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00:03Welcome back. PNM MP Stuart Young posted a photo of himself and Venezuela's acting president,
00:10Delty Rodriguez, last week, raising eyebrows and a multitude of questions. However, while
00:16many were eager to know the context of the visit, Prime Minister Cameron Pesad de Sessa
00:20appeared unbothered. Former Energy Minister Stuart Young posted this photo to his social
00:27media today with the caption, It was a pleasure meeting with Her Excellency Delty Rodriguez,
00:33Presidenta Encargada of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela earlier this week. At the end,
00:40he puts the hashtag, Persona Grata, an apparent jab at Prime Minister Cameron Pesad de Sessa,
00:47who remains persona non grata, meaning an unwelcome person. Calls and messages to the former Energy
00:54Minister went unanswered. However, contacted for comment, Prime Minister Cameron Pesad de Sessa
01:01responded, quote, Good luck with that stuity. Accompanied by one thumbs up emoji and four
01:07laughing emojis, attempts to get a response from the political leader of the PNM were unsuccessful.
01:14Meantime, PNM Chairman Marvin Gonzalez would only confirm to TV6 News that Young had informed the
01:21executive of his intention to travel. He declined to say whether the party had been given details of
01:28the trip. Earlier this week, the Prime Minister told the media that the government is still working
01:33on putting together a team to send it to Venezuela, two weeks after announcing that a delegation would
01:39be sent to secure TNT's, quote, just share of oil and gas resources. Three out of ten. That's how the
01:49opposition leader rated the UNC government's performance in its first year in office based
01:54on its treatment of crime, the economy and other social issues.
01:59With the UNC government about to celebrate one year in office, how would you rate their performance
02:05on a scale of one to ten, ten being excellent? Ten being excellent, I would say three.
02:13It's a failing grade for the government from the opposition leader, who says the government
02:19is yet to start delivering on any of its key campaign promises.
02:24And if you go through the manifesto and the multiplicity of promises, let's start with employment,
02:30yes? 20,000. But as soon as you come in, within months, you fire almost 20,000. And then you
02:40keep going up and you keep going up. So that's the critical things for the people. Employment.
02:45Let's talk about housing. You're going to build 500 houses a week. When is that starting?
02:51The opposition leader says the government is also failing on the economic front, particularly
02:56where it concerns the energy sector. All these narco trafficking, all kinds of accusations
03:03of Venezuela. And what are you saying to them? You want your fair share. Fair share? Of the same
03:10Delce Rodriguez that was a narco trafficker and you wanted to have nothing to do with. When the
03:18Minister of Planning is saying about what regional cooperation will do for business. I mean, they
03:24now realize that regional cooperation will help us in business after what they have done to CARICOM. So
03:29you can go through CARICOM as well. I mean, there are very few, if anything, that I can say that
03:35this
03:35government has succeeded at. And with nurses engaged in ongoing protest action and the Ministry of
03:42Education now moving towards e-learning tools, Beckel says the failures continue. Telling us now about
03:50digital education and they are going into a direction where Sweden and other countries are saying, listen,
03:55that has not helped students. So we are going in a direction now where other countries who have tried
04:02it over the last 20 years are saying, we're not going in that direction. I mean, look at the healthcare,
04:09look at the crisis in the healthcare. So I'm asking, what really can this government say they perform?
04:16But perhaps the largest failure of all, according to the PNM, is the government's handling of the crime
04:23situation. Opposition Chief Whip Marvin Gonzalez has the following message for the Prime Minister.
04:30They are going to celebrate in a mass rally on Saturday. But I want to tell Kamala Posad-Bissessa,
04:38that rally that you propose to have on Saturday should in fact be the biggest national week in the
04:46Republic of Trinidad and Tobago. That is what they should be convening to do on Saturday. Not a rally to
04:55celebrate, but a convention to celebrate and to observe a week for what they have done to the people of
05:04Trinidad and Tobago.
05:05As at midday today, there were 111 homicides recorded compared to 124 for the same period last year.
05:14This is the past seven days on six. We'll be right back.
05:24Is the government intending to wipe out an entire industry? It was the question being asked by one
05:31bookseller who called for consultation as the government moves to replace physical textbooks
05:36with digital learning tools. Meantime, Tuta also issued a call for stakeholder engagement.
05:46Now, parents and guardians across the country are welcoming the education minister's announcement that
05:52they will soon save upwards of a thousand dollars on back-to-school expenses as the government moves
05:58to replace physical textbooks with AI textbooks. However, at least one bookseller is of the opinion
06:05that this move could signal the end of an entire industry.
