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00:00Thanks for staying with us. On Monday night, the UNT issued a warning to people who receive
00:09senior citizens' pension that a cut in the grants for pensioners is soon approaching.
00:15But in response, the government said there is no need to worry. The Minister of Social
00:20Development and Family Services sought to clear the air during a media conference last
00:25week.
00:26I want to give the assurance to our senior citizens that the government has no intention
00:32to interfere with the pension of any senior citizen. In the bill, the eligibility criteria
00:42includes income, those who are ordinary residents, and there was never any requirement with regards
00:52to savings. It has always been income-based.
00:56Minister of Social Development and Family Services Donna Cox, seeking to clear the air
01:01on whether or not cuts will be forthcoming in the government's pension plans for senior
01:06citizens. On Monday, the leader of the opposition raised an alarm on the issue as she spoke
01:12to her supporters during a cottage meeting.
01:15That bill will make it harder for pensioners and persons getting public assistance to access
01:22it, to access those grants. They're monitoring how much money you have in the bank, that's
01:27what they're going to do, that's what this bill is telling us. I remember they want you
01:31to go cashless, they want you to put every cent you have in the bank, remember? Remember?
01:36During a media conference, Minister Cox gave an explanation as to what exactly transpired.
01:42Unfortunately it appears such a requirement was introduced into the bill, which was not
01:48highlighted in the policy or even in the cabinet note that was approved. And that note
01:55was in March 2023. It so happened that we had cabinet today, we normally have cabinet
02:02on a Thursday, but we had cabinet today, and we discussed the note. And at cabinet today
02:09in discussing the note, I wish to affirm that it is not and it never was cabinet's intention
02:17to affect the savings of our elderly at all. So therefore we will not be pursuing that
02:26part of the bill.
02:28The Attorney General sought to give further clarification with the hope of alleviating
02:33any fares.
02:34The draft policy has been revised to define the term ordinary residents and include such
02:39definition in the interpretation section, page six of the draft policy refers. Further
02:44guidelines have now been provided in section four to assist in the determination of whether
02:49a person is ordinarily resident or not. The ministry further proposes that all of the
02:54qualification requirements for the senior citizens pension should be contained in one
02:59comprehensive section of the act. And this is the important part of paragraph nine that
03:04I wish to read. As a consequence, the ministry proposes that section four should speak to
03:11the entire criteria to be satisfied. And I stress the words there, the entire criteria
03:18to be satisfied. And those criteria laid out one age to income and three residential qualification.
03:28There was no reference to any criteria either affecting or defining savings.
03:35Akshaya Galstine, TV6 News.
03:39Sport is up next. Keep it here.
03:47In sport, it was a clean sweep in the T20 International between the Windies and Bangladesh
03:53as Bangladesh finished with an 80 run win in the third T20 International to clinch their
03:58first three nil win in a series in nearly two years.
04:03Etan Das and Parvez Iman opened for Bangladesh and they got off to a flying start. Jaden
04:08Seals and Romario Sheppard were carted away to the boundary.
04:11A wicket would fall for Sheppard, removing Das for 14.
04:25That opened the door for two more wickets.
04:30Tanzir Hassan goes for nine.
04:32Gudakesh Moti with the wicket, 65 for three.
04:35Two key run outs kept the Windies in the match, but the wicket they would have wanted was
04:40Jaka Ali.
04:46Ali went on to make 72 nut out from 41 balls.
04:50The Windies bowlers did not try to bowl wicket to wicket and they were punished for attempting
04:55to carry it wide.
04:57Ali was quick to shuffle over every time and make full use of the delivery to his team's
05:02advantage.
05:03At 164, the Windies got another wicket, but the match got away from them.
05:07Bangladesh getting to 189 for seven from their 20 overs.
05:12Losing Brandon King early to Taskin Ahmed did not help and Justin Greaves could only
05:19contribute six to their attempts to win the match.
05:23Johnson Charles and Nicholas Puran began to get the innings going.
05:35However Puran was clean bowled for 15 off the bowling of Mahedi Hassan and the Windies
05:39found it difficult to recover.
05:41Ruston Chase seemed out of sorts with his batting in the series and it continued.
05:47And Charles was removed a run out off some good fielding.
05:51Windies six there for six.
05:52Despite the ugly scoreline, there was no pressure on Sheppard or Moti to have a go at the bowlers.
05:57Strangely enough, they were still in with a chance of winning the contest.
06:02Moti was gone with the score on 95 and the innings would crumble shortly after.
06:10A tame dismissal from Malzari Joseph.
06:14And Obed Mokoi was clean bowled, Windies all out for 109 in 16.4 overs.
