Brazil's Lula to restart housing programme for low-income families

Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva will this month restart the federal housing programme "Minha Casa, Minha Vida" for lower income people, his chief of staff said on Sunday.

Rui Costa said on TV GloboNews that the announcement will be made on February 14 in Bahia state as part of several trips by the leftist President until March to initiate programmes that boost the economy and quickly benefit the population.

The focus of the housing programme which means "my home, my life", would be on the resumption of unfinished works and on one that involves greater Government subsidy, Costa said.

According to Costa, the programme had been "extinct" under the Administration of former President Jair Bolsonaro.

Now, around 120,000 unfinished units will be resumed, he said.

Created in 2009 during Lula's second presidential term, the programme federal subsidies for home ownership, boosting works carried out by homebuilders such as MRV and Tenda.

Costa also said that the President would visit the state of Sergipe on February 15 to resume a highways programme (Reuters)

“Both calls came in, one right after the other about 15 minutes apart, threatening to kill the nation’s leader,” the Commissioner said.

According to Fernander, officers are following significant leads and the Prime Minister remains in “good spirits”.

“We, as Bahamians, it shouldn’t happen. When you’re talking about threatening the nation’s leader and we as Bahamians, how we got to this level in threatening individuals, and you can go beyond the Prime Minister and individuals and we take this very se- riously.

“We are now reviewing the threat level so we can put some additional security measures in place along with our law enforcement partner and the team here from the Defence Force and so we are on top of this.”

He also pleaded with those responsible for the calls “to stop now”, saying Police would not tolerate it and would go after them within the full extent of the law.

Meanwhile, the Prime Minister is still expected to continue his normal duties – under heightened security.

“Prime Minister Davis has been appraised of the situation and additional security measures have been put in place,” said his Press Secretary Clint Watson.

“While the threat against the Prime Minister is being taken seriously, it is the current assessment of the Prime Minister’s security team and the Prime Minister that he should continue with his normal duties and further assessments will be made once the investigation reveals further information,” Watson said. (CMC)

T&T: 4 missing at sea after leaving Guayaguayare fishing port; boat found near Venezuela

Amassive searchand-rescue mission was underway on Sunday, both on land and sea, for four men from Mayaro and Guayaguayare who disappeared after going on a fishing expedition last Tuesday.

The 32-foot pirogue Venom II which the men were in was found capsized at sea off Cedros near Venezuela on Sunday morning. It was towed to the compound of Heritage Petroleum in Point Fortin.

Missing are the boat owner Heeralal "Lenus" Cooblal, 54, of Grand Lagoon, Mayaro; me- chanic and welder Rishi Khemchan, 38, who lives not too far from Cooblal; Andy "Tallman" George, 40, and the boat's captain, identified only as "Criminal George". George and "Criminal George" are said to be both from Guayaguayare.

Criminal George, who is in his 60s, lives alone and is originally from the Ortoire Village/ Manzanilla district.

The four left the Guayaguayare fishing port on Tuesday around 14:00h on the "mother boat," meaning it was equipped with enough food and other supplies to last a few days at sea. They were expected to return Thursday evening or Friday morning.

However, when they failed to return, relatives alerted the Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) Hunters Search and Rescue Team (HRST), led by Vallence Rambharat, and Troopers Search and Rescue from Mayaro, led by Wesley Mohammed. They also alerted the Coast Guard, other fishermen and the police.

(Trinidad Newsday)