Building permits issued from January-March 2015 amounted to 1,265, up 1% compared with the same period last year, according to data released recently by the Statistical Service of Cyprus.

Etihad Airways, the national airline of the United Arab Emirates that operates five flights a week to Cyprus, opened its new offices in Nicosia, inaugurated by Energy, Commerce and Tourism Minister Yiorgos Lakkotrypis.

The Cyprus Ports Authority (CPA) has issued a called for tenders to lease premises at the old Limassol port.

Declaring the Aphrodite gas field commercial is an important, but by no means the final step toward monetising the reservoir, officials said recently.

Mobile & Commerce Solutions PLC is listing an additional 98,800,000 ordinary shares on the Cyprus Stock Exchange, according to a statement on the exchange’s website.

Bank of Cyprus (BoC) is about to announce the sale of Russian subsidiary Uniastrum Bank, sources within the bank recently told the press.

The unemployment rate in Cyprus in April 2015 stood at 15.6%, down from 16.0% recorded in March 2015 and 16.1% in April 2014, according to Eurostat.

The Consumer Price Index for May 2015 recorded an increase of 0.34 units or 0.29%, reaching 115.68 units compared to 115.34 in April of the same year.

The Ministry of Finance has notified the Bank of Cyprus that the government will repay €750 mln towards a €1.9 bln bond held by the bank issued for the recapitalisation of Laiki Popular Bank that was transferred to Bank of Cyprus in March 2013, following the acquisition of certain assets and liabilities of Laiki.

Cyprus is trying to strike a deal with China East Airlines to launch direct flights between Shanghai and Larnaca, an initiative taken by the local municipality.