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00:15Good evening and welcome to the past seven days on six I am Vanessa cutting has what made the
00:22news this past week the special operations bill was passed in the Senate Prime Minister Kamala
00:29Posada Sessa was declared persona grata in Venezuela and the prime minister
00:35confirmed that a budget date will be announced this week as per usual if it was
00:40happening it was on six let's get right into it controversy in the Senate last
00:46week as the special operations bill was passed with 15 government senators voting
00:52in favor and 15 combined opposition and independent senators voting against the
00:58bill here's how the vote went down mr. Allah hi mr. Jeremy SC dr. Brown no mr.
01:13Arawi SC new mr. Vieira SC new miss short SC no dr. Axe no due to the vote being tied
01:26at 15 each Senate president with mark held the deciding vote on the section 59-2
01:32of the Constitution the report of the division 15 members voted for the bill 15
01:44members voted against the bill I have stated my reason and I think he said it again there is no
01:55settled practice in this Parliament based on my research on this issue of the status quo read the casting vote
02:08I have done the research on this matter
02:11I will make it available at the appropriate time to my colleagues who have requested
02:17I vote with the eyes 60 okay order 54 please no no no no no the vote haven't been settled
02:2916 in favor 15 against the vote has been taken the bill has been passed
02:39satan's helpers voted against it that was the scathing criticism held at independent senators by the prime minister after the
02:48special operations bill was passed
02:50last evening the special operations bill 2026 was passed in the Senate despite all of the independent and opposition senators
02:59voting against it with Senate President Wade Mark holding the deciding vote under section 59-2 of the Constitution
03:07TV6 reached out to Prime Minister Kamala Persaud for her thoughts on the result of the vote and she did
03:13not hold back on the independent senators saying
03:16quote the vote went well the government voted for the bill and Satan's helpers voted against it that was expected
03:24from that group of scumbags they voted against helping dying children with the expanded children's life fund bill so no
03:31one expected better from them end quote
03:34she continued her onslaught against the independents saying quote they are satanic to vote to protect drug traffickers who poison
03:42our children to protect rapists who rape mothers and daughters in their beds to protect violent criminals who rob and
03:49beat our elderly those demons basically told the criminals to go rape rob and murder with their vote end quote
03:57and the PM did not stop there she says her government will now ignore the independent senators saying quote
04:04quote if they want to write legislation they should fight elections to earn a seat in parliament going forward we
04:10will not take a single amendment from that bench on any bill they were relegated to uselessness in the parliament
04:17yesterday to only bray and then to have no effect on the legislation that will be their role going forward
04:24to bray and be ignored end quote
04:27bursad bisessa insists her government quote will not buy votes from anyone dominic ramroop tv6 news stand up against your
04:37representative and tell them you want special operations in your constituency that was the advice of homeland security minister raj
04:46alexander last week to citizens residing in pnm controlled areas as the government prepared to roll out zones of special
04:53operations
04:55if you don't want something by you all we will do is put it by us minister of homeland security
05:04raj alexander is sitting back at critics of the government's latest decision to enforce zones of special operations only in
05:13unc led constituencies as well as the two tobago seats held by the tpp
05:18this means that the 13 pnm led constituencies porter spain south porter spain north sintans west
05:27laventil west laventil east mova arima aruca lopino trin city maloney malaba mausica digomartin west digomartin central digomartin northeast and
05:41sintans east will not have any special zones of operations
05:46when the bill is likely passed with the government's simple majority however in the case of san fernando east which
05:53is pnm controlled
05:54there are some unc held electoral districts within that constituency this will allow closed zones to be set up in
06:03marabella east marabella south vistabella and marabella west
06:07as for those in the pnm led communities who may be supportive of the special operations zones the homeland security
06:15minister is sharing the following advice
06:17your representatives don't want it so you stand up against your representative then if that's the case you stand up
06:24against your representative and say listen you're speaking for you because you don't live here we want to speak for
06:31ourselves and you'll see the difference
06:33there have been mixed views from the public on the matter however there has been no official polling of the