06:20And visitors see the match by 80 runs.
06:23Bangladesh win their first T20 series in the Caribbean via a clean sweep.
06:29Sergio Dufour, TV6 Sport.
06:32And that's a wrap on the past seven days on six.
06:34I am Renessa Cutting.
06:36If you didn't catch this segment in its entirety, you can find it on our website www.tv6tnt.com
06:44and you can find all these stories and more on the TV6 mobile app.
06:49Thanks for choosing TV6 and do have a great evening.
07:19Good evening and welcome to the past seven days on six.
07:28I am Renessa Cutting.
07:29Here's what made the news this past week.
07:33A committee was set up to examine the response of the fire service after government MP Lisa
07:38Morris-Julian and two of her children died in a fire at their home.
07:43The national security minister said there has been a slight decrease in murders and
07:48the government denied intentions of changing the criteria to qualify for senior citizens'
07:53pension.
07:54As per usual, if it was happening, it was on six.
07:57Let's get right into it.
08:00The best representative the government of TNT has had.
08:04That was how the prime minister described Lisa Morris-Julian, who along with two of
08:08her children died tragically in a fire at their home last week.
08:12The prime minister spoke during a memorial service for the minister.
08:16At seven o'clock in the morning, my wife comes through the door and she asked me, did you
08:20hear?
08:21I said, hear what?
08:24And she said, Lisa has died and two of her children died with her.
08:31I have not yet got over the sound of that news.
08:34Prime Minister Dr. Keith Rowley, as he delivered remarks during a memorial service held in
08:38honour of Minister and the Ministry of Education Lisa Morris-Julian on Tuesday following a
08:43tragic fire at her home in Arima in the pre-dawn hours of Monday morning.
08:49I think we all should understand that this is but a tragedy and none of us could have
09:00anticipated or could have influenced in a different direction.
09:05Minister Morris-Julian was the elected MP for WD Omera, a constituency which she was
09:10set to again contest for the PNM in the general election due next year.
09:15In acknowledging that he was not on the list of speakers on the printed programme for the
09:19memorial service, Prime Minister Rowley recalled that Minister Morris-Julian attended a Christmas
09:25celebration at the Diplomatic Centre last Saturday.
09:29Lisa was there with her husband, being Lisa, happy, gentle, talking to everybody, taking
09:38pictures.
09:39The last time I saw Lisa, she was working her way through the crowd to leave and she
09:45stopped and took a picture of my wife and some of the people around the group.
09:51I was never to know that that was the last time I'd be seeing the best representative
09:58in the government of Trinidad and Tobago.
10:03Several members of Cabinet attended the memorial service which was held at the Education Ministry
10:07Tower in downtown Port of Spain.
10:09Among those who paid tribute to Minister Morris-Julian was Education Minister Dr Nayan Gatsby-Dolly
10:15who recalled how they divided their roles in the Education Ministry.
10:20And one role that Lisa asked for and served till the end was the ECCE, Early Childhood
10:28Care, because she had a small child and she was invested in making sure that the children
10:39of that age were well taken care of.
10:42The Education Minister said Minister Morris-Julian was very quiet and unassuming looking but
10:47was on the pulse of everything.
10:49The fact that the whole of America turned out yesterday and just stand there in the
10:53sun and the rain long after the incident had happened is just a tribute to how many people
11:02she touched and what seems to us to be a life that was too short but God knows best and
11:07he is in control.
11:09Prime Minister Rowley also acknowledged the different fates many turn to in such a time
11:14of loss.
11:15To think of losing her and being told that she may have been hugging her child to her
11:23chest as she passed away in the flames, those of you who have children, it's an assignment
11:35that you would never want to have but she heard it.
11:40Tributes continue to pour in for a minister and MP who is being remembered as having love
11:45not only for her children but all of the children of Trinidad and Tobago.
11:50Jewel Brown, TV6 News.
11:53Following the incident, the Fire Service Association issued a dire warning.
11:57Tragedy will strike again unless urgent action is taken.
12:02Kion Gai, the President of the Fire Association, is urging the government to reassess its priorities
12:08warning that without immediate action, lives will continue to be at risk.
12:13The Association calls for substantial investment in the Fire Service to ensure that the tragic
12:18deaths of Minister Morris-Julian and two of her children serve as a catalyst for change
12:23rather than a precursor to further loss.
12:26The Association describes the incident, which occurred not too far from the Arima Fire Station,
12:31as a somber reminder of what it calls critical deficiencies within the Fire Service.
12:36It says these deficiencies have led to preventable loss of life before and will likely do so
12:41again.
