Whereas a court ruling in Israel complicating plans to develop that country’s natural gas fields does impact the development of Cyprus’ Aphrodite prospect, the effect is a lateral one, energy analyst Charles Ellinas has told the press.

Non-performing loans (NPLs) in Cyprus fell by €704m in December 2015 compared to November, with total NPLs reaching €26.685m on 31 December 2015.

The detection of carbonate layers in the southern part of Cyprus’ waters was a chief reason behind the government’s decision to launch a third oil and gas licensing round, Energy Minister Giorgos Lakkotrypis said.

The unemployment rate fell sharply in October to December 2015 to 12.8%, from 14.8% the quarter before and 16% in the respective quarter of 2014, the statistical service said.

Low-cost carrier easyJet announced it had launched Mobile Host at both Paphos and Larnaca airport to enhance the travel experience of easyJet passengers departing from Cypriot airports.

The Cyprus Securities and Exchange Commission (CySEC) is at the forefront of efforts to establish Cyprus as a regional hub for investment funds.

Low-cost airline Blue Air announced recently the arrival at Larnaca Airport of a second aircraft.

The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development proposed a Common Reporting Standard (CRS) for the Automatic Exchange of Information with the aim of improving international tax compliance and preventing tax evasion, through the automatic exchange of information between countries that implement CRS, one of which is the Republic of Cyprus.

The Cyprus International Institute of Management (CIIM) has unveiled an April 2016 workshop for people interested or in the process of setting up an international operation from scratch or expanding existing operations to new markets, which can present a major challenge at times.

Tourism Minister Yiorgos Lakkotrypis is in Russia, where he will attend the Moscow International Travel & Tourism Exhibition (MITT) and have meetings with Russian officials on energy and tourism.