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121. Visa fraud scandal widens after airport arrest

Cyprus Police made headway in an investigation into visa fraud over the weekend, following an airport arrest in connection with an illegal network where Syrians rejected for refugee status ended up paying middlemen for subsidiary protection...

122. The shocking face of violence

In Cyprus, we have witnessed the rapid dissemination, facilitated by the prevalence of audiovisual content on social media platforms, of two videos that expose the brutal and shocking nature of violence. ...

123. Nicosia revives US visa waiver talks but conceals details

Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides suggested on Monday that ongoing efforts to secure a US visa waiver was an example of a 'new level of relations' between Nicosia and Washington, while providing little details on the process but adding that his government’s position on sanctions against Russia was 'in line' with American goals as outlined recently by the US Ambassador...

124. The 'controversial' e-kalathi bill: House and stakeholders remain unconvinced

The e-kalathi bill fails to convince the House and stakeholders. Yesterday, the Commerce Committee of the House of Representatives held discussions on the matter, with Minister of Energy, Commerce, and Industry George Papanastasiou present....

125. 0% VAT rate, the second round

Almost two weeks after the zeroing of the tax rate on seven products (bread, eggs, milk, baby diapers, baby food, feminine hygiene products, and adult diapers), the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Commerce are in discussions regarding the next list of products that will have a low or reduced tax rate....

126. 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....

127. Q1 2023 sales reach €1.7 billion despite challenges

During the first quarter of 2023, the total value of properties sold was €1.7 billion. Despite facing numerous challenges that are starting to impact the real estate market, it has shown resilience...

128. What's wrong with a little transparency?

There has been a lot of buzz surrounding e-kalathi in recent days. It is an electronic platform that aims to provide consumers with real-time updates on the prices of products in supermarkets, enabling them to easily find the best deals on their preferred products....

129. E-kalathi: Your digital tool for smart shopping

Based on the timeline, the implementation of e-kalathi, the new digital platform for monitoring retail product prices, is expected to take place around early 2024....

130. Finance Minister considers lowering VAT rates for basic necessities

The Minister of Finance of Cyprus, Makis Keravnos, has announced that the Ministry is considering measures for banks and credit-acquiring companies to absorb high-interest rate increases, as well as reducing value-added tax (VAT) for basic necessity products to tackle high prices....

131. 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....

132. Higher prices for Easter meat: Lamb sees a 25% increase, beef up by 15%

A year ago, reports described Easter dinner as the most expensive in four years. This year's prices are expected to surpass that record, according to the first data from the Easter Price Watch gathered by K and soon to be published by the Consumer Protection Agency....

133. 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...

134. EU calls on aspiring journalists to train in Brussels

The European Commission has announced that it has launched a call for journalism students and young journalists to participate in Youth4Regions, an EU program for budding journalists that includes a week of training in Brussels....

135. €130M grant plan proposed for 358 refugee apartment buildings

In an effort to effectively manage buildings in government housing estates and address observed structural issues, the Ministry of Interior has prepared a comprehensive Sponsorship Plan to be presented at Friday's Cabinet meeting. ...

136. Investors flock to 'green' bonds as a secure investment

137. Cyprus scraps online visa appointments after scandal

Immigration authorities in the Republic of Cyprus scrapped an online appointment platform on Monday after allegations were made public about agents selling available slots to foreigners for profit and causing months of waiting for those who did not shell out the cash...

138. Inflation sees downward trend for 7th month in a row

The cost of living in Cyprus has decreased for the seventh month in a row, with the rate of inflation dropping to 6.7% in February. This is down from a peak of 10.6% in July 2022. ...

139. MEP's pass bill banning home sales or rentals without energy upgrade

All properties available for sale or rent must incur compulsory energy upgrade costs, costing tens of thousands of euros, from 2030 onward, based on what is stated in the relevant European Union directive....

140. Real estate trends in 2023

Increased inflation, rising interest rates, rising building costs, rising property values, a slight decline in new development approvals, a slight decline to stabilization in the unemployment rate, a slight increase in GDP, and a slight decline in private lending are just a few indicators of the (very) general economic picture....

141. Consumers cutting back on non-essential items as cost of living rises

As the cost of living crisis continues to rise globally, consumers have drastically adjusted their spending behaviors, with the majority (53%) of global consumers “holding back” on non-essential spending. ...

142. Building materials at their highest since 1986

The Price Index of Construction Materials for January 2023 reached 136.01 units (base year 2015=100), recording an increase of 12.25% compared to the same month of the previous year, according to data published by the Statistical Service on Friday....

143. Frozen fish and flour marked a substantial price increase

Frozen fish and flour recorded a high price increase, according to data published on Wednesday by the Consumer Protection Service of the Ministry of Energy, Commerce and Industry....

144. Nearly 60 million euros in electricity subsidies doled out since September 2022

145. Covid, RSV & influenza are causing a triple epidemic

With regard to seasonal viruses, hospitals seem to be operating in a precarious situation in terms of bed availability. ...

146. The demand for new homes is dwindling

The large investments and development projects mentioned by Minister of Transport and Works Yannis Karousos in his ministry's recent project presentation may have kept the construction and real estate sector afloat until 2022, but the industry still faces challenges....

147. Tesla drastically lowers EV pricing in the US and Europe

After steadily increasing prices over the past couple of years, Tesla has cut them drastically across its lineup in the US and Europe, in an apparent bid to boost sales. ...

148. Supermarkets bet on their own private labeled products

Consumers are turning to private label and exclusive import products to combat inflationary pressures on consumer goods in supermarkets....

149. Housing, water and energy take up 25% of EU household expenses

In 2021, ‘Housing, water, electricity, gas and other fuels’ represented a quarter (25.0%) of EU household expenditure and 17.1% of household expenditure in Cyprus, according to Eurostat, the statistic service of the EU....

150. New loans up despite interest rate hike

Total new loans in November 2022 increased by €172.8m compared to the previous month, despite an increase in interest rates across all loan categories. ...