two days after the new Republican president halted entry to the US by refugees and persons from seven Muslim-majority countries, the attorneys general, all Democrats whose states nearly a third of the US population, issued a joint statement in opposition.

"As the chief legal officers for over 130 million Americans and foreign residents of our states, we condemn President Trump's unconstitutional, un-American and unlawful Executive Order," read the statement.

The attorneys general pledged to "work together to ensure the federal government obeys the Constitution, respects our history as a nation of immigrants and does not unlawfully target anyone because of their national origin or faith."

Noting that several federal courts had already blocked parts of Trump's order, the attorneys general said they would "use all of the tools of our offices to fight this unconstitutional order and preserve our nation's national security and core values."

They also predicted the courts would ultimately strike down the order.

"In the meantime, we are committed to working to ensure that as few people as possible suffer from the chaotic situation that it has created," the statement said.

Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan, who initiated the statement, was joined by her counterparts in California, Connecticut, the District of Columbia (home to the US capital Washington), Hawaii, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Vermont, Virginia and Washington state.

Crackdown against kite flyers in Lahore, over 100 arrested

LAHORE: Over a hundred kite flyers were arrested in a crackdown operation on Sunday by the police and as many as ninety cases were registered.

Despite a ban on kite-flying in Lahore, and crackdown operation as recent as two weeks ago, some people still persisted with making and flying kites, while disobeying the law. 

Following an incident of a little girl getting injured due to kite string, SP Cantt Rana Tahir reported on a crackdown operation in Cantt Division.

In an operation lasting ten hours, the police seized around four thousand kites.

Earlier this month, IG Operations Lahore, Dr Haider Ashraf ordered a crackdown against the kite flyers. About 11 kite flyers were arrested from City Division, 17 from Cantt, 12 from Civil Lines, 4 from Saddar, 18 from Iqbal Town and 4 from Model Town. Police also seized around 500 kites, rolls and strings.

US stock futures fall after Trump immigration controversy

NEW YORK: US equity index futures opened down about 0.2 percent on Sunday after US President Donald Trump on Friday introduced immigration curbs that sparked a backlash in the United States and abroad.

Trump put a 120-day hold on allowing refugees into the country, an indefinite ban on refugees from Syria and a 90-day bar on citizens from Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen. Several countries including long-standing American allies criticised the measures as discriminatory and divisive.

"Stocks may react negatively for two reasons," said David Kotok, chairman and chief investment officer of Cumberland Advisors. "First the market has gone up strongly since the election. So it is ripe for a correction and is extended in valuation metrics."

"For these current market prices to be justified, the Trump agenda must unfold perfectly," Kotok said. "But the reverse is under way and fragmented policy combined with obfuscation is now a growing detriment to growth acceleration."

S&P e-mini futures < ESv1> were last down 0.3 percent as electronic trading kicked off for the week at 6 p.m. EST (2300 GMT). Dow 1YMc1 and Nasdaq futures NQc1 were also down about 0.2 percent each.

The weakness in stocks came as safe-haven Treasuries opened fractionally stronger. US 10-year Treasury futures TYv1 were last up about 0.01 percent on Sunday evening in electronic trading.

The US dollar weakened slightly against the euro and yen, and the US Dollar Index was lower by about 0.1 percent.

Oil prices also slipped at the open, with US crude oil futures CLc1 trading 0.4 percent lower.

Madrid extends La Liga lead as Barca, Sevilla slip-up

MADRID: Real Madrid extended their La Liga lead to four points and still have a game in hand over their title rivals as Cristiano Ronaldo was on target in a 3-0 win over Real Sociedad at the Santiago Bernabeu.

Earlier on Sunday, Barcelona were left to rue La Liga's lack of goal line technology as they weren't awarded a clear goal in a controversial 1-1 draw at Real Betis.

However, Barca still moved up to second on goal difference as Sevilla were reduced to 10 men after just two minutes in a 3-1 defeat at Espanyol.

Madrid had won only one of their previous five games and were dumped out of the Copa del Rey by Celta Vigo in midweek.

However, even without six first-team regulars through injury, Real took a huge step towards a first La Liga title for five years against an in-form Sociedad, who remain just one point off the top four in fifth.

"After a few difficult days we were back to being ourselves tonight. It was a complete performance against a strong opponent," said Real boss Zinedine Zidane.

"We can say it has been a good night for us because our rivals have drawn or lost."

Mateo Kovacic opened the scoring with the only real chance of the first-half as he timed his late run from midfield perfectly for Ronaldo's through ball and slotted low beyond Geronimo Rulli.

The roles were reversed six minutes into the second-half as this time Kovacic's pass split the Sociedad defence and Ronaldo coolly chipped the onrushing Rulli for his 20th goal of the season.

