Washington has announced a partial lifting of a decades-old arms embargo to the Republic of Cyprus, with Turkey saying the decision ignores equality and balance between the two sides on the divided island.

The Water Board of Nicosia in collaboration with the capital’s municipality and Cyprus Telecommunications Authority will be installing up-to-date smart meters for tracking water consumption within 2021.

The seasonally-adjusted unemployment rate in the euro area was 7.9% in July 2020, up from 7.7% in June 2020, and EU unemployment rate was 7.2% in July 2020, up from 7.1% in June 2020, according to figures published by Eurostat today.

Companies licensed to operate in Cyprus’ exclusive economic zone have not made further changes to their drilling schedules in relation to the coronavirus situation, Energy Minister Natasa Pilides said on Tuesday.

The Health Insurance Organisation (HIO) announced on Monday that as of September 1 the services of accident and emergency (A&E) departments at public hospitals are included in the health scheme Gesy.

The GDP growth rate in real terms during the second quarter of 2020 is negative and it is estimated at -11.9% over the corresponding quarter of 2019, according to the Statistical Service.

The preliminary General Government fiscal results, which are prepared by the Statistical Service of Cyprus (CyStat) indicate a deficit of €930.9 million (4.6% of GDP) for the period of January – July 2020, as compared to a surplus of €385.7 million (1,8% of GDP) that was recorded during the period of January – July 2019.

The Association of the Cyprus Travel Agents (ACTA) has welcomed the government initiative for free entry to state museums in an attempt to boost visits and upgrade the overall tourism package.

The transfer of fuel terminals to Vasilikos and the demolition of existing facilities in Larnaca are expected to be completed in a year’s time, a meeting heard on Friday.

Bank of Cyprus, the island’s largest lender posted a net loss of €126 million in the first half of 2020, mainly affected by a net loss from an Non-performing exposure (NPE) package sale (Helix 2) and additional loan loss provisions amid the coronavirus pandemic that hampers economic activity.