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State Minister George Gerapetritis is on Monday to chair a meeting at the Maximos Mansion aimed at resolving continuing problems with the ferry connection between the northern port city of Alexandroupoli and the island of Samothraki.

State Minister George Gerapetritis is to chair a meeting at the Maximos Mansion on Monday aimed at resolving continuing problems with the ferry connection between the northern port city of Alexandroupoli and the island of Samothraki.

A 24-year-old man was detained on arson charges on Friday in connection with a wildfire in the area of Palaiohori in the municipality of southern Kynouria in the Arcadia prefecture of the Peloponnese. 

The fire broke out on three separate fronts virtually simultaneously, fuelling the authorities' suspicions that it was a case of arson. 

Half the bookings made at the northern Aegean island of Samothraki have been cancelled as a result of the problems with ferry connections which left hundreds of tourists stranded for days, the mayor said Thursday.

Problems with the ferry connection between the northern port city of Alexandroupolis and Samothraki continued Wednesday, with the northeastern Aegean island's port still jam-packed with stranded travelers.

Hundreds of tourists on Tuesday remained stranded on Samothraki since Sunday due to a combination of powerful winds and a breakdown of the main ferry linking the northern Aegean island to the port city of Alexandroupoli on the mainland.

Bulgarian tourists blocked on the Greek island of Samothraki can get a free meal once a day at several establishments near Port Kamariotissa, as well as free overnight accommodation, said the press office of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The Turkish Red Crescent has distributed meat to people in Banda Aceh and Aceh Besar, Indonesia.
Murat Ellialtı, the Deputy Secretary General of the Turkish Red Crescent Society, said as many as 100 cows have been slaughtered and distributed to 3,000 heads of families.

A large firefighting force was sent to tackle a blaze that broke out on the island of Thasos, one of Greece's greenest, on Tuesday morning.
The fire service said it sent 56 men with 25 vehicles at the area of Paradisos, in the southwestern part of the island. They were supported by two Pezetel aircraft and one helicopter.

The General Secretariat for Civil Protection has declared a state of alert for Saturday, warning of an acute danger of wildfires across large parts of the countries.