Sociedad's uphill task was made impossible 15 minutes from time when Inigo Martinez was sent-off for a second bookable offence.

And Alvaro Morata made the 10 men pay as he bulleted home Lucas Vazquez's cross for the third eight minutes from time.

'Metre over the line'

There was far more drama at the Benito Villamarin as Barca were largely outplayed by Betis, but still felt hard done by after referee Alejandro Jose Hernandez failed to award them an equaliser when the ball crossed the Betis line shortly after Alex Alegria's opener 15 minutes from time.

"We have to help the referees," Barca boss Luis Enrique told BeIN Sports Spain.

"The technology can help them. I say that for all situations not just ones that go for me, but against me too."

Luis Suarez did at least rescue a point in the dying seconds, though, as he slotted home Lionel Messi's through ball for his 21st goal of the season.

However, he was less understanding as he claimed the ball "was a metre over the line."

The hosts dominated opening 75 minutes as Dani Ceballos saw a dipping long-range effort come back off the bar before Ruben Castro struck the post with Marc-Andre ter Stegen beaten at his near post.

The German goalkeeper had a moment to forget for the opening goal as he failed to get a good connection on an attempted punch under pressure from two Betis players and the ball fell kindly for Alegria to tap home.

Conceding appeared to wake Barca from their slumber and they were doubly denied by Hernandez seconds later as Neymar went down inside the area and the ball ricocheted off Riza Durmisi and over his own line despite Alissa Mandi's best efforts.

Yet, La Liga's refusal to implement goal line technology due to pricing fears cost Barca dearly as no goal was given.

Betis should have sealed the three points when Castro broke clear on goal eight minutes from time, but Ter Stegen redeemed himself with a fine save.

And that miss proved crucial as Messi finally found the space to slip a pass through the Betis defence and Suarez dispatched the ball into the far corner.

"The feeling I have is that we have won one point (not lost two)," added Enrique.

There was also refereeing controversy at Espanyol as Sevilla's shot at moving top lasted barely two minutes when Nico Pareja was very harshly sent-off on top of conceding a penalty for a trip on Pablo Piatti.

Former Sevilla favourite Jose Antonio Reyes showed no mercy to his former club as he converted from the spot, but Stefan Jovetic levelled for the 10 men inside 20 minutes.

Reyes haunted Sevilla once more as his free-kick was headed home by Marc Navarro in first-half stoppage time.

And Gerard Moreno sealed the three points for Espanyol as this time Navarro was the supplier for his headed finish.

Shyamalan's 'Split' rules North American box office for second week

LOS ANGELES: "Split," the latest M. Night Shyamalan thriller about a man who imprisons three teenage girls in an underground bunker, topped the North American box office for a second week, preliminary Hollywood figures showed Sunday.

The movie -- by the Indian-American director also responsible for the "Sixth Sense" and other films in the horror genre -- stars James McAvoy as a man with 23 different personalities who preys on three girls. It earned $26.3 million in estimated ticket sales this weekend.

Family-friendly "A Dog's Purpose" about a canine who continually comes back to life as different dogs searching for meaning, raked in some $18.4 million in its first week.

The film came in second despite a call by animal lovers for a boycott after video footage emerged of an apparently terrified German Shepherd being forced into rushing water on the set.

Third place went to "Hidden Figures," the true-life story of three black women mathematicians who helped NASA put the first men in space, which sold $14.0 million in tickets.

Sci-fi action-thriller "Resident Evil: The Final Chapter" landed in fourth place with $13.9 million in its first weekend out.

In fifth place was "La La Land," a nostalgic tribute to the Golden Age of Hollywood musicals. It earned an estimated $12.1 million over the weekend after garnering a boatload of accolades, including a record eight Golden Globes earlier this month.

Rounding out the Top 10 are:

"xXx: Return of Xander Cage" ($8.3 million)

"Sing" ($6.2 million)

"Rogue One: A Star Wars Story" ($5.1 million)

"Monster Trucks" ($4.1 million)

"Gold" ($3.5 million)

Macedonians send out SOS from Europe's oldest lake

A fishing boat glides across the shimmering surface of Europe's oldest lake, a haven of biodiversity and a UNESCO World Heritage Site -- one that conservationists warn faces multiple development threats.

Lake Ohrid, which straddles the mountainous border of Macedonia and Albania, has been in existence for up to three million years and is home to more than 200 species of flora and fauna found nowhere else in the world.

But huge infrastructure plans on the Macedonian side have alarmed environmentalists and the United Nation's cultural agency UNESCO, which has called on the country's authorities for an urgent assessment of the potential cumulative damage.

The proposals include a large ski complex and an expressway through the lakeside Galicica National Park, itself a protected area home to thousands of plant and animal species.