06:09Booksellers, publishers, distributors, just some of the players who stand to be negatively impacted
06:16by the government's push towards e-learning tools, according to managing director of Charon's bookstore,
06:22Vivek Charon.
06:23We are holding on by our fingernails, if you want to say it that way. And now the government wants,
06:28in a sense, it appears to be that they're taking away what little is left and putting us on notice
06:35that within the next three years, there'll be no books to sell. And if that is the case, then perhaps
06:40they need to really make an official announcement and call us in and say that they have determined that
06:47there'll be no useful bookstores within the next three years. Now, it's not just the booksellers.
06:53When we go down, which we will, the publishers go down, the distributors go down, the printers go down,
07:00the freight companies, the warehouses, the sale reps, the entire supply chain that puts a book into
07:06a child's hand is at risk. This is not just one sector. This is an ecosystem. And the government is
07:12pulling it apart without understanding what it is connected to. On Tuesday, Education Minister Dr.
07:18Michael Darlath announced that AI-assisted digital textbooks for mathematics and language arts are
07:25now available for formal students on the government supplied laptops. Come September, four additional
07:32digital textbooks will be available. I want to categorically state that we are not against
07:38technology. What we are against is being treated as disposable. What we are against is not being
07:44consulted in any form or fashion on a policy that can so severely affect our livelihood within the context
07:54of an economy that appears to us to be contracting, when we ourselves have difficulty in running our own
08:02businesses. And we are calling the Ministry of Education to please sit down with us, sit down with
08:09the booksellers, sit down with all the stakeholders involved before expanding your program any further.
08:16Again, we are not against technology or the use of technology in schools. As a matter of fact,
08:24we are all for letting it run its course. If you do the research, you will see that many countries
08:29have
08:29gone down the way of using AI and have gone down the way of using e-textbooks and non-physical
08:35textbooks.
08:36And slowly over time, it hasn't worked out the way that they thought it did. And many of them are
08:41now
08:41going back to physical textbooks. Meantime, Tutor is also calling for stakeholder engagement,
08:47with teachers being expected to utilize the digital resources. Tutor would have noted that the
08:53Ministry of Education would have recently launched its AI mathematics and English language platform.
08:58Tutor would like to say that, yes, we support all initiatives that would enhance the teaching
09:03learning process, and we welcome them. At the same time, we look at international experiences and so on,
09:10other countries that would have done this already. And we ask the Ministry of Education to be a bit cautious
09:17in the entire rollout. We ask that communication and collaboration continue between the recognized
09:23majority union between all stakeholders in terms of education, personnel, the training that is necessary
09:29for all of them to ensure the successful implementation of said project.
09:35In other news, there are no changes to Caribbean Airlines flight on the route between Trinidad and Tobago,
09:42despite some confusion last week. There are no plans to decrease or remove the subsidy on Caribbean
09:49Airlines flight on the air bridge. That's according to a highly credible government source TV6 News spoke to,
09:55who wishes to remain anonymous. Information relayed to us is that Cal flights are normally increased during peak periods,
10:03such as Christmas, Carnival and Easter, and no policy has been taken to change that or the price of the
10:10flights.
10:10Our source believes that a controversy stemming from statements made by Trade Minister Satyakama Maharaj
10:17were misrepresented. The confusion in the public domain surrounds the narrative that all flights
10:23on the air bridge during peak season will be unsubsidized. However, on April 23rd, the minister
10:30revealed that there had been a proposal to put two unsubsidized Cal flights, one in the morning and the
10:36other in the evening during the peak season. Maharaj said, quote, and people pay the rate. You want to
10:43fly tomorrow, you pay. I think it was about 960 or $1,000 return, which is nothing, but you have
10:53a secure
10:53seat, end quote. Additionally, Maharaj stated that if there was further demand for the unsubsidized flights,
11:01more could be added. He also said that other airlines were being considered to service the Trinidad
11:06and Tobago route. The minister did not state what became of this proposal or where it came from.
11:13TV6 News has reached out to Minister Maharaj concerning the said proposal, seeking clarity,
11:18as well as Transport and Civil Aviation Minister Eli Zakur. We are awaiting responses from both ministers.
11:27A bittersweet day for the passage of the Tobago Marine Park Bill at the Assembly Chamber last
11:33week during its special sitting, as Angelica Jogi would have celebrated her 8th birthday on the said day.
11:40But she was fatally injured on April 8th, when a jet ski crashed into her and her family at the
11:45Pigeon
11:46Point Beach in Tobago. She died at the Scarborough General Hospital. Chief Secretary Father Augustine piloted the bill. Here's more.
