The finance ministry’s general directorate for development is steaming ahead to implement landmark projects to secure the second €85 million tranche of funds from the EU recovery and resilience plan, its head said on Friday.

The accommodation and catering services sector showed the largest annual increase in the turnover index during the second quarter of 2022, reflecting the recovery of the tourism industry, according to a report released on Wednesday by the Cyprus Statistical Service.

Preparations to open primary schools for thousands of students on September 12 are almost complete, the Education Ministry’s director of primary education, Dr Marios Stylianides said on Thursday.

The establishment of the minimum wage in Cyprus, which was set at €885 for the first six months of employment, increasing to €940 gross per month, will have a major impact on one-quarter of Cyprus' labor market. 40,000 workers will benefit in a big way, and 60,000 of them will also benefit but to a lesser extent.

The rate of organ donation in Cyprus remains very low compared to other European countries, Health Minister Michael Hadjipandela said on Thursday, adding that 173 transplants from living donors and 80 from posthumous donors have been carried out in Cyprus since 2011.

The European Medicines Agency has given a positive opinion on the use of the first two variant-adapted COVID-19 booster vaccines, produced by BioNTech-Pfizer (Comirnaty) and Moderna (Spikevax) to protect against the Omicron BA.1 subvariant.

With its Farm to Fork program, the European Commission is helping farmers in the EU transition away from the use of chemical pesticides by adopting new rules that will facilitate the approval of micro-organisms for use as active substances in plant protection products.

Millennials from six European countries, including Cyprus, will work together to promote cultural heritage among younger generations in a new Erasmus+ project.

Minister of Health, Michael Hadjipandela, made statements following the Cabinet meeting on Wednesday, followed by a further briefing by the communication officer of the Ministry of Health, Constantinos Athanasiou.

The Bank of Cyprus on Wednesday released its financial results for the first half of 2022, posting a profit after tax of €50 million, marking a significant improvement over the €1 million loss for the corresponding period of the previous year.