Alibaba is banning employees from using Anthropic’s artificial intelligence tools for work, according to people familiar with the matter, in the latest sign of growing restrictions around AI use amid escalating U.S.-China technology tensions.

Starting July 10, the Chinese technology group will prohibit staff from using Anthropic’s Claude Code for business purposes, citing potential security risks. Alibaba has also classified the tool as high-risk software and instructed employees to remove Anthropic’s AI models and agent products from their devices, replacing them with the company’s own AI coding assistant, Qoder.

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Dispute Follows Anthropic Allegations

The move comes weeks after Anthropic accused Alibaba of attempting to extract capabilities from its AI models through what it described as the largest known model distillation campaign against the company.

In a letter to the U.S. Senate Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs, Anthropic alleged that Alibaba had acted “brazenly” and “illicitly.”

AI Access Faces Tighter Controls

Anthropic’s terms of service prohibit companies in China and other countries it classifies as “adversarial nations” from using its models. According to the Financial Times, the company has also tightened controls to prevent Chinese firms from accessing Claude through third countries.

At the same time, claims circulated on Reddit and GitHub alleging that Claude Code contains hidden code capable of detecting whether users are based in China. Anthropic has not publicly responded to those allegations.

Chinese Companies Reassess AI Strategy

The restrictions extend beyond Alibaba. According to the Financial Times, Ant Group had provided employees with corporate Claude accounts through its Singapore entity, while ByteDance has reimbursed staff for personal Claude subscriptions so engineers can access the service via virtual private networks.

CNBC reported that ByteDance introduced the reimbursement programme in April to help employees “experience and learn” from a wider range of AI products.

Competition Intensifies

Alibaba’s decision reflects the increasingly fragmented AI landscape, as technology companies tighten internal policies, limit third-party AI tools and invest more heavily in proprietary models.

Neither Alibaba nor Anthropic immediately responded to requests for comment.

Cyprus recorded the sharpest monthly increase in industrial producer prices across the European Union in May 2026, according to the latest Eurostat data.

Producer prices rose 3.6% compared with April, the strongest increase among all member states and well above the EU average.

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Euro Area And EU Prices Rise Modestly

Across both the euro area and the EU, industrial producer prices increased by 0.2% in May, following monthly gains of 0.7% and 0.8%, respectively, in April.

Compared with May 2025, producer prices were up 5.9% in the euro area and 5.7% across the EU.

Energy And Intermediate Goods Shape Price Trends

Intermediate goods prices rose 1.4% month on month in both the euro area and the EU, while energy prices declined 1.0%. Excluding energy, producer prices increased 0.7% in both regions.

Capital goods and durable consumer goods also recorded modest monthly gains, while non-durable consumer goods edged slightly lower.

Cyprus Leads Monthly Increase

Following Cyprus, the largest monthly increases were recorded in Ireland, where producer prices rose 2.8%, and the Netherlands, at 1.9%.

Meanwhile, Croatia posted the steepest monthly decline at 2.1%, followed by Hungary (1.3%) and Italy (0.5%).

Bulgaria Tops Annual Growth

On an annual basis, Bulgaria recorded the largest increase in industrial producer prices, at 19.3%, ahead of Romania (13.5%) and Lithuania (12.3%).

Luxembourg was the only EU member state to report an annual decline, with producer prices falling 3.2%.

Cyprus’ Composite Leading Economic Index (CCLEI) remained in negative territory in June 2026, declining 0.65% year on year, according to the Economics Research Centre of the University of Cyprus (CypERC).

External Pressures Continue To Shape The Outlook

Although the index remained below its level a year earlier, CypERC said the pace of decline moderated in June, suggesting some easing in the downward trend.

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The research centre nevertheless warned that external economic and geopolitical conditions continue to weigh on Cyprus’ short-term economic outlook.

Sentiment, Energy Costs And Tourism Weigh On The Index

According to the report, the annual decline was driven by weaker economic sentiment, higher Brent crude oil prices, lower temperature-adjusted electricity production and fewer tourist arrivals.

A key factor was the weighted Economic Sentiment Indicator (ESI), which combines confidence measures for Cyprus and the euro area and remained below its June 2025 level.