12:42The Association has outlined previous incidents in which lives were lost because fire stations
12:47were ill-equipped to respond.
12:49In July 2021, three children perished in Maraval when the Woodbrook Fire Station had no appliance.
12:56In September 2023, Malcolm Diaz, a visually impaired senior, died in Santa Cruz, another
13:01station without a fire tender.
13:04And earlier this year in March, four families in Pinal and Baracpo were displaced while
13:09the newly built Pinal Fire Station remained unequipped.
13:12In this latest fire, the Arima Fire Station's tender was already engaged elsewhere, leaving
13:17the Tunapuna Fire Station 15 kilometers away to respond.
13:22The vehicle they used was an 18-year-old water tanker.
13:25The Association says relying on such outdated equipment is both costly and unreliable.
13:31The media release also highlighted a nationwide shortage of fire tenders.
13:35Belmont, Woodbrook, Santa Cruz, Maraval and Pinal stations currently lack operational
13:41appliances, while stations in Princestown and Lady Hales remain closed altogether.
13:47The Association didn't stop there.
13:50It has pushed back against recent statements made by the Minister of National Security,
13:54who it quotes as saying that there were no significant outstanding requests from the
13:58fire service.
13:59It says, quote, the reality on the ground starkly contradicts this assertion.
14:04The TTFS is on the brink of collapse with outdated trucks, inadequate equipment and
14:08insufficient funding, end quote.
14:10The Association has also pointed to budgetary constraints as a key issue.
14:15It says the fire service's allocation for vehicles and equipment was slashed from $11.5
14:20million to just $4 million this year.
14:23For context, it says a single water tender costs $4.5 million, and the Association estimates
14:30it would take just over $100 million, less than 0.2 percent of the national budget, to
14:36address critical shortages.
14:38The Fire Association's warning is clear.
14:40The fire service is under-resourced, and unless urgent steps are taken, more lives will be
14:45lost.
14:46Josette Yonanan, TV6 News.
14:49One former chief fire officer was one of the three persons appointed to a committee last
14:53week to inquire into the response of the fire service following the tragedy which claimed
14:58the lives of government minister Lisa Morris-Julian and two of her children.
15:03The committee was given two weeks to hand in its report.
15:07Former chief fire officer Roosevelt Bruce, chairman of the Occupational Safety and Health
15:13Authority of Trinidad and Tobago, Kurt Cadet, and attorney-at-law from the Office of the
15:19Attorney General, Ashti Mahabir, all received their instruments of appointment from National
15:25Security Minister Fitzgerald Hines for the committee that he said shall, quote, inquire
15:30into the precise facts and circumstances surrounding the response of the Trinidad and Tobago Fire
15:36Service to the fire that occurred, end quote, at the home of Minister in the Ministry of
15:41Education, Lisa Morris-Julian, on Monday.
15:44It was a fire in which Minister Morris-Julian and two of her children perished.
15:49Minister Morris-Julian was the elected MP for Daberdee, Omera.
15:53It's on talk radio.
15:54It has stirred public issue and concerns, and questions are being asked, and conflicting
16:04stories have emerged.
16:06And we believe that the public is entitled to know the facts, particularly since it involves
16:12this very public matter and a public person.
16:15So I would dismiss the fact that this is purely because it's one member of parliament, but
16:21really it is to address public concerns and disquiet and to get accurate answers.
16:28The committee is in keeping with a mandate from the National Security Council, which
16:32is chaired by Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley.
16:36This has to do with a particular incident at Fafan Street, and the chief fire officer
16:42has already properly indicated that he welcomes this and there's no difficulty around it.
16:48We don't anticipate any difficulty, but if difficulty arises, like all other difficulties,
16:53I assure you they will be met and treated with.
16:57Minister Hines gave details about the committee's mandate.
17:00To inquire specifically into the operations of the Arima Fire Station and the Tunapuna
17:09Fire Station on the said 16th of December 2024, including an assessment of the complement
17:17of fire officers at these stations with the availability of firefighting equipment and
17:24resources such as water, vehicles, and of course personnel.
17:30On Thursday, opposition leader Kamala Prasad Besasa called for a proper forensic criminal
17:35investigation into the fire.
17:38On Friday, Minister Hines identified how many state agencies are seeking answers as he pointed
17:44out the committee's scope.
17:46Also to inquire into reports issued by the Trinidad and Tobago Fire Service, WASA, the
17:56Trinidad and Tobago Police Service, the Trinidad and Tobago Forensic Science Center, the Trinidad
18:03and Tobago Electricity Commission, the National Command Center, and the Strategic Services
18:11Agency in particular as that might relate to CCTV footage that might assist in this
18:18fact-finding exercise.