11:55Today's date, the 23rd of April, would have been the young lady's 8th birthday.
12:03So we are actually sitting on a day when this child and her parents should have been celebrating
12:11the 8th birthday. They should have been celebrating. In fact, this was their pre-birthday celebration.
12:18The bill focuses on establishing a legislative framework for the protection, management,
12:25and sustainable use of Tobago's marine parks, safeguarding biodiversity while supporting future
12:31generations. A fine of $100,000 and jail time is on the books. Mr. Augustine said in about three weeks'
12:40time, the bill should make its way to Parliament. Your own PNM people refuse to handle it. And I want
12:46to advise this House that after consultation with the Attorney General and the Prime Minister,
12:51I was given the undertaking that once this is passed, and sent down to the Parliament,
12:56that in the space of two to three weeks, this bill will make its way into the Parliament and will
13:04be
13:04addressed by the National Parliament. And this bill,
13:25it will appear as though, the TTPS
13:41refuses, refuses to engage those who are trespassing. Refuses to engage. And at this juncture,
13:52I want to say that should anybody wish to sue the THA over any incident there, my instruction to all
14:02lawyers will be to go to court and ask that they sue the Attorney General and the central government.
14:07Agustin also called out former Prime Minister Dr. Keith Rowley for the Marine Bill languishing under
14:13the previous PNM government. I heard the former former Prime Minister talking about banning all jet
14:20skis in the area. Yet, the 2020 bill went to his cabinet. His cabinet, a PNM, a PNM THA sent
14:30it
14:30to a PNM government in 2020. And you wait until he is political person and non grata when nobody cares
14:40about his political opinion. And he has absolutely no authority to talk about banning
14:45jet, you saw jet skis in the space. According to the Tobago Marine Park Bill,
14:50under the inspectors and enforcement provisions, a person who assaults, obstructs, restricts,
14:57or interferes with an inspector in the execution of his duty, or any person who aids or incites
15:04another person so to assault, obstruct, resist, or interfere with an inspector in the execution
15:11of his duties, or who declines to facilitate an inspector commits an offense and is liable on
15:18summary conviction to a fine of $100,000 and imprisonment for a term of 12 months. Elizabeth
15:26Williams, TV6 News. Sport is up next. Keep it here.
15:37In sport, the TNT Red Force was left without choice but to share the point with the Leeward
15:43Islands Hurricanes. After umpires determined the pitch was unfit to play last week,
15:48during the very first session of the third day. The Leeward's reached 140-7 with a lead of 96 when
15:54the decision was made. It came after batter Jeremiah Louie was struck in the head from a good length
16:01delivery and had to be stretched off.
16:03The batter's reached.
16:06Oh, that's a good delivery and he's gone. Seven for Seals.
16:11Jaden Seals, seven for 34 now and it's 100 and they're 58 for seven.
16:16The dangerous Jermani.
16:17The pitch there and Hamilton looks very disappointing. He had a short of a length
16:21moving and just couldn't handle it. He couldn't get out of the way.
16:25And the Trinidad have to be able to get in the start that they wanted.
16:44Oh, he struck a mighty hit.
16:53Wow. What's going on there?
16:56I have no idea what is taking place but Jeremiah Louie has lost it a little bit.
17:04Yeah, Seals is right there with him.
17:10That one pitched and was shaping away.
17:14Yeah.
17:15Again, I didn't see anything that in the pitch that was a genuine short delivery.
17:21If you just roll back and see where that one was pitched, almost halfway down the track.
17:28So it was a genuine short delivery that he should have been looking to play on the back foot.
17:34He misread it completely.
17:36And then he just loses.
17:38And then he's just lost.
17:41You know, he's just lost it.
17:43That is taking place.
17:54Looks as if he has a cut over his eye.
17:59So, seems like he has some blood on him.
18:02He has a cut over one of his eyes.
18:07So, I believe that he might probably need to be taken away to get some stitches, etc.
18:22He has come down to the ground level.
18:24He has already come down to the ground level.
18:29Ambulance.
18:30Searching for the ambulance is on the field.
18:32And we are going to have a look at Jeremiah Louie.
18:37I'm sure in a very short while things may be sorted out.
18:41Let's see how best you can get as much of the information as possible.
18:47So, you can update those who are watching.
18:51But Jeremiah Louie is currently in the ambulance.
18:54The ambulance is still on the ground.
18:57So, maybe we are trying to do some remedial work with him in that anti-location.
19:13And that's a wrap on the past 7 days on 6.
19:17I am Renessa Cutting.