06:39population
06:40the bill currently before parliament makes no mention of enforcement in unc areas only
06:46is the government considering doing public consultation to get the views of the people
06:51you heard a whole bill that they refuse
06:55the zones of special operations that's what a whole bill that they refuse
07:00hold on a whole bill that they refuse who are they again the representatives
07:07you heard a whole bill we went to parliament we went to the senate and they refuse it right even
07:12the
07:12independence person refuses
07:14you hear what i'm saying
07:15according to data from the ttps the northern division ranks the highest for reported crimes
07:22at six hundred and twenty one for the year thus far followed by porter spain at three hundred and ninety
07:29and central at three hundred and fifty two if you don't want something
07:35right should be forced on you you're saying you're going to the parliament you're going to the parliament
07:39and say my constituency don't want this i am saying to you we'll give it to the constituencies that wants
07:47it
07:47and we will build a wall it's like a wall of law enforcement officers to prevent those who are
07:54lawless and committing crime against our citizens prevent them from coming in so we move them away
08:00from good people we'll have more news when we return keep it here
08:11thanks for staying with us
08:13a diplomatic reset between trinidad and tobago and venezuela came last week
08:18following a highly anticipated meeting between prime minister kamala pasad besessa
08:23and venezuelan interim president delci rojiguez
08:27the much anticipated meeting between trinidad and tobago's prime minister
08:33and venezuelan president delci rojiguez has ended on a proverbial high
08:38prime minister pasad besessa is no longer a persona non grata
08:43a joint statement by the two countries reads quote
08:46the venezuelan side indicated that the prime minister was indeed persona grata in venezuela
08:53end quote
08:54this now paves the way for pasad besessa to visit caracas and rodriguez to visit port of spain
09:00as prefaced in the joint statement which says quote
09:03with the purpose of maintaining a direct consultation mechanism at the highest level
09:08both dignitaries agreed to pay official visits to caracas and port of spain end quote
09:14pasad besessa was declared persona non grata by venezuelan national assembly in october 2025
09:21amid tensions over trinidad and tobago's relationship with the united states
09:26and u.s military activity in the region however relations have since improved with foreign
09:31minister sean sobers visiting caracas earlier this month following a meeting between pasad besessa
09:37and venezuela's president in new york on september 23rd 2026 the venezuelan side indicated the
09:45prime minister is now considered persona grata in venezuela marking a significant shift in the two
09:51countries diplomatic relationship the persona non grata status is a significant diplomatic rebuke
09:58although it does not necessarily mean the person is banned from every type of travel or that criminal
10:04charges exist however the person may be refused entry into the country if already they're in a
10:11diplomatic capacity the sending country may be expected to recall them the working meeting between
10:17the two of the hemisphere's leading diplomats was held on wednesday in new york as the duo attended
10:23the united nations general assembly it was described as cordial and heralding the beginning of a new
10:29era in bilateral relations venezuela and tnt reiterated their commitment to consolidating the
10:35bilateral agenda under the principles of mutual respect sovereignty good neighborliness dialogue and
10:43cooperation for the benefit and prosperity of both peoples it reads quote in that spirit they agreed
10:49on a work agenda aimed at strengthening exchange and mutual benefit in the areas of trade energy
10:56security disaster risk management environmental protection agriculture tourism air connectivity and
11:03culture end quote president rodriguez reiterated the gratitude of her countrymen to the people of tnt
11:09for the expressions of solidarity offered following the earthquakes of june 24th or vishita wariruknarain tv6 news
11:18while the prime minister said she welcomes venezuela's indication that she's now persona grata
11:23but said there is no immediate timeline for a planned visit to caracas prime minister kamala
11:31person says she welcomes the change of her status when asked for comment while on day four of her trip
11:38to the united nations general assembly she tells tv6 quote i have always had good relations with the
11:45venezuelan people and i look forward to that continuing in the future i welcome the change in
11:51status end quote we asked the pm how soon she will travel to caracas she tells us quote it's too
11:58early to
11:58speak of specific dates but of course that will happen in the future my main focus right now is the
12:052027 budget end quote as the pm is at the united nations the senate debates the special operations