18:21When asked if the investigation into the cause of the fire is completed, Minister Hines reiterated
18:28the committee's mandate.
18:29The fire service will have a position, but this committee will find out from the fire
18:34service what that position would be.
18:37The National Security Minister said the committee's findings would be made public.
18:41Jewel Brown, TV6 News.
18:45We had a quick break.
18:46We'll have more news when we return.
18:55Welcome back.
18:56Fourteen-year-old Zahir Samuel was released by his kidnappers less than 24 hours after
19:01he was snatched outside of his family's business in St. Augustine last week.
19:05Here's more.
19:07The cries and prayers of a concerned father were answered last night as 14-year-old Zahir
19:12Samuel, who was abducted from outside his family's business in St. Augustine before
19:17daybreak on Wednesday, was released.
19:20Zahir, police said, was found along Bacchus Trace in the vicinity of De Freitas Ranch
19:24in Valencia at about 10.15pm yesterday.
19:28He was brought to the Arima District Hospital where he was examined before being released
19:32back into the care of his family.
19:34He was said to have no visible injuries and was in good spirits.
19:38Behind us, off of Bacchus Lane, off of Quarry Road in Valencia, is where 14-year-old Zahir
19:44Samuel would have trekked approximately five hours through rocky terrain, forested areas
19:48and even crossing a river to come and find persons within the community to render aid.
19:55Residents of the area offered said aid and notified the police and Zahir Samuel is currently
20:00safe and sound and back with his parents.
20:03A resident of the area who helped Samuel tells TV6 that he was surprised when Zahir came
20:08knocking on his door.
20:09He said, who is you?
20:11He said, I'm the boy who got kidnapped.
20:14And we were kind of, for a moment, we were kind of in a way, and I said, boy, come inside,
20:20come inside, because sometimes in that situation you really don't know if somebody is looking
20:23for him.
20:24He had bare feet, he was soaking wet, all he felt like he really ran through some serious
20:29bush.
20:31Zahir reportedly told the resident that after he had been kidnapped, he had been taken to
20:34a forested area and his hands and feet had been bound with duct tape.
20:39However, he had told his captors that one of his feet was hurting.
20:43And one of them, you know, goodness, had a heart problem in this situation, and they've
20:48taken off the duct tape and they leave him in the bush.
20:51And so that he escaped.
20:52He said, when five o'clock, he said like half five, I don't know if he had a timepiece,
20:56he said like half five, he leave him.
20:58If he had checked the time, he reached by me after that, and he maybe was in a really
21:03serious piece of bush.
21:05The police were notified and within two minutes, TV6 was told, officers were on the scene.
21:10He said Zahir looked as though he had spent quite some time in the bush.
21:15However, the teenager was calm and collected.
21:19He believed that Zahir's calmness may have been what saved his life.
21:23Yes, kind of calm and collective.
21:25Speaking with TV6 News, Zahir's father, William Samuel, said he was grateful that his son
21:30was returned, and he wanted to thank all those who would have been involved in bringing Zahir
21:35back safely.
21:36He noted that his son just had a few minor scratches about his body and mosquito bites.
21:41He also noted that despite any reports online, no one had called the family about a ransom.
21:46He also added that the family was currently staying with other relatives in central Trinidad
21:51until the situation had completely resolved.
21:54Alexandra Bruisval, TV6 News.
21:56Well, the following day, Zahir's father expressed relief for his son's escape and gratitude
22:03to the person who assisted him.
22:05However, he lashed out at criminals as he rehashed the trauma his son went through.
22:11William Samuel is back at his planned shop in St. Augustine, where his 14-year-old son,
22:15Zahir Samuel, was snatched by kidnappers on Wednesday at 5.30 a.m.
22:20But at the time, he was unaware of what was happening as he was installing a shelf.
22:24His wife is the one who informed him of what transpired.
22:27He is no longer willing to brave the predawn hours to open his business place, S&S plant
22:32and garden shop.
22:34The 70-year-old man knows that his son's upcoming birthday on December 30 carries with it a
22:39different meaning this year, following the ordeal from which the child escaped.
22:44So, that was the best birthday present I get for my son.
22:49You can't come and take people's children, snatch people's children for a dollar.
22:54Anything you sell, you can make a dollar.
22:57I sell coconut.
22:58Get it?
22:59I've gone all over to pick coconut, and you will just come there.
23:03So, take my son.
23:04And where you came?
23:05In Kumak.
23:06Kumak has snake long like the road.
