Chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, general Martin Dempsey has postponed his scheduled visit to Greece because of the conditions in Syria and the general turmoil in the SE Mediterranean. General Dempsey, was scheduled to visit Greece on 15 September, after an invitation extended by his Greek counterpart, general Kostarakos.
The Chairman JCS was to be in Greece, between 15-17 September for crucial talks on the realization of measures agreed upon during the recent visits, to the US, of defense minister Avramopoulos, and later the PM, Antonis Samaras.
According to our sources at the ministry of defense, the visit has been postponed and will be rescheduled, for an unspecified time, as general Dempsey's schedule has been totally overturned by events.

The General Support Ship of the Hellenic Navy, Prometheus, has begun its mission of proscriptive medical support and examinations for citizens living on remote islands, from the island of Gavdos the southernmost area of Greece, 48 klms from Crete.
The floating hospital offers initial medical examination and treatment and is staffed by doctors from eight different fields of medicine, while also offering a full recovery unit, a surgery, an ICU , patients ward, radiology and microbiology labs, and a dental surgery. Patients needing additional care will be taken to military hospitals.
H.N. Prometheus ( Α-374) is the largest ship in the Hellenic Navy (actually, ever), displacing 13,400 tons. It was built at Elefsis shipyards using the designs of the Italian Navy's ETNA class.

Arrests of immigrants trying to illegaly cross to Italy by boarding ferries, are continuing unabated, in the western port of Patras. In the last three days alone, more than 40 immigrants have been arrested, while more than 100 since the beginning of September.
According to police and coast guard officials the rise in the numbers trying to clandestinely leave for Italy may be due to the higher traffic of the summer months.
As officials estimate, the gangs that deal in this trafficking believe that the increased traffic in passengers and vehicles allows greater leeway for smuggling illegals aboard ships destined for Italy.
In a recent characteristic case 24 illegal immigrants had climbed aboard a full tour bus, trying to hide among passengers. In another two cases, ten immigrants were spotted hiding in trucks carrying grapes and insulating materials.

Sparks flew in parliament,on Tuesday, as PASOK MP and deputy education minister Symeon Kedikoglou locked horns with communist party (KKE) parliamentary spokesman Thanasis Pafilis over the sale by the party of its broacaster "902".
The row began when Kedikoglou made acerbic comments about the sale of the station through an off-shore company to persons unknown. The deputy minister added that from a victim of capitalism, the KKE had become a predator.
Pafilis flew into a rage claiming that the station was sold to pay off laid-off staff and obligations to social security funds, rebuking Kedikoglou that he should not to talk about the KKE, since as he stated "PASOK had become a synonym for corruption and kickbacks."
Pafilis did not hesitate to call the deputy minister "disgraceful and incompetent," only to hear from Kedikoglou that the KKE "used the grey areas of capitalism to sell your business to an off-shore company."
What surprised most was that parliamentary spokesman for PASOK Dimitris Kremastinos did not support his colleague, but stated that he had voiced personal opinions.
It must be noted that the frequencies that KKE sold along with "902" are actually state property.