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721. Wagner leader offered Russian troop locations to Ukrainians in exchange for mercy

In an apparent escalation of Yevgeny Prigozhin's public feud with Vladimir Putin over his for-hire army, the leader of the Wagner mercenary group offered to sell out the locations of Russian troops to Ukrainian officials in exchange for their mercy on the battlefield, according to leaked intelligence documents....

722. Government employment declines, led by transfer of hourly workers

Government employment in April 2023 dropped in Cyprus by 2,7% or 1,432 persons compared to April last year and amounted to 52,498 persons, data released by the Statistical Service of Cyprus (Cystat) show....

723. Sales of halloumi are increasing

The registration of halloumi cheese as a protected designation of origin product has proven to be beneficial. This is demonstrated by the latest data from the statistical service regarding exports, as well as sales in the Cypriot market....

724. It's surprising how little was frozen

Upon his arrival at Larnaca airport last Wednesday, Justice Commissioner Didier Raeder brought with him two pressing questions. Firstly, how is it that a country like Cyprus, which has been heavily infiltrated by Russian capital for several years, has only managed to freeze a mere 104 million euros worth of assets belonging to oligarchs under EU sanctions?...

725. WHO declares end to Covid-19 global emergency

The World Health Organization said Friday that Covid-19 no longer qualifies as a global emergency, marking a symbolic end to the devastating coronavirus pandemic that triggered once-unthinkable lockdowns, upended economies worldwide and killed at least 7 million people worldwide....

726. Russia's Lukoil completes sale of oil refinery in Italy

Russia's second-largest oil producer Lukoil said on Thursday its subsidiary LITASCO had completed the sale of the ISAB oil refinery in Sicily to Cypriot private equity firm G.O.I. Energy following approval by Italian authorities...

727. Banks announce measures on interest rates

Since July 2022, lending rates in Cyprus have risen by 3.5%, putting borrowers in a difficult position with dangerously increasing loan repayments....

728. 3,000 Ukrainian refugees to be evicted from hotels by end of month

Cypriot authorities plan to evict about 3,000 Ukrainian refugees currently living in hotels in Cyprus by the end of this month....

729. Non-performing loans in Cyprus rise to €2.32 billion in January 2023

Non-performing loans (NPLs) rose by €12.8 million in January 2023 compared with December 2022, amounting to €2.32 billion or 9.5% of total loans....

730. Over 2,600 third-country nationals repatriated since January

The Aliens and Immigration Service of the Cyprus Police proceeded on Tuesday to the repatriation of 31 third-country nationals that were staying in Cyprus, it was announced on Wednesday. In total 2,615 third-country nationals were repatriated so far this year....

731. WHO leads regional effort to improve health and well-being of refugees and migrants

732. Raab resigns, Oliver Dowden takes his place as Deputy Prime Minister

British Deputy Prime Minister Dominic Raab resigned from the government on Friday after an independent report found he had bullied officials, the latest scandal to force out one of Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's top ministers....

733. Russian and Ukrainian stock in Cypriot fund's Lukoil deal

A highly contentious takeover of a Lukoil plant in Italy by a Cypriot fund appears to be moving forward, with the latest media speculators picking on rumors that the leadership of the new operation might come from both Russian and Ukrainian stock...

734. Excess deaths down in EU but not in Cyprus

For the first time since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, there was no excess mortality recorded in the EU in February 2023, while Cyprus recorded the highest rate of excess mortality during the same month, according to data published by Eurostat...

735. Cyprus tops EU in granting temporary protection to Ukrainian refugees

According to data released by Eurostat, in February 2023, Cyprus recorded the highest ratio of Ukrainian citizens granted temporary protection per thousand people (1.1) among the EU member states with available data, followed by Czechia (0.9)....

736. Russian opposition leader Navalny grapples with severe stomach pain in jail

Alexei Navalny, Russia's most prominent opposition politician, is grappling with severe stomach pain in jail that could be some sort of slow-acting poison, his spokeswoman said on Thursday....

737. Three major concerns of ECB regarding Cypriot banks

Although Cypriot banks have made great progress over the last decade, foreign supervisors have reservations and summarise their concerns in three areas....

738. Government casual staff up, permanent down 3.3%

Total government employment decreased by 3.3% in March 2023, compared to March 2022, according to data published by the Statistical Service on Tuesday. Total persons employed by the Government amounted to 1,778 and reached 52,103 persons...

739. Rome reportedly okays Lukoil sale to Cypriot firm

Italy gave conditional approval on Tuesday to the sale of the Lukoil-owned refinery in Sicily to Cypriot private equity firm GOI Energy, people familiar with the matter told Reuters...

740. IMF projects steady GDP growth for Cyprus in 2023

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) maintained its projection for Cyprus’ economic growth in 2023 at 2.5% of GDP, while real GDP growth is expected to pick up pace in the next year....

741. 75.6% increase in motor vehicle registrations in March 2023

Total registrations of motor vehicles in March 2023 numbered 4,270, recording an increase of 75.6% compared to 2,431 in March 2022, according to the report entitled "Registration of Motor Vehicles" for the period January-March 2023, published by the Cyprus Statistical Service on Monday.Hi...

742. Are you ready for ChatGPT to take over your job?

Since its release in November of last year, OpenAI's ChatGPT has been used to write cover letters, create a children's book, and even help students cheat on their essays....

743. Cypriot fund facing mighty resistance in Lukoil deal

Efforts to dispel US concerns over suspected Russian influence in a Cypriot fund buying a Lukoil plant in Sicily may be gaining traction with Italian officials, with reports suggesting American resistance may be losing ground after a crucial meeting last week...

744. January 2023 sees significant surge in building permits

The total value of building permits in January 2023 increased by 45.8%, compared to January 2022, according to data published by the Statistical Service on Friday. At the same time, the total area increased by 28.5%...

745. Surplus of €363 mn recorded in Cyprus in Jan-Feb 2023

A surplus of €363 mn or 1.3% of GDP for the period of January-February 2023, according to the preliminary General Government fiscal results, published by the Statistical Service of Cyprus on Friday....

746. Delays unclear over Cypriot-fueled Lukoil deal

An executive power committee in Italy has missed an initial deadline for approving the sale of a Russian refinery plant to an Israeli-backed Cypriot fund, with reports in the media getting blurred between fears over Russian influence and high-stakes geopolitical interests across the pond...

747. Inside the high-stakes prosecution of a former president

Former U.S. President Donald Trump has made history by becoming the first president to face criminal charges before a court of justice in the United States. ...

748. Tourism revenue at €45.6 million in January

Revenue from tourism amounted to €45.6 million in January 2023, significantly surpassing the revenue from tourism in January last year, as well as in January 2019, a record year for Cypriot tourism....

749. Cyprus to surpass 1 million people while EU population to decrease by 6% by 2100

According to the latest population projections issued by Eurostat, the statistical service of the EU, the population of the bloc will decrease by 6% between 1 January 2022 and 1 January 2100, equivalent to 27.3 million fewer people. The population of Cyprus on the other hand is expected to pass 1 million by 2100....

750. Cyprus unemployment drops to 7.3% in February 2023, but 18.6% youth unemployment persists

According to Eurostat, the seasonally-adjusted unemployment rate in Cyprus fell slightly to 7.3% in February 2023, compared to 7.4% in January 2023. However, the rate had increased from 6.1% in February 2022....