Once Cyprus exits the economic adjustment programme, structural reforms must continue beyond that date to ensure the island never again has to resort to outside assistance, Finance Minister Harris Georgiades said recently.

The Fiscal Council, a body set up to supervise the planning and execution of budgetary policy, said recently it expected that economic growth for 2015 will range around 0%, but did not rule out “some low growth rate”.

The National Health Scheme the government has pledged to fully implement by July 2016 would have been necessary even if the economic crisis had not occurred, the EU Health Commissioner Tonio Borg said recently.

Oman is interested in investments in Cyprus, especially in the field of natural gas, Minister of Petrol and Natural Gas of Oman has said, after a meeting with Energy Minister Giorgos Lakkotrypis in Muscat.

Cyprus' constructive and stabilising role in the Eastern Mediterranean region, including efforts to mediate between energy-producing and energy-consuming countries, were the focus of President Anastasiades’ contacts in New York.

Unemployment fell on a quarterly basis in Q2 to 15.4% from 16.9%, the statistical service said recently.

Experts and companies in the field of energy take part in the first regional meeting for collaboration on ‘Safety and Environmental Protection of Offshore Oil and Gas Operations in the Eastern Mediterranean’ in Nicosia.

Gulf Air has announced twice-weekly flights between Kuwait and Larnaca in response to demand from Kuwait, it said recently.

Τhe exploratory drilling of ENI/KOGAS consortium has begun, with the drilling rig Saipem 10000 reaching the seabed of its first well at 'Onasagoras' site in the block 9 of Cyprus Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ).

International rating agency, Capital Intelligence (CI), announced that it has raised the Bank of Cyprus' (BoC) Financial Strength Rating (FSR) to 'B-' (from 'C+'), reflecting the greatly improved capital position.