In Brief
Immigration bill
Opposition leader condemns new law as ‘dangerous’ The leader of the opposition conservative New Democracy party, Antonis Samaras, yesterday condemned a law granting second-generation immigrants the right to obtain Greek citizenship and vote in elections, describing the legislation as «dangerous» and saying that it «would not contribute to the smooth integration of migrants into society.» Samaras said his party would abolish the legislation, voted through Parliament in principle last week, when it returns to power. Interior Minister Yiannis Ragousis accused Samaras of distorting the provisions of the bill, noting that it set out «specific procedures for the acquisition of citizenship» and did not foresee the granting of official status to illegal immigrants. Cocaine ring Argentine delivery intercepted A 53-year-old businessman, arrested in Keratea, southeastern Attica, yesterday as he collected a package containing 250 grams of cocaine from a local post office, is believed to be a member of a ring smuggling drugs into Greece from Argentina. According to police, the 53-year-old had only recently been released from a Greek jail where he had been serving time for another drug-related offense. The delivery of the specific consignment of cocaine to Greece is believed to have been organized by a 32-year-old Mexican national who is currently in prison. The Mexican was jailed in April 2009 after being found guilty of smuggling 4 kilos of cocaine into Greece, again by post from Argentina. Jail shooting Police in Korydallos, near Piraeus, yesterday were seeking the two gunmen who shot a guard who had been on duty outside the local jail complex, causing him serious injuries. According to prison staff who witnessed the shooting, the assailants, both Albanians, had served time at the jail. The motive for the attack remained unclear. Bomb hoax An anonymous telephone call, warning that a bomb had been planted on an Olympic Air flight due to leave Athens for Lesvos yesterday morning, turned out to be a hoax. Police bomb-disposal experts boarded the aircraft to search for an explosive device but found none. The plane took off three hours later than scheduled and the 66 passengers arrived safely on Lesvos. Papoulias ceremony President Karolos Papoulias is to be sworn in for his second term during a ceremony scheduled to take place in Parliament tomorrow morning.