12:13bill where debate is rife over her decision to not implement closed areas in the pnm constituencies
12:21following pushback and threats of protest by pnm held constituencies and their mps in the upper house
12:28opposition senator faris al-rahi said such a policy will cause criminals to flock to pnm held areas
12:35while opposition mp for laventil west kareem marcel said it was an irresponsible and disrespectful position
12:43and that the pm should govern for all in response pasad vasasa says quote oh so now it's
12:51not apartheid wasn't it racist yesterday what about saying no to esso and the big march they were
12:58going to have i certainly don't want them to feel caged this has to be the dumbest vision of the
13:04pnm
13:05ever end quote she maintained that she was not going to force the pnm mps and their supporters to
13:12accept help visada repeated that if they prefer violent criminal gangs to control their streets instead
13:18of the police and army so be it and does the prime minister have any message to independent senators
13:26as they prepare to vote on the bill though their support may not be needed for simple majority passage
13:32besad vasasa responded quote unquote stop being deadbeats or vishita wari ruknarine tv6 news
13:40in other news with the prime minister confirming that a budget date will be announced this week
13:46tobago's tourism sector is high on the agenda of chief secretary farli augustine tourism tourism is
13:54definitely a priority for us especially with this new thrust towards uh extensive marketing in the north
14:01american market so that we can increase the numbers of direct arrivals foreign direct arrivals to tobago
14:12and to trinidad by extension do you think a billion dollars is needed i know the hotel on the
14:18only capital development side yes the tha requested 4.12 billion from finance minister davindranath tanku
14:26as the tha presented its estimates for fiscal october 1st 2026 to september 30th 2027 back in june
14:35the estimates of recurrent expenditure amount to 3.03 billion and development program expenditure
14:43estimates total 1.09 billion cbep estimates amount to 43.35 million my budget wish is uh for
14:55a fair share in the in the budget as always a fair share for tobago and tobago's development um agenda
15:02i think as as a country uh we we need to see um some significant economic movement um on the
15:13ground
15:13generally and and i think uh coming out of this budget i'm hoping it will spawn things like a construction
15:20boom it will allow for a flurry of economic activities um i also want to see measures that will
15:30attract foreign direct investments mr augustin wants tobago's productivity levels raised to a higher
15:38standard with a vision beyond trinidad we need to look external to trinidad and tobago for our economic
15:46future i think uh and i and i also want to see us be prepared as a country to raise
15:54the levels of
15:54productivity in sectors outside of the energy sector and that includes agriculture because food security
16:02must be remain paramount first elizabeth williams tv6 news this is the past seven days on six we'll be right
16:17welcome back will the award of contracts previously halted by the office of the procurement regulator
16:23now be cleared for approval pending the passage of amendments to the procurement act
16:28here's what minister in the ministry of housing philip alexander had to see the public procurement and
16:35disposal of public property amendment bill heads to the senate on monday where it is expected to be
16:41passed with the government's simple majority amid outcry from various stakeholders that the move
16:47undermines the exact purpose of the legislation among the amendments is one which seeks to limit the
16:53powers of the office of the procurement regulator removing its ability to suspend hold or otherwise
17:00restrain any procurement proceeding on the basis of a complaint or an investigation could we expect now
17:07that the awarding of the contracts that were faulted by the upr would now be moving forward
17:13there's a tricky way you ask that question the the projects that want to be built will be going
17:20forward will it be going forward in the same exact manner as the original contracts that 11 contracts
17:27that made up the 3.4 billion dollar award i don't know other some contractors have already moved on
17:34and pledged resources in other projects and other things so what we will be doing is putting it back
17:42out for tender um the same markano quarry canada heights that is going to be coming out as a request
17:49for proposals for contractors to come and bid we are going to do it in a very open and a
17:55very transparent
17:56manner and we will be delivering houses we are aiming with everything for that 20 000 house mark
18:03the bill also seeks to exempt public-private partnerships for public housing from normal
18:09procurement procedures and seeks to change the definition of public-private partnership arrangement
18:15to public-private partnership defined as any agreement contract partnership or working relationship between
