Payrolls shrink, first drop in 4-1/2 years

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. employers unexpectedly cut 17,000 non-farm jobs in January, the first time in nearly 4-1/2 years that U.S. payrolls shrank as fading construction and manufacturing sectors reflected the economy’s

Cyprus says will not change stance on Kosovo

HELSINKI (Reuters) – Cyprus will not rethink its opposition to Kosovo’s “unilateral declaration” of independence under any circumstances, Foreign Minister Erato Kozakou-Marcoullis said on Thursday. The Cypriot minister said she respected the

SEPA: Single EUR payment system goes live

— Net benefit seen at EUR 123 bln, useful for e-commerce   The Single Euro Payments Area (SEPA) went live this week and European banks formally launched the first SEPA payment instrument

COMMENT: World Markets Panic

DR. JIM LEONTIADES Cyprus International Institute of Management   Recent stock market volatility on both sides of the Atlantic has been formidable. The sub-prime crisis in America may have triggered the downturn