FOREIGN Minister Marcos Kyprianou was yesterday said to be “satisfied” with his meeting with his US counterpart, Hillary Clinton.

During the half-hour meeting in Prague, where the duo attended the EU-US Summit, the US Secretary of State assured Kyprianou that efforts to reach a Cyprus solution had the full support of America.

ALL POLITICAL sides except ruling party AKEL yesterday proposed a 3.0 per cent VAT reduction for restaurants, in a heated debate at Parliament.

Deputies said Cypriot tourists were being discriminated against with the government’s recently approved deal, which proposes a VAT reduction from 8.0 per cent to 5.0 per cent solely for hotels and tourist packages.

THE CYPRUS Architects Association (CAA) organised a conference exploring the challenges of the proposal for tall buildings in town centres, a feature that is expected to transform Cypriot towns.

A FIRE completely destroyed four vessels docked at the Ayia Napa port on Sunday night, causing damages estimated to be in excess of €3 million.

According to the Deputy Police Chief Christakis Dionysiou, the fire started at around 10.15pm on the Condesa Napa, belonging to George Kremmastos, and quickly spread to three other vessels, leaving all four boats ruined.

RIGHT-WING extremists attacked the headquarters of EDON District Council in the centre of town, spraying offensive and nationalist messages on its walls and on a parked car and a neighbouring residence. This is the second time this year that the specific building has been targeted by extremists.

PREPARATIONS are on track for June’s European Parliament elections in which Cypriots will be called to choose six deputies to represent their country, according to the Interior Ministry’s chief election official Demetris Demetriou.

POLICE yesterday seized firecrackers, Molotov bombs and razorblades hidden in potatoes outside the GSP Stadium in Nicosia, just hours before a local derby between arch rivals APOEL and Omonia kicked off.

The police had taken over the stadium at 2pm yesterday, as part of a pre-arrangement between all sporting bodies to avert violent scenes.

THE LARGEST retail centre our island has ever seen will soon be opening its doors to the general public with the official date now set for May 30.

AYIOS Tychonas Community Council yesterday announced that plans for an extension of the wooden pier at ancient Amathunda Port is in its final stages.

The current wooden pier which acts as a walkway along the ancient remains in the area will be extended so that pedestrians can walk around the ancient port on the coast.