West Indies legend Shivnarine Chanderpaul will return to Lancashire for his second spell at the club on a one-year deal.

While South African wicketkeeper batsman Dane Vilas has joined after signing for two years, with both players on Kolpak contracts.

With the club losing Ashwell Prince, Tom Smith and Alviro Petersen over the last two seasons, Chapple admitted when he was appointed last week that the club needed to bring in experienced players to help what is a young squad.

“We’re delighted to bring two experienced international batsman into the club ahead of the new season,” said Chapple.

“Shivnarine knows what it takes to be successful. The talented squad here at Lancashire is very young and Shivnarine will bring a healthy level of experience to help guide them.

“Whilst Shivnarine will undoubtedly have an important role to play on the field, his role off the field will be of huge importance to our young players.” Chanderpaul, at 42, certainly has a wealth of experience. He has scored close to 12,000 runs in 164 Tests, and is closing in on 26,000 first-class runs. He has also played 268 one-day internationals.

And the left-hander — who has also played for Derbyshire, Durham and Warwickshire — has lost none of his runscoring abilities by hitting back-to-back centuries for Guyana last month.

“He’s one of the most experienced international cricketers in the history of the game and it will be a fantastic opportunity for our players to learn from him, in all aspects of the game,” added Chapple.

Chanderpaul played eight firstclass matches for Lancashire in his previous spell in 2010, hitting two centuries and five fifties.

“I can’t wait to return back to Lancashire this summer,” he said.

“It’s an extremely ambitious club and there are some fantastically talented young cricketers in the squad.

“I’m looking forward to passing on some of my experience to the younger players. The 2017 season is going to be an exciting and progressive one for Lancashire.”

In a statement RFHL said its total assets stood at $68.5 billion at December 31, 2016, an increase of 4.3 per- cent and 2.4 percent over September, 2016 when compared with the results of December 2015.

In announcing the results, Chairman of the Holdings Company, Ronald Harford, said the results were driven by a reduction in loan impairment expense in the Group’s Ghana subsidiary and improvements in the performance of the Trinidad and Tobago operations. “The Group remains focused on improving asset quality and efficiency,” Harford said.

Noting the current economic challenges faced in the environment, he added that the Group expected to achieve a creditable performance for 2017.

He also expressed his appreciation to customers for their support and to the management and staff of the Group for their continued hard work

Dead are Carla Collins a geriatric nurse and her sons Kamari, eight months, and Kamani. Collins’ husband and the boys’ father Keston Collins sustained minor injuries and yesterday was in a daze as he struggled to come to terms with the fact that his family was wiped out by the action of another driver.

Surrounded by family and friends at his Darwell Gardens, Arima home, Newsday understands Collins insists the incident is a bad dream and his wife and children are still alive. His relatives said they hope the police give them justice by laying vehicular manslaughter charges against the speeding driver. Collins is an officer in the TT Coast Guard.

According to reports, at about 10.30 pm on Thursday, a car belonging to Deryck Elcock was parked near the PBR at the intersection as a silver-coloured Mitsubishi Lancer driven by Keston “Speedy” Collins, 33, was proceeding south along Mausica Road. As Collins’ car proceeded north to south across the PBR, a speeding car driven by a 28-yearold man of D’Abadie, proceeding west to east along the PBR, slammed into the right side of Collins’ car.

The impact was so great that Carla and her two sons who were seated in the back were flung out of the vehicle. Kamani ended up in a drain at the side of the PBR while Kamari fell onto the culvert.

Carla also landed on the culvert. Mother and sons died at the scene.

The collision caused Collins’ car to swerve into Elcock’s parked car at great velocity. Eyewitnesses recalled hearing a loud crunching sound as steel collided with steel.

A party of officers led by Inspector Naim Gyan and including Cpl Norbert of the Arima police station visited the scene along with the District Medical Officer (DMO) who ordered the bodies removed to the mortuary.

Newsday understands that the speeding motorist was detained by police and statements recorded.

The man was expected to be released from custody last evening as investigations continue.

Yesterday, Lieutenant Sherron Manswell, the Communications Officer for the TT Coast Guard offered condolences to Collins and his family over the tragic loss of his wife and sons.

“We in the TT Coast Guard are deeply hurt by this tragedy and are offering 100 percent support to Mr Collins, Leading Seaman.

We send out love, condolences and further support to relatives of our comrade,” Manswell said.

Collins’ colleagues who worked with him at the Heliport in Chaguaramas were said to be in a state of shock and plan to visit him to lend moral support.

