The PRIO Cyprus Centre presents its new report Wednesday night entitled “The Cyprus Hydrocarbons Issue: Context, Positions and Future Scenarios”, by Ayla Gürel, Fiona Mullen and Harry Tzimitras. Recognising that the hydrocarbons issue is a complex one with manifold aspects, the report sets the topic within the geological, geographical, legal, political and economic contexts. It

Russian investors seem willing to consider taking part in any rescue plan for the island’s two main banks – the Bank of Cyprus and the Popular Laiki Bank – whose recapitalisation needs have been estimated in a due diligence report by global bond manager Pimco at 6-9 bln euros. Central Bank Governor Panicos Demetriades has

 * Troika bailout talks “less challenging,” says Fitch * President-elect Nicos Anastasiades appointed three key figures to the most crucial posts of his new Cabinet that takes charge on Friday and has set them on a mission to calm jittery nerves within the European Union, primarily EU paymaster Germany, regarding bailout talks with the Troika

The centre left is strongly leading in Italy's election, 5-6 percentage points ahead of the centre right of former premier Silvio Berlusconi, according to two telephone polls of voters. A poll for Sky television published after voting ended at 1400 GMT (9 a.m ET), showed the anti-establishment protest movement of Beppe Grillo taking third place.

  On any given day in the United States, 18 percent of men and 11 percent of women drink more alcohol than federal guidelines recommend, according to a study that also found that 8 percent of men and 3 percent of women are full-fledged "heavy drinkers." That means the great majority of Americans stay within

In what was probably the most short-lived victory celebration in Cyprus history, president-elect Nicos Anastassiades wrapped up a six month long campaign with two speeches and a short press briefing on Sunday night, ready to start work on a multi-billion euro bailout from Eurozone partners and the IMF. Expected to announce a cabinet of proven

"Argo" stormed to Best Picture victory at the Oscars on Sunday on a night of surprises that ended in disappointment for frontrunner "Lincoln" and handed the most overall wins – four – to "Life of Pi." It was the first time since "Driving Miss Daisy" in 1990 that a film won the top prize at

What do you buy the nation that already seems to have everything? That is the question facing Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe as he aims to spend more than $100 billion on infrastructure in the next 15 months to help revive his country's economy. But with its gleaming bullet trains, jungles of elevated highways and

Thousands of people protested in Armenia's capital Yerevan on Friday against the re-election of President Serzh Sarksyan, asserting that an opposition party leader was the real winner. International monitors said Monday's vote was an improvement on recent elections in Armenia but there was little competition as some of Sarksyan's most prominent rivals did not run,