Domestic Indicators Provide Support

Several domestic indicators helped offset part of the decline. Higher credit card spending, stronger retail sales and an increase in property sales contracts all contributed positively to the index.

Those gains indicate that consumer spending and property market activity remained relatively resilient despite a more challenging external environment.

The CCLEI is designed to signal turning points in the Cypriot business cycle by tracking a range of domestic and international indicators, including economic sentiment, tourism, property transactions, retail sales, electricity production and Brent crude oil prices.

Cyprus’ registered unemployment increased in June 2026, with the number of jobseekers rising by 903, or 9.9%, compared with the same month a year earlier, according to the Statistical Service of Cyprus (Cystat).

Registered Unemployment Reaches 10,056

The number of people registered at District Labour Offices reached 10,056 at the end of June, up from 9,153 in June 2025.

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Seasonally Adjusted Figures Show A Gradual Increase

Seasonally adjusted data, which provide a clearer picture of underlying labour market trends, showed registered unemployment edging up to 10,656 in June from 10,543 in May.

Services Sector Accounts For Most Of The Increase

Cystat attributed the annual rise primarily to higher numbers of registered unemployed in accommodation and food service activities, public administration, education, and human health and social work.

Cyprus recorded the second-fastest growth in overnight stays booked through short-term rental platforms across the European Union in the fourth quarter of 2025, highlighting continued demand beyond the peak summer season.

Cyprus Outperforms Much Of The EU

According to Eurostat, overnight stays booked through online accommodation platforms rose 30.1% year on year in Cyprus during the fourth quarter. Only Malta recorded stronger growth, at 37.5%, while Slovakia ranked third with an increase of 26.3%.

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The figures point to sustained demand for short-term rentals during the October-to-December period, when tourism typically slows across much of Europe.

EU-Wide Demand Continues To Grow

Across the European Union, overnight stays booked through platforms such as Airbnb, Booking.com and Expedia increased by 10.9% compared with the fourth quarter of 2024.

Growth continued into 2026, with overnight stays rising 9.7% year on year to 144.3 million in the first quarter, according to Eurostat.

Cyprus Ranks Among The Longest Stays

Cyprus also recorded one of the highest average lengths of stay in the EU’s short-term rental market. Eurostat estimated an average of 18 nights per booking, placing the island behind Malta and ahead of several other Mediterranean destinations.

Spain And France Lead In Total Overnight Stays

In absolute terms, the highest number of overnight stays in the fourth quarter was recorded in Spain’s Andalusia and Canary Islands, as well as France’s Île-de-France region, which includes Paris.

Eurostat’s data cover bookings made through online short-term rental platforms and exclude overnight stays in hotels and other forms of tourist accommodation.

Station F, the Paris-based startup campus founded by French billionaire Xavier Niel, is preparing to launch the second cohort of its F/ai accelerator as it seeks to strengthen Europe’s AI startup ecosystem.

Following its debut in January, the next programme begins in September with a clear objective: helping a select group of AI startups move from product development to meaningful commercial traction.

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A Startup Campus With Global Reach

Covering 538,000 square feet, Station F is widely regarded as the world’s largest startup campus. It hosts around 1,000 startups each year and has become a central hub for founders, investors, policymakers and technology companies across Europe.

Its annual Future 40 ranking reflects the growing dominance of artificial intelligence. In 2024, almost every startup selected was building AI into the core of its business.

Building Europe’s AI Ecosystem

Station F has brought together a broad network of technology companies and investors to support the accelerator. The first cohort included partners such as AMD, Anthropic, AWS, Google, Hugging Face, Meta, Microsoft, Mistral AI, OpenAI, OVHcloud, Qualcomm and Snowflake, alongside several venture capital firms.

According to TechCrunch, the second cohort will add new partners including ElevenLabs, GitHub, HubSpot, Nebius, OpenRouter and Rippling.

“The goal was to bring together all the major players and make it much easier for AI startups looking to launch in Europe to connect with them,” Station F director Roxanne Varza said.

From Product To Revenue

Unlike many accelerator programmes that focus primarily on visibility, F/ai is designed to help startups reach €1 million in revenue within six months.

“We’d heard quite a bit of criticism about the slow pace of commercialisation of European startups,” Varza said. “This brings them on par with what investors are seeing in the U.S.”

