Caribbean News
JAMAICA: Recipients of National Honours and Awards Express Gratitude
#Kingston, October 22, 2019 – Jamaica – Recipients of National Honors and Awards this year have expressed gratitude for the recognition accorded them by the Government for their contributions to the nation.
Notable among the honourees is Minister without Portfolio in the Office of the Prime Minister and Central Clarendon Member of Parliament, Hon. Mike Henry, who is one of five persons conferred with the Order of Jamaica (OJ). They were among the 215 individuals formally recognized during Monday’s (October 21) Ceremony of Investiture and Presentation of National Honours and Awards, at King’s House.
The event, which was presided over by Governor-General, His Excellency, the Most Hon. Sir Patrick Allen, and attended by dignitaries and officials, headed by Prime Minister, the Most Hon. Andrew Holness, was one of the main activities commemorating National Heroes Day.
Mr. Henry, who was recognized for 40 years of Distinguished Public Service, Political Representation and Public Policy Development, told JIS News that he felt honoured and will continue to give of himself.
“This award means a lot to me. I will cherish it and build on it as life continues. The important [thing] is that we build on it [as] there are still a number of important things left to do,” he said.
The other persons conferred with the Order of Jamaica are: renowned Reggae singer, Dr. Alpharita Constantia ‘Rita’ Marley; Member of Parliament for St. Catherine North Western, Robert Pickersgill; Dr. Julius Winston Garvey, son of National Hero, the Rt. Excellent Marcus Mosiah Garvey; and Jamaica Broilers Group Chairman, Robert Levy.
The overall list of recipients was headed by Professor Gerald Cecil Lalor, who was awarded the Order of Merit (OM) for his contribution to Jamaica and the world’s development through the application of Science, Technology and Innovation and Service to the Public and Private Sectors. In his absence, Professor Lalor’s award was collected by his son.
Forty-one persons were awarded with the Order of Distinction in the rank of Commander [CD]. They include: were National Security Minister, Hon. Dr. Horace Chang; Supreme Court Judge, Mrs. Justice Sarah Thompson-James; veteran sportscaster, Edward Barnes; international recording artiste, Sean Paul Henriques; Reggae singer, Jacob Miller (Posthumous); and Jamaica Business Development Corporation (JBDC) Chief Executive Officer, Valerie Veira.
Former United States to Ambassador to Jamaica, Brenda LaGrange Johnson, received an honorary award in recognition for her outstanding philanthropic and humanitarian contribution to Jamaica.
Dr. Chang, who was awarded for distinguished public service in the area of politics, said he was gratified.
“I just want to say thanks to my colleagues… I really appreciate it. After many years of work, it is good to know that my colleagues and the country respect what I do,” he said.
Mrs. Thompson-James told the JIS News that “I have been in the service for many years and I am very pleased that the powers that be saw it fit to give me this award… I am truly humbled”.
Forty persons were awarded with the Order of Distinction in the rank of Officer [OD].
They include: Deputy Commissioners of Police Clifford Blake and Selvin Haye; comedian and actor, Glen ‘Titus’ Campbell; National Solid Waste Management Authority (NSWMA) Executive Director, Audley Gordon; and MVP Track Club President, Bruce James.
Mr. Campbell, whose announcement was met with deafening applause, said “it is a humbling experience”.
“I feel honoured, I feel blessed for this award from the Jamaican Government and the love from the Jamaican people was heartwarming,” he told JIS News.
Two Jamaicans, who risked their lives to save others, were awarded the Badge of Honour for Gallantry [BH(G)]. They are: Tamar Delise Blake, who was instrumental in recovering a baby who was stolen from Victoria Jubilee Hospital, and Suzan Foster, who assisted an injured police officer and transported him to the hospital after he was attacked and hit from his motorcycle by criminals.
Speaking with JIS News after collecting her award, Ms. Foster said she felt good about being publicly recognized.
“I was so nervous. But it really feels good to be honored for doing an act of kindness,” the customer service representative said.
Recounting the incident, Ms. Foster said the officer sustained multiple injuries and was bleeding, noting that many of persons on the scene opted to take pictures instead of assisting the helpless cop.
“I realized nobody would [help], so I decided to do so, and my spouse and I took him to the Kingston Public Hospital. He has recovered and is in good health now, and we are happy,” she said.
In light of this, she urges Jamaicans to be their brother’s keepers and think “what would you do if you [were] in a situation [like that], if it was your relative”.
Twenty-three persons were awarded with The Badge of Honour for Meritorious Service [BH(M)], while 30 individuals received the Badge of Honour for Long and Faithful Service [BH(L)].
Two members of the Jamaica Defense Force (JDF) were awarded the Medal of Honour for Gallantry. They are Lance Corporal Ricardo Bennett (Posthumous), who was killed while trying to foil a robbery at a barbershop in Cross Roads, Kingston, in September 2016; and Lance Corporal Ferdinand Trench, who saved the life of a gentleman who fell down a precipice along the Junction main road in St. Mary in August 2011.
Lance Corporal Trench said he was very