18:23a public body and a person for the purpose of financing constructing operating or managing public
18:30property end quote minister alexander says the goal is to deliver more affordable houses at a faster rate
18:38our prime minister said a very hefty goal for us to deliver and we are still very focused on delivering
18:47that um all i could say to you now is this that these changes respects oversight it respects
18:56transparency it respects procurement it is the united national congress that brought this law in the first
19:03place pnm set it up badly and it is a weaponized tool that can be used politically that is affecting
19:12our
19:12ability to deliver houses i am the one that's on the ground that's taking people and showing them
19:17houses and saying this that sold for 1.2 million should not cost 500 000 i'm the one that's saying
19:23it
19:23so i'm on record over and over and over so i won't stand for us doing the same thing what
19:30we want i want to
19:31give you an example the people of bath street i went bath street and the people are waiting on pumps
19:37and
19:37a plumbing system and leaking roofs procurement is keeping it back the minister says minimum wage earners
19:44will soon be able to afford htc homes we actually have on paper a replacement project for mccano
19:54canada heights i went canada heights and saw those abandoned buildings we've already put together
20:00all of the information to replace that and at a price that a minimum wage earner can buy a home
20:08and that's where this prime minister the honorable kamla pasadi says wants us to go the housing
20:14development corporation has to return to its original core remit of providing high quality low-cost housing
20:22solutions meantime opposition senator faris al-raoui said the pnm will oppose proposed changes to the
20:29procurement bill arguing that the amendments will weaken the powers of the opr speaking to reporters
20:36outside parliament ahead of the senate sitting last week harawi claimed that the proposed amendments
20:41would limit the opr's ability to intervene in procurement decisions it considers questionable
20:48what the prime minister has done or the government has done is to say you know what we're going to
20:54take
20:55away the power of the office of procurement regulation they will now be advisory nothing that they say
21:01will matter they can no longer stop procurement that is wrong that ought to raise a lot of alarm bells
21:07particularly when you see that one clause public private partnership for land is going to be exempt
21:15immediately following the landmark construction scandal immediately following the public procurement stoppage
21:22of 1.4 billion dollars in contracts to one contractor alone in a truncated procurement process
21:31al-raoui also raised constitutional concerns over the proposed powers of the prime minister and the police
21:39sport is up next keep it here
21:48in sport tnt were left crestfallen after haiti stormed back to score twice in six minutes to defeat
21:55the warriors 3-2 in their conca cap nations league opener levi garcia's second half strike looked almost
22:02certain to snap tnt's a long winless streak but it all went up in smoke as the haitians rallied to
22:08leave tnt with
22:09a bitter taste in their mouth could tnt snap a dreaded stretch of 350 days without a win while adding
22:17to
22:17an anemic total of three goals scored this year a couple difficult questions especially against the
22:23world cup tested haitians hoping to make sabaina park their home for him to manage and it certainly felt
22:29like home when they drew first blood maneuvering is the door the hitter they score perfectly placed
22:39but europe's top assist man rio cardin's orchestrated tnt's response they score
22:46wade frederick frederick right place right time good action wade frederick's strike leaving both
22:56teams on even turns at the break the second half was even more eventful as the haitians came close
23:03that shot just missed the far bar is the door bearing down able to but tnt's direct approach paid dividends
23:12trent tobago on the push here watch out it's trouble it's in the back of the net
23:20levi garcia on a dead sprint jabari bryce replaced an injured denzil smith in goal and needed to be alert
23:31dequa was the one that delivered and bryce had lady luck to thank jams the brakes another pivot oh he
23:39grabbed some woodwork not once but twice but there was little the keeper could do to prevent haiti's
23:45equalizer long way locked it around there's the equalizer and that momentum took haiti from defeat
23:53to ecstasy on the back post they score
23:59wilson easy door talk about a death defined tnt left empty-handed as they extended their days without a win
24:07to 351 and counting terence clark tv6 sport and that's a wrap on the past seven days on sixth i
24:17am
24:17ronessa cutting if you didn't catch this segment in its entirety you can find it on our website www.tv6tnt
24:25.com
24:26and you can find all these stories and more on the tv6 mobile app thanks for choosing tv6 and you
24:33do have a great evening
24:37setup
24:38foreign
24:40foreign