Station F said companies in the first cohort collectively raised $34 million in pre-seed funding. Of the 20 startups selected, 80% were founded by repeat entrepreneurs and one-third of the founders held PhDs.

A Curated Approach

Participation in F/ai is invitation-based rather than open to direct applications. Startups are recommended by founders, investors and ecosystem partners, although teams can still be introduced through participating organisations. Station F also operates around 30 other startup programmes that accept direct applications.

Beyond funding and mentoring, the accelerator offers founders access to leading figures in artificial intelligence, including Turing Award winner Yann LeCun.

“Today, if the founders here want to speak to people at this level, they all seem to think they need to go to the U.S. and join a program there,” Varza said. “We actually want to show that you can stay here and do it from here.”

UNIC placed in the 401-600 band worldwide, strengthened its position among universities in Cyprus and Greece, and recorded standout results in SDG 10, SDG 11 and SDG 17

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The University of Nicosia (UNIC) has earned another important international distinction in the Times Higher Education (THE) Sustainability Impact Ratings 2026, ranking in the 401-600 band globally among 1,646 universities from 116 countries and territories evaluated across 17 individual SDG tables and one overall ranking.

This result places UNIC in the global Top 600 and reinforces the University’s standing as one of the region’s most internationally engaged higher education institutions. Based on the published results, UNIC is one of the universities from Cyprus and Greece to secure a place within this band, underlining both its regional strength and its growing international visibility.

UNIC’s strongest performances in this year’s results were recorded in SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities, SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities, and SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals, where it ranked in the 101-200 band globally. It also achieved a 301-400 result in SDG 3: Good Health and Wellbeing and SDG 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions.

Particularly significant was UNIC’s strong result in SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals, an indicator that carries special weight in the overall methodology of the THE Sustainability Impact Ratings. This performance highlights the University’s growing capacity to build meaningful academic, research, and societal partnerships that create measurable impact at both local and international level.

Commenting on the result, the Rector of the University of Nicosia, Professor Philippos Pouyioutas, said:

“This is a highly significant result for the University of Nicosia and one that we are proud to share. Our placement in the global Top 600 of the THE Sustainability Impact Ratings 2026 reflects the University’s sustained commitment to meaningful impact through education, research, outreach, and collaboration. Our particularly strong performance in Reduced Inequalities, Sustainable Cities and Communities, and Partnerships for the Goals demonstrates the values that define UNIC as a modern, outward-looking university, committed to contributing in practical ways to society and to the global sustainability agenda.”

Among the universities from Cyprus, UNIC is one of the universities included in the global Top 600, while across Cyprus and Greece it stands among the universities recognised for strong performance in this year’s sustainability-focused results. This positioning adds further weight to UNIC’s profile as a university that combines academic quality with social contribution and international engagement.

For the University of Nicosia, this latest recognition marks another important step in its continuing international development, highlighting the strength of its academic environment, the breadth of its partnerships, and the increasing impact of its contribution to sustainable progress.

Strategic Validation For A Dual-Use Cybersecurity Platform

Malloc Ltd, an AI-driven mobile cybersecurity company specialising in spyware protection and secure communications, has been selected for Cohort #3 of the European Defence Innovation Scheme (EUDIS) Business Accelerator.

The Nicosia-based company was one of 20 startups chosen from a record 499 applications submitted across the European Union and Norway.

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An Accelerator Built For Defense-Grade Innovation

Launched by the European Commission and the European Defence Agency, the EUDIS Business Accelerator helps companies developing defence and dual-use technologies scale their products for the European market.

The eight-month programme begins in September 2026 and offers tailored business coaching, mentorship from defence specialists, access to testing facilities and participation in five regional bootcamps across Europe. It also provides opportunities to connect with defence organisations, end users and investors.

Why The Selection Matters

Malloc develops AI-powered mobile cybersecurity technology that detects and blocks spyware, prevents unauthorised surveillance, and secures communications through on-device machine learning.

The company’s selection reflects growing demand for technologies that protect mobile devices, which are increasingly viewed as critical infrastructure in both commercial and defence environments.

Leadership Perspective

“Securing a spot in Cohort #3 out of nearly 500 applicants is a powerful validation of Malloc’s core technology,” said Maria Terzi, CEO of Malloc.