23:10But any profits Zahir's kidnappers intended to get from the ordeal they put the teenager
23:14through was hindered.
23:15No, no, no.
23:16No ransom I pay.
23:17No ransom I pay.
23:18The ransom I pay because the police was down the hill.
23:22So, as the police was down the hill, them fellows and them, they came up the hill.
23:28And when they realized what was going on, they leave them and they run.
23:33Samuel says at 4 p.m. on Wednesday, his son was left to fend for himself in a forested
23:37area exposed to the elements.
23:40The man is thankful for the person he calls a good Samaritan who helped the child get
23:45to safety.
23:46He tells the media that he is concerned that the situation will have long-term effects.
23:51But as it stands now...
23:52He's showing her front.
23:56But last night, he was turning and twisting.
23:59Get it?
24:00So, I don't know what will go on with Zahir later on in life.
24:05You know what I mean?
24:07I have to pay attention.
24:08Now, I have to study now.
24:09How he going to school?
24:10He like to go in the bookstore, because when you pass here, Zahir always read it.
24:15He like to go for his training.
24:17So, I have to be watching my son now.
24:20For what?
24:21Because you want to take my son to God?
24:24Samuel calls it greed, as he believes many people will assist those who are genuinely
24:28in need of essentials, like food, if they ask for help.
24:32He tells us some small businesses are struggling to make ends meet to pay their utility bills,
24:38rent and staff.
24:40But the perception of criminals makes them prime targets.
24:44You just throw brine in, that you don't have to ask somebody for a dollar.
24:49But people feel because you're selling a little plant, and you have a van, you have the whole
24:54lot of money.
24:55And who has the money to even target them?
24:58You're always targeting the poor man.
25:00His wife was robbed at gunpoint last year.
25:03Physically, Zahir only sustained insect bites.
25:06Samuel is thanking all those who prayed for and provided support to his family.
25:11He calls for more police patrols, especially during those early hours when businesses
25:16usually organize to start the day's work.
25:20In other news, National Security Minister Fitzgerald Hines expressed what appeared to
25:24be optimism about progress by the police into specific categories of major crime.
25:31While there are concerns that Trinidad and Tobago could record more than 600 murders
25:36in 2024 as the year is drawing to a close, National Security Minister Fitzgerald Hines
25:42expressed what appeared to be some cautious optimism during a media conference on Friday.
25:47I understand from what the statistics are trending to show that there has begun to be
25:55detected a bit of a slowdown in the rate of murders, and therefore we appreciate that.
26:02But the figure is still as high as it is, and I am aware of the commitment of the police
26:09service and the various units inside of the police service in trying to carry on that
26:14trend so that we could see a suppression of the murders in Trinidad and Tobago.
26:19However, the National Security Minister acknowledged public sentiment about the number of murders
26:24in the Twin Island Republic.
26:26In so far as public disquiet over that is concerned, I do understand how the public
26:32would feel, but all I can do as Minister of National Security is give the public the assurance
26:38that work is being done in that regard.
26:40Minister Hines spoke about another challenge, which has seen some family members of some
26:45business owners being targeted.
26:48We have seen recently extortion begin to rear its head, and of course a unit has been put
26:55in place, and I am aware as Minister of National Security, a number of persons have been arrested
27:01and charged as the police work to suppress that particular crime.
27:05The National Security Minister spoke of one recent case in which the Trinidad and Tobago
27:10Police Service commended what it called the exceptional teamwork and tireless efforts
27:15of some of its officers.
27:17You would have noticed yesterday, I think it was, a 14-year-old boy who was taken from
27:22his parents' arms almost at their business place in St. Augustine.
27:27He was promptly released by his captors.
27:32I am aware, I can't say too much about it, but that the police responded in a certain
27:38kind of a way, and as one police officer might have colloquially put it, they put some pressure
27:50on the thing, and the situation resolves as beautifully as it did.
27:56Minister Hines then referred it to another incident that occurred earlier in the week
28:00where he said the police were able to find and rescue a kidnapped victim.
28:04So I, these successes from the police are what inspires me, and it inspires me on the
28:12understanding that work is being done to repel these crimes, to bring greater peace, safety
28:19and security to the people of Trinidad and Tobago.
28:22The answer to it is always that, work.
28:25And I'm seeing elements of success, and it's encouraging.
28:30Earlier this year, Prime Minister Dr. Keith Rowley announced the appointment of Port of
28:35Spain South MP, Keith Scotland, as the minister responsible for policing issues.
28:41Jewel Brown, TV6 News.
28:44This is the past seven days on 6, we'll be right back.
28:49♪♪
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