The triple fatality brings to nine the number of persons killed in vehicular accident this year. For the same period last year, 18 lives were lost on the nation’s roads.

Carla’s father Carl Maxima, a retired police officer, said he could not believe it when he was told his daughter and grandsons were dead.

He said that due to illness, he had not seen his daughter and grandchildren for quite some time but spoke to his daughter over the phone. “I am at a loss.

My daughter and grandsons were my world. I want to state publicly that I forgive the driver for what he has done and I want to tell people…if you cannot control your alcohol don’t drive.” Maxima spoke outside the Forensic Science Centre in St James where he went to view the autopsies on his daughter and grandsons.

He described his daughter as a wonderful person, stating she enjoyed taking care of the elderly and would not hesitate to help anyone with an ailing elderly relative.

The victim was identified as Celine Thomas. Her boyfriend Carlyle Hamilton, 33, was hours earlier shot and critically wounded.

According to reports, Hamilton was at home at 9.30 pm on Thursday when he was attacked by gunmen as he turned and ran out of the house, gunshots were fired and Hamilton was struck several times. He sought assistance from neighbours and was taken to hospital where he was treated and warded in stable condition.

At 11 am yesterday, residents of Calvary Trace found Thomas’ body with her hands bound and a bullet wound to the back of her head. Officers of the Arima police as well as homicide officers were called to the scene and the body ordered removed to the Forensic Science Centre.

When police arrived on the scene they were greeted by angry residents who accused them of not doing a proper investigation after Hamilton was shot and had they properly searched the area, they may have found Thomas’ body on Wednesday night.

Thomas attended classes every Thursday at Al-Jabbal Mosque, Branch Road in Calvary. She left home just after 4 pm and she usually got home by about 7 pm, her mother, Cindy Cipriani said. Cipriani said her daughter attended Servol in Sangre Grande and was studying to be a nurse. She just had three more months to go before graduation.

The woman said when she awoke at 5.30 am yesterday, her daughter was not home. “She has a friend who had a baby and I thought when she did not come home she had stopped by this friend. My daughter never stayed out, she never partied, never drank or smoked and was a staunch Muslim,” Cipriani said.

“My daughter was a straight Muslim, she did not go anywhere.

She was killed because she was seen with Kali (Hamilton),” Cipriani said adding that Thomas – contrary to what was being said – was just friends with Hamilton as he was seeing someone.

“I did everything for that child, it was just me and her. She was my only company. She gave no trouble whatsoever and the only time she would come outside was to wash her hands and say her prayers. A really innocent life has been taken away,” Cipriani said. Thomas’ murder is the 46th for this year and 14th in Northern Division.

(Additional reporting by CAROL MATROO)

The student and young woman who are from Oropune Gardens, Piarco, appeared before Magistrate Jo-Anne Connor who read the charge to them that on Monday last, they robbed Vishnu Singh of an undisclosed quantity of cash at his Arouca home. Both accused youngsters pleaded not guilty to the charge which also alleged they committed the robbery while armed with a gun.

The charge stemmed from an incident in which Singh was heldup at his home during which the 13-year-old pointed the gun at him while the woman proceeded to rob him of the cash. Police officers from the Arouca Criminal Investigation Department under the supervision of Sergeant Robert Joseph, Corporal Greenidge and Police Constable Valmiki Lalsingh, conducted investigations and arrested the minor and the 18-year-old. The charge was laid by PC Lalsingh. The magistrate granted both accused teens bail in the sum of $55,000 each to be approved by a Clerk of the Peace and adjourned the case to February 20.

Speaking to the Opposition’s motion in the House of Representatives yesterday calling on the House to condemn Government for its failure to deal with current unemployment challenges and to present a clear and cogent economic plan to guide the country through the challenges, Karim asked, “ Are people going to invest from abroad? Will people here invest?” While quoting a recent article from Newsday on the number of crimes which was just over 20 at the time, Karim who was reminded by House Speaker Bridgid Annisette-George that the debate was not on crime, said the motion spoke about the rising levels of unemployment which was related to crime.

“Unemployment will increase if crime continues to increase.

There will be a higher and growing level of poverty if crime continues to increase,” he said. He continued, “There will be wage restraint and wage freeze if crime continues to increase. There will be deteriorating living standards because people will not invest if crime continues to increase.” Due to unemployment, many citizens, he said, were feeling deep pain, grief, hopelessness and stress in trying to eke out a living.