19:18If you didn't catch this segment in its entirety, you can find it on our website, www.tv6tnt.com.
19:26And you can find all these stories and more on the TV6 mobile app.
19:31Thanks for choosing TV6 and do have a great evening.
19:48I'll see you next time.
20:07Good evening and welcome to the past seven days on six.
20:11I am Renessa Cutting has what made the news this past week.
20:15Three men are to be charged as the investigation into the gun heist and killing of WPC Eversley progresses.
20:21A former prime minister posted a picture after meeting with Venezuela's acting president.
20:26And the United National Congress celebrated one year in office.
20:30As per usual, if it was happening, it was on six.
20:34Let's get right into it.
20:36Prime Minister Kamala Passat-Basasa revealed some big announcements on Saturday
20:41as she addressed party loyalists at the UNC's one-year anniversary celebration.
20:47Among the government plans more mobile police units as the government seeks to get a handle on crime.
20:54The other side keeps saying, where is the crime plan?
20:58Where is the crime plan, Kamala?
21:00I have no crime plan. I have an anti-crime plan against crime.
21:06I have no crime plan. None.
21:09Prime Minister Kamala Passat-Basasa spoke to her party's faithful during the UNC's Congress
21:14and reported a donation at the Coover South Hall car park.
21:17As the prime minister gave an account of her administration's fight against crime
21:22three days before their one-year anniversary,
21:24she also announced what is soon to be a new part of that strategy.
21:27We leased 50 more vehicles for the police.
21:31We will soon deploy across our nation 30 mobile police posts across the country.
21:37You know what that means?
21:38You'll have a police post in the near future, Mexico thereafter,
21:44in 30 venues and more to come.
21:46You want to hear anti-crime plan?
21:48And that, all this is part of the UNC's anti-crime plan.
21:53The prime minister also spoke of an upcoming boost to the Office of Director of Public Prosecutions.
21:59We are now working, my Honourable Attorney General and I,
22:03we are working to staff the DPP's office and provide new accommodation for the DPP.
22:09The Ministry of Justice will soon receive funding for the upgrade of several judicial buildings.
22:15And the prime minister also stood her ground on one particular decision made by the government she leads.
22:22We declare states of emergency to protect our citizens.
22:28The results are already showing.
22:31So you see those on the other side,
22:32and all you have is SOE.
22:34Well, I will take an SOE any day, every day.
22:38It will keep our citizens safe, keep you safe, keep you protected.
22:42While there so is, under the UNC-led government, last year and early this year,
22:46took effect without a curpu, and without any restrictions on public gatherings,
22:50the government has faced criticisms about their effectiveness from the opposition, PNM.
22:56In 2025, murders from then to now declined by 42%.
23:0542% in murders from under their wash to us now.
23:12In 2026, serious crimes have dropped by 30% compared to the same period from last year.
23:20Last year, this time, we had 3,413 serious crimes.
23:25Now, under our watch, 2,397.
23:29The Prime Minister expressed the administration's gratitude to the police service,
23:33the Defense Force, and their leaders,
23:35and all of the other state agencies involved in the fight against crime.
23:41Jewel Brown, TV6 News.
23:44Meantime, two civilians are to be charged with the murder of WPC Eversley,
23:49alongside one municipal police constable.
23:52The confirmation came from Police Commissioner Alistair Guvaro.
23:55Two civilians are to be charged with murder,
23:59alongside a municipal police constable,
24:02as the investigation into the police station heist and murder of WPC Eversley advances.
24:08Following further consultations with the Director of Public Prosecutions, Mr. Roger Gaspard, SC,
24:15the TTPS has received formal instructions to also charge
24:20a 24-year-old strap-iron dealer of Claxton Bay
24:23and a 20-year-old construction worker also of Claxton Bay
24:28alongside the 28-year-old municipal police officer already in custody.
24:34All three will be charged jointly with murder,
24:38robbery with violence,
24:40firearm trafficking,
24:41and possession of ammunition.
24:44The 28-year-old municipal police officer remains
24:47the only municipal police officer charged at this time.
24:52At least 10 suspects had been detained during the course of the investigation.
24:57The accused are expected to appear in court sometime next week.
25:01At this time, Assistant Superintendent of Police Maraj
25:05of the Homicide Bureau of Investigations
25:07is formally preferring the charges against all three accused.
25:11And once this process is completed,
25:14the men will be taken before a master of the High Court.
25:17The TTPS continues to pursue all remaining leads.
25:21Our investigators remain focused on identifying any additional facilitators,
25:26recovering any outstanding firearms,
25:29and bringing every responsible individual before the courts.
