Cyprus property sales to foreigners recorded an increase of 6.8% in the first quarter of 2014, according to Urban Splash Real Estate & Chartered Surveyors.

Loan restructuring will slow down until the European Union’s bank stress tests are completed, Central Bank Governor Chrystalla Georghadji said recently.

Negotiations between state hydrocarbons agency CHC and Noble-Avner over the prospect of channelling natural gas from Israel’s Leviathan reserve to Cyprus are in good shape, the agency said recently.

Northern Lion Gold Corp. (the Company) has commenced a 1,500 metre diamond drill program in Cyprus with project partner, Centerra Gold (KB) Inc., a subsidiary of Centerra Gold Inc. (collectively Centerra).

Cyprus River Holdings Ltd. (Cyprus River), an insider of Rio Novo Gold Inc. (Rio Novo), announced that on July 3, 2014, through its wholly-owned subsidiary Zoneplan Ltd. (Zoneplan), it acquired ownership and control over shares of Rio Novo.

The government of Cyprus is aiming at deepening its strategic partnership with the United States, in order to secure its support for Nicosia's energy designs, Energy Minister Yiorgos Lakkotrypis said recently.

President Nicos Anastasiades recently said that his administration would launch an attack on bureaucracy, to facilitate business activity and stimulate the island's economy.

The Bank of Cyprus is expected to embark on a road-show to attract new investors and fresh funds from exiting investors, expected to raise about €1b from the markets and boost the lender’s capital adequacy levels by at least four percentage points.

National carrier Cyprus Airways (CY) will be starting daily flights to London’s Stansted airport on September 14, 2014 it was announced recently.

The government estimates that taxable properties are worth a total €155b, aiming to raise about €140m from a levy that owners and parliament want adjusted in order to make it fair to all and to introduce a tiered system instead of the proposed flat tax.