By Anna Willard PARIS, Jan 21 (Reuters) – President Nicolas Sarkozy will this week consider a report he commissioned to “unleash growth” but critics say the 300 ideas do not address French worries over spending power and many are too controversial to be used. Sarkozy has promised faster economic growth but last week his government

By Ikuko Kao LONDON, Jan 21 (Reuters) – Oil slid by almost $2 to a six-week low below $89 a barrel on Monday as stock markets fell and concern mounted over an economic slow-down led by top consumer the United States. Stock markets across the world took a battering as anxiety spread that a fiscal

Cyprus’s benchmark stock index posted it sharpest single-day drop in more than two years on Monday as foreign investors, worried about drops in global markets, dumped banking shares. The GENX ended 8.43% lower at 3707.71 points on Monday on EUR 14.3 mln volume, following the general slump in all global equity markets. Bank of Cyprus

Soft drinks up 4.7%   Consumption of locally produced beer in Cyprus rose by 5% in 2007 to 38.5 mln litres, compared with 36.8 mln litres in 2006 according to the latest data from the Statistical Service. This is equivalent to a modest 0.9 litres per inhabitant per week. However, once, the 2.4 million tourists

Total cement production in Cyprus rose by 4.8% in 2007 to 1,872,531 (1.87 mln) tonnes, according to the latest data from the Statistical Service, compared with 1,786,488 (1.79 mln) tonnes in 2006. The biggest increase was recorded in local sales of “super white”, which rose by 10% to 10,614 tonnes. Local sales of cement, helped

Only 0.3% in real terms   Hourly labour costs in construction were 4.2% higher than the same month of the previous year in December 2007, according to the latest figures, while they were 4.9% higher in January 2007. The figures are based on a new index of 2000=100. Taking the reported consumer price inflation rate

The Institute of Certified Public Accountants of Cyprus (ICPAC) and Creditinfo Cyprus have signed an agreement that will enable all the members to use Creditinfo’s services through the Institute website. ICPAC members are regarded as heavy users of services such us Credit and Detrimental Reports and Structure Reports for Cyprus-registered companies. The new agreement allows

DR. JIM LEONTIADES Cyprus International Institute of Management   The Financial Times finds there is much to praise in the performance of the German stock market. The newspaper points out that in 2007 the rise in Germany’s index of share prices “outshone all its “major rivals”, having risen by 22%. Of course, Cyprus is not