25:33The commissioner says 44 firearms have been recovered.
25:37It has been reported that more than 100 guns were possibly stolen
25:41in the heist at the San Fernando Municipal Police Station.
25:46Meantime, Assistant Commissioner of Police, Wayne Meister,
25:49is now the head of the Municipal Police Service,
25:52formally replacing ACP's Render Sangram Singh,
25:55who has been sent on administrative leave pending the investigation.
26:00Meister tells TV6 News he's hitting the ground running.
26:04My immediate priorities are,
26:06one, initiate an immediate review of all municipal police security protocols,
26:11infrastructure, and operational readiness.
26:14All issues identified will be addressed with urgency and accountability.
26:18Two, I will engage stakeholders and officers to resolve key issues
26:24through structured dialogue to revive Officer Moral.
26:29Three, to strengthen the role of the municipal police
26:32within the national security architecture.
26:35Meister paid a visit to WPC FSD's family today,
26:39on the first day in his new function.
26:42He shared the following message for the officers now under his command.
26:46To the officers under my command, your role is critical,
26:50so is your responsibility, your safety, your discipline,
26:53and your professionalism are now under sharper focus than ever before.
26:58We will correct what needs to be corrected quickly.
27:02To the public, you can expect order, presence, and decisive leadership.
27:09And the TTPS gave the directive for all firearms lodged at municipal corporations
27:14to be stored at a TTPS service station until through the notice.
27:20Following the murder of acting Corporal Anushka Eversley
27:23at the San Fernando Municipal Police Station
27:25and the theft of a catch of firearms and ammunition,
27:28a directive was sent by Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Rural Development
27:32and Local Government Peter Mitchell for ACP of the Trinidad and Tobago Municipal Police Service,
27:37Surindra Sagram Singh, to proceed on leave.
27:40Now, one day after that directive,
27:43the PS has ordered that all firearms at municipal corporations
27:46are to be lodged at the appropriate TTPS police stations across the country.
27:51The memo dated yesterday said,
27:53In order to ensure proper accountability and compliance with the Firearms Act,
27:58all firearms assigned under these firearms users' license
28:01are to be immediately lodged for safekeeping
28:04at the appropriate police station within the relevant jurisdiction.
28:08This process should be undertaken following consultation
28:11with the Senior Superintendent of Police for the respective division.
28:15Please note that officers may thereafter be issued firearms for duty
28:19at the respective police stations where the firearms are lodged.
28:22Thereby maintaining operational continuity
28:25while ensuring lawful custody and control.
28:28This measure shall remain in effect pending the completion
28:31of a full audit and verification exercise
28:33as well as the regularization of the relevant firearm user's license.
28:38A total of 11 suspects remain in police custody.
28:42Mark Bassant, TV6 News.
28:46Switching gears now.
28:47Four persons, including a nine-year-old girl,
28:50was shot dead last week in Mova.
28:52Here's a look back at that.
28:55Oh my God!
28:56Oh my God!
28:58Oh my God!
29:01Oh my God!
29:03Inconsolable.
29:04The grief too much to bear for a relative of one of four persons
29:08shot dead last night in Mova.
29:11Among the dead was little nine-year-old Jelena Armstrong.
29:14The others were identified as 23-year-old Obetei Latif,
29:18Asim Armstrong and 20-year-old Chelsea Edwards.
29:22Investigators say the group had visited Harry's Waterpark in Tabakit
29:25and was returning home around 7.15pm in this red Lancer
29:29when the vehicle pulled alongside them on Lady Young Road in Mova
29:32near the walkover and gunmen opened fire.
29:36The driver of the Lancer later lost control
29:38and crashed into another vehicle as the gunmen sped off.
29:42Investigators say all the victims were shot multiple times
29:45and said the hit was not only targeted
29:47but believed to have been gang-related.
29:49Police say they recovered over 35.56 shells
29:52and 59mm shells at the scene.
29:55President of the Trinidad and Tobago Carnival Bands Association,
29:58Mark Iron, said he was deeply hurt
30:00by the killing of nine-year-old Jelena Armstrong.
30:03In a social media post today,
30:06Iron said the nation had failed the child
30:07whom he described as bright, kind and full of life.
30:11Iron said from the moment he met her,
30:12she stood out as quote-unquote junior queen
30:15and had become like family
30:16through their shared mass camp community.
30:19Police say the suspects in a quadruple murder
30:21remain at large.
30:22Mark Bessant, TV6 News.
30:26We'll have more news when we return.
30:29Keep it here.
30:29We'll have more news when we return.
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