Not that he was against entrepreneurship, he said, “I support it, but when you drive through the roads, highways and by ways of this country, never before have you seen so many hawkers and peddlers on our streets.” People trying to make a living were cultivating behind their homes and putting them on little stands in front of the home to eke out a living, he said. Noting that the purchasing power of the dollar has fallen drastically as is evident in shopping, he queried how could Government talk about wage restraint when there was no work.

Responding to Finance Minister Colm Imbert’s contribution that Government has saved jobs and just 25,000 people were retrenched, Karim said, “retrenchment is not the only form of unemployment.” He also quoted Labour Minister Jennifer Baptiste- Primus as saying that not every case of retrenchment was reported.

One of the most deleterious forms of unemployment he said, was a “new phenomenon” in this country called, “political unemployment.” He defined political unemployment as coming about by being fired without cause, such as, losing jobs and contracts due to deliberate redundancy, termination of contracts, and trumped up charges, among others.

“When you are politically unemployed and deliberately so, he said, “it destroys your character.

It is designed to shame and embarrass you. It damages your prospects of future employment.

It creates depression and loss of enthusiasm. It totally destroys your self-confidence.”

Our hearts go out to Keston Collins in his moments of unspeakable grief, having been a direct witness to the sudden and untimely demise of his immediate family, wife Carla, aged 34, and babies Kamari and Kamani, eight months and two years old, respectively.

The irony will be that this accident too will pass, and we will await the next one to repeat what we do best every time: weep and talk. But because our indiscipline as a people does not reflect itself more than in the way we drive, it is time that those who are charged with reining us in through traffic law enforcement step up their game against the continuing nonchalance to road safety by motorists and the resulting carnage on the roads.

The big stick must not be only for those whose remit is to reduce violent crime such as murder and armed robbery. It must be remembered that dangerous driving is also a crime and that vehicles in the hands of errant drivers could be weapons capable of robbing people of their lives in very violent circumstances.

It will be na?ve of us to suggest that the police could be everywhere.

But daily experience on the roadways suggests that much more is to be desired regarding their presence and effectiveness.

The speed gun frenzy and stepped-up patrols seemed to have dissipated.

No wonder vehicles, including huge four-wheel drives, tanker wagons, container trailers, and even buses, could be seen barrelling down the roadways, some of them weaving in and out of lanes, at ominous speeds even during rain.

There is wanton disregard by drivers for changing traffic lights and for the care that needs to be taken at intersections. Night driving could be a nightmare with vehicular lights that defy regulation being beamed directly into the eyes of drivers opposite.

Road rage reached a new level recently with the fatal shooting of a woman in her vehicle whose driver husband may have annoyed a competing motorist.

There are lessons in all of these for drivers and we call upon them to heed the warnings they bear.

Thursday night’s accident also raises questions surrounding three issues that have been predominant in recent debates on safety on the roads: speed, driving under the influence, and ensuring the proper securing of children, especially infants under the age of five, in moving vehicles.

If the initial reports on Thursday’s tragic accident are true, then the recent aggressive campaign by the police against drunk driving, violent speeds, and breaching traffic lights made no impression on at least one of the parties involved.

That the mother and her two children occupying the back seat could have been hurled so violently and completely out of their own vehicle and killed instantly on the impact make the infractions that led up to the crash more heinous, and question why there should be any consideration at all to the call by motorists and other bodies to increasing the speed limit from the stipulated 80 kilometres per hour on the nation’s highways.

We can only appeal to motorists to be more diligent and lawful, exercising good sense as they traverse the nation’s roadways, and not allow dangerous driving to remain a forgotten crime.

He would spread the roucou, transforming into a living representation of those who went before him.

First the paint, then the clothing, shoes and finally the magnificent headdress. Then would follow the dance.

The story is told that he would dance in that unique hopping step of the indigenous peoples from Santa Cruz to the Croisee in San Juan.

I imagine that for him this journey, made with deliberate steps while chanting ancient words, recalled for him another journey centuries ago when our island was still connected to South America. Then, various peoples — Arauca, Warao, Taino, Calipuna and many more — walked into our history and our present.

The ship on his head recalled too the journey across treacherous waters in small crafts. Countless of these peoples settled in Santa Cruz, no doubt lured by the lush hills and cool crisp air of the valley. Naipaul notes that around the late 1680s, the First Peoples who survived Spanish enslavement and religious indoctrination established settlements in Santa Cruz after they were released by the missionaries.

