Cyprus Business Now: Lefkara transport, CySEC campaign, Nicosia accelerator
In a joint statement, the two bodies explained that they participated in a meeting with Lefkara mayor Sophocles Sophocleous, and deputy mayor Efthymios Strouthos.
The meeting involved a discussion of the various issues concerning the tourist and business development of Lefkara.
One of the main issues raised was “the lack of connectivity of Lefkara and, in general, mountainous Larnaca, with the city centre and the tourist area, through public transport”.
“It is inconceivable that there is no possibility of access to the villages of mountainous Larnaca by public transport, depriving both tourists and locals of the opportunity to visit major tourist destinations in Cyprus,” the two bodies said.
According to the announcement, the “goal of the initiative is to create a new industry standard that gives users more control over their data and simplifies cookie consent management”.
Moreover, the company proposed a “one-and-done” solution to address the shortcomings of the GDPR cookie consent process.
This involves moving cookie consent management from individual websites to the browser level.
In addition, the company pointed out that the specification for Aloha’s solution, alongside an example of its implementation, are open-sourced in Aloha’s public GitHub repository.
Furthermore, Aloha highlighted data from Advance Metrics Analysis, which showed that approximately 70 per cent of consumers either close or disregard the cookie banner entirely, resulting in data collection vulnerability.
According to the commission, the “new campaign is aimed at protecting investors against the rising trend of online scams and follows the discovery of fraudulent websites that are falsely claiming to be associated with CySEC”.
“Calling on investors to safeguard their personal information, the alerts remind investors that CySEC never sends unsolicited emails to investors and will never ask for sensitive or personal information, or request that money is transferred to them,” the commission added.
In addition, the announcement mentioned that campaign posts will be shared across CySEC’s social media channels, including on X (formerly known as Twitter), LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram.
Specifically, services sector productivity in Cyprus increased by 5.5 per cent on an annual basis.
However, on a monthly basis, the growth rate was somewhat more modest, rising by just 0.5 per cent from May’s 3.5 per cent, placing Cyprus among the lower performers in Europe for the month.
Across the eurozone, productivity grew by an average of 1.2 per cent year-on-year, while in the wider European Union (EU), the average increase was 1 per cent.
In contrast, monthly data showed a dip in services productivity, with the eurozone recording a 0.8 per cent in June decline and the EU seeing a slightly larger fall of 0.9 per cent.
According to provisional estimates released on Friday by the Cyprus Statistical Service (Cystat), total employment for the period is estimated at 484,308 persons, with 434,770 being employees and 49,538 classified as self-employed.
The service reported that this marks a year-on-year increase of 2.1 per cent compared to the same quarter in 2023.
Notably, the most significant percentage increases were recorded in education, administrative and supporting service activities, transportation and storage, human health and social work activities, and accommodation and food service activities.
This initiative is specifically aimed at individuals, teams, and existing businesses in the creative and cultural sectors who are looking to develop their ideas.
According to a statement from the municipality, the Nicosia HUB-IN Accelerator is “designed to support the growth of creative and cultural enterprises”.
The accelerator focuses on entrepreneurial ideas, products, and services within the creative and cultural industries, with a particular emphasis on preserving and showcasing the historical and cultural heritage of Nicosia.
“The programme’s aim is to foster entrepreneurial skills and create new opportunities for sustainable business development,” the statement explained.
According to the latest Consumer Price Index data, which was processed by the Cyprus Consumer Association, potatoes saw a similarly sharp increase, with prices climbing by 29 per cent over the same period.
In addition to these essential food staples, other categories recorded notable hikes. Ticket fares for passenger buses and coaches rose by 26 per cent, while fresh vegetables experienced a 19 per cent rise.
However, the price of sugar saw a notable drop, falling by 27.6 per cent compared to August 2023.
According to a report from the Cyprus Statistical Service (Cystat), this marks a 2.6 per cent increase compared to June 2023.
The first half of 2024 (January to June), the index showed a cumulative rise of 2 per cent compared to the same period in 2023.
The mining and quarrying sector demonstrated strong growth, with the index reaching 147.1 points, reflecting a 4.3 per cent rise in June 2024 compared to the same month in 2023.
For the first six months of the year 2024, the sector recorded a robust 13.6 per cent increase.
The meeting will assess progress in areas of trilateral cooperation, such as energy, defence and diaspora issues.
According to the government, the gathering in New York also presents an opportunity “for discussions and coordination on strategic matters, addressing common challenges and regional issues of mutual concern, such as developments in the region and aspects of EU-Egypt relations.
“This has become a regular meeting on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, offering a chance for better preparation for upcoming official ministerial or high-level trilateral meetings,” the government said.
The Cyprus Stock Exchange (CSE) ended Friday, September 6 with profits.
The general Cyprus Stock Market Index was at 182.45 points at 12:36 during the day, reflecting an increase of 0.66 per cent over the previous day of trading.
The FTSE / CySE 20 Index was at 111.13 points, representing a rise of 0.69 per cent.
The total value of transactions came up to €264,540.43, until the aforementioned time during trading.
In terms of the sub-indexes, the main market index rose by 0.96 per cent, the investment firm index rose by 3.38 per cent, while the alternative and hotel indexes remained unchanged.
The biggest investment interest was attracted by Demetra (€113,509.50, +3.45 per cent), the Bank of Cyprus (€83,600.11, -1.63 per cent), Hellenic Bank (€67,112.82, +1.92 per cent), Louis Plc (€180.19, -0.90 per cent), and Ermes Department Stores (€128.63, no change).