Local activists are also incensed by proposed "touristic development zones" and other urbanisation plans on Ohrid's shores, including a marina and apartment buildings.

They fear the destruction of a 50-hectare (120-acre) wetland serving as a crucial natural filter to the lake, pointing to a draft impact assessment, commissioned by the local government, that warns of unavoidable damage.

Officials insist they will protect Ohrid's heritage, but campaigners accuse them of manipulation and violating laws to allow such developments to go ahead.

The "tsunami" of planned infrastructure projects, if implemented, "means that you can just say goodbye to the UNESCO World Heritage Site," said Aleksandra Bujaroska, an environmental lawyer in the Balkan country.

Bujaroska is part of the citizens' association Front 21/42, which is campaigning for a moratorium on all of the "destructive" plans.

"The big issue with all of these procedures... is the constant breach of public participation," said the 30-year-old lawyer, who grew up in Ohrid and is based in the capital Skopje.

Byzantine beauty

UNESCO has assigned World Heritage status to more than 1,000 sites in the world, but fewer than three dozen are listed as both "natural" and "cultural" sites. The Ohrid region is one of them.

On the lake's Macedonian shores, the city of Ohrid is one of Europe's oldest human settlements with a wealth of Byzantine-style icons, frescoes and churches, which together with the lake's natural beauty drew more than 200,000 tourists last year.

"It's amazing. The beautiful thing is it's so close to nature," said visiting Polish student Aleksandra Walerych by the 13th-century Church of St John at Kaneo, which overlooks the lake and is thought to be the most photographed spot in the country.

The lake covers an area of 358 square kilometres (143 square miles), two-thirds of which lie in Macedonia and are covered by the World Heritage status and work is under way to try to extend this to the third lying in Albanian territory too.

But at its annual meeting in Istanbul in July last year, the UNESCO World Heritage Committee said it "notes with concern that a number of large-scale infrastructure projects have been proposed" on the Macedonian side.

It warned that Ohrid could find itself on the "List of World Heritage in Danger" if threats to the site were confirmed, suggesting alternative routes and locations should be identified for major projects.

Sites can lose their heritage status if they are deemed to be improperly protected.

Alexandra Fiebig, project officer for Europe and North America at UNESCO's World Heritage Centre, told AFP there had been "a lot of close contact with the (Macedonian) authorities" and a UNESCO "reactive monitoring mission" was due to start work in Ohrid soon.

'Political agendas'

Of the raft of controversial proposals, expected to involve both private and public investment, some fall under the remit of central government ministries while others are part of municipal plans.

The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, a potential investor in the expressway, says it is "assessing the feasibility" of the project.

Macedonia's conservative VMRO-DPMNE party, in power nationally since 2006, has been accused by critics of authoritarianism and corruption but narrowly won a general election in December.

Ohrid's mayor Nikola Bakraceski, from VMRO-DPMNE, insists environmental regulations have been followed and the public sufficiently consulted in city planning. He accuses activists of having "political agendas" and lacking expertise.

Russia to check space flight engines over faulty parts

Russia on Saturday said it had ordered a full check of engines used on its key Proton rocket after a cargo ship crashed last month due to engine disintegration and an inspection revealed factory violations.

A plant making engines for both the Soyuz and Proton rockets had workers "switch technology and documentation," Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin said, vowing to punish those responsible.

Earlier reports said engine parts used on the second and third stages of the widely-used Proton rocket had been swapped for cheaper variants.
"A necessary check of engines with possible technical defects will be made," Roscosmos space agency said, adding that the launch schedule will be "coordinated" with the verifications.

Rogozin said launches using the Proton rocket would resume in three and a half months.

He did not mention the Soyuz rockets, which are used for manned flights, particularly the next ISS mission set for late March.

The Progress freighter crashed in Siberia after it failed to reach orbit in early December due to a malfunction during third-stage separation.

A commission appointed to investigate the matter concluded earlier this month that the malfunction was caused by the breakup of the third-stage engine, either due to "foreign materials" getting inside or an "assembly fault".

The cargo ship was carried by the Soyuz rocket, but the same engine is used on the Proton rocket, according to its maker, Voronezh.

A report by Kommersant daily said that all engines built for the third and second stages of the Proton rocket had been recalled, while a test showed that a key heat-resistant part made of material containing precious metals had been switched during assembly.

It was not immediately clear whether Soyuz rocket engines would also be checked or recalled.

The chief of the Voronezh plant quit earlier this month "for reasons of unsatisfactory work and product quality."

The launch in December of the EchoStar-21 communications satellite by a Proton has already been delayed.

Russia is currently the only country executing manned space flights to the ISS.

Its space industry had suffered a string of setbacks and launch failures in recent years, while corruption scandals have plagued its new space port in the Far East.