My great-grandfather who settled in Santa Cruz played Red Indian mas, not seen so much today in the “Valley”. However, the Black Indian masquerade, evolved from the intermingling of the culture of First Peoples with masking traditions of enslaved Africans, is still performed in Lower Santa Cruz.

Interestingly, cultural historian Eintou Springer points out that here the Black Indian masquerade emerges from the yard of an Orisha worshipper specialising in Congolese Egungun (ancestral) mas.

Many of the traditional aspects of our Carnival are influenced by an ethic of warriorhood and resistance.

The Caribbean Quarterly journal, in describing the Black Indian masquerade, highlights how the masqueraders would blacken their faces, don long black wigs made from frayed hemp rope and carry “lances, spears, tomahawks, bows and arrows and drums and eat fire.” As is typical with TT culture, the language of the Black Indian mas was influenced by languages of the Africans, First Peoples and Patois, to the extent that they created their own style of communication. Kope! Kope! was “good morning.” As bands met each other on the street, they would greet each other declaring “Indio, Indio!” or “Indio, Backilwarraback! Where is your king?” Indeed, the intermingling of cultures is evident in some of the original names of the bands, such as “Heroes of the Dark Continent” (the name given to the continent of Africa by colonials and propagandists during the period of enslavement) or “Ibo Sun God Wild Indian”.

It is a bright spot in our Carnival to see that the NCC has finally accepted the recommendations of cultural activists like ourselves to carve out a space for the traditional mas on Carnival Monday.

Now, the potential for teaching, learning and preserving our traditions can begin. If the NCC is really savvy, it will ensure that the entire stands are filled with schoolchildren, parents and teachers, and that the presenters on the morning will guide the discussion and not misinform.

But perhaps small steps … I imagine the spirit of my great-grandfather stepping still from Santa Cruz to the Croisee, with his knees raised high, chanting, turning, clapping. Perhaps now, we can step with him, as his footsteps echo from the past, striding purposefully into our collective futures.

D a r a Healy is a perform a n c e artist and founder of the NGO, the Indigenous Creative Arts Network – ICAN

Asked about an accusation by Pan Trinbago about the organisation and Carnival being hijacked by her Ministry and the National Carnival Commission (NCC) Minister Gadsby-Dolly said, “ not at all, in no way is government hijacking Carnival.

We are very happy to work in conjunction with the groups that traditionally work with government to host the events.” Forteau said that since the organisation’s annual general meeting last October, the minister was sent several letters with the last being on January 3, for meetings and collaboration. On a forensic audit of Pan Trinbago, announced on Wednesday last, Forteau said, “We would have been treating with the minister on a monthly basis and somehow, some situation, somebody…

I don’t know…we have been asking the minister for a meeting since November, to give our side of the story.

“This private organisation is willing to share our business with our line minister but apparently there are people out there who want to try our matters in the court of public opinion.” For her part, Gadsby-Dolly said her Ministry’s specific concern is Pan Trinbago but as they flesh out the details of the audit a determination will be made on whether or not to extend such audits to other Special Interest Groups (SIGs).

“We have already taken a different approach to the release of funds and it doesn’t only extend to SIGs but also NGOs (non-governmental organisations) that receive money for different purposes and every NGO now will be subjected to a new subvention clause, which includes government’s right to audit their finances.” Forteau also accused the media of hounding Pan Trinbago but when told that it was members of his own organisation who came to the media to vent their frustration on how the organisation is being run, Forteau was adamant it was only one member who has been speaking to the media.

Recently, Pan Trinbago executive and vice-president Bryon Serrette resigned over alleged financial impropriety.

Cindy Rosemin (Asst Sec) and Aquil Arrindell (Education Officer) also resigned from the executive.

Pan Trinbago President Keith Diaz is on extended sick leave after suffering a heart attack.

The cheques distributed were for the support of 178 unsponsored steelbands to facilitate their participation in the Panorama competition and other related activities for the 2017 Carnival celebrations.

Police reports revealed that Andrew Joseph Diptah was last seen at the Claxton Bay dump scavenging for scrap metal at the site.

Diptah who was also an employee of Reesal Industries of California was reportedly in a stooped position at the dump site when he was struck by the truck whose driver did not notice him.

The victim’s head was crushed by the wheels of the truck and he died at the scene.

A report was made to the Claxton Bay police and the body was viewed by the District Medical Officer who ordered the body removed to the Forensic Science Centre in St James for autopsy.

The driver of the truck was interviewed and investigations are continuing.