“Advanced spyware blocking and completely secure mobile communications are no longer just corporate necessities. They are critical requirements for modern defence infrastructure. Through the EUDIS framework, we look forward to adapting our AI-driven privacy solutions to meet the rigorous demands of the European defence ecosystem and contributing to a safer, more resilient Europe.”

About Malloc Ltd

Malloc Ltd is an AI-driven mobile cybersecurity company specializing in spyware blocking and secure communications. Using proprietary on-device machine learning models, the company monitors mobile environments to detect and block unauthorized surveillance, prevent spyware execution, and encrypt communication channels in real time. Malloc serves individual users and enterprises globally, helping protect data and secure sensitive mobile intelligence.

About The Eudis Business Accelerator

The European Defence Innovation Scheme (EUDIS) Business Accelerator is a flagship initiative supported by the European Defence Fund (EDF). Delivered in partnership with Europe’s defense innovation ecosystem and industrial players such as Starburst Aero, the program is intended to close the gap between commercial technology developers and European defense requirements. Each cohort supports up to 20 high-potential companies with funding, mentorship, and market access.

Learn more at www.eudis-business-accelerator.eu.

Cyprus recorded a current account deficit of €1.3 billion in the first quarter of 2026, according to Eurostat, as a smaller services surplus weighed on the country’s external balance.

The figures, which are neither calendar nor seasonally adjusted, show the deficit widened from €1.0 billion in the first quarter of 2025.

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A Softer Services Position

Services remained the main contributor to Cyprus’ external accounts, although the surplus narrowed to €1.2 billion in the first quarter from €1.5 billion a year earlier. Throughout 2025, the services balance stood at €2.3 billion in the second quarter, €2.9 billion in the third and €2.5 billion in the fourth.

Cyprus’ current account remained in deficit throughout last year, recording shortfalls of €0.4 billion in the second quarter, €0.1 billion in the third and €0.8 billion in the fourth before widening again at the start of 2026.

European Union Posts Wider Surplus

Across the European Union, the seasonally adjusted current account surplus increased to €113.4 billion, or 2.4% of GDP, in the first quarter of 2026, up from €99.2 billion in the previous quarter and €104.9 billion a year earlier.

The improvement came despite a narrower goods surplus, which fell to €66.7 billion from €89.0 billion, while the services surplus increased to €52.1 billion from €43.9 billion.

Member State Divergence Remains Wide

Based on non-seasonally adjusted data, 16 EU member states recorded current account surpluses in the first quarter, while 10 posted deficits. France did not report data.

Germany recorded the largest surplus at €61.8 billion, followed by the Netherlands (€26.3 billion) and Ireland (€17.4 billion).

Among deficit countries, Greece posted the largest shortfall at €6.6 billion, ahead of Romania (€5.3 billion), Croatia (€3.4 billion) and Bulgaria (€2.4 billion). Cyprus also remained in deficit, at €1.3 billion.

Aegean Airlines has resumed flights to and from Paphos International Airport, a move welcomed by the Paphos Regional Tourism Board (Etap) as a boost to the district’s connectivity and tourism sector.

Improving Access To Paphos And Beyond

In a statement issued on Monday, Etap said the airline’s return marks an important step in improving access to Paphos from Greece while strengthening international connections through Aegean’s hub in Athens.

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The Athens–Paphos route will operate three times a week, offering residents and visitors greater travel flexibility and expanding access to the district.

Athens Hub Strengthens International Links

According to the tourism board, the restored service will improve connections with key tourism markets, including Germany, the Scandinavian countries and other European destinations served through Athens.

Improved air connectivity is expected to strengthen Paphos’ appeal by making the region more accessible to international travellers and enhancing its competitiveness among Mediterranean destinations.

Call For Deeper Partnership

Etap described Aegean’s return as a positive development for the local tourism industry and expressed hope that the airline will continue expanding its presence at Paphos International Airport.

“The Paphos Regional Tourism Board warmly welcomes Aegean to Paphos and expresses the hope that, in the near future, the airline will further expand its presence at Paphos International Airport, strengthening the connectivity and prospects of the region,” the board said.

The organisation also said it and its member stakeholders are ready to work with the airline on joint initiatives to support the airline’s long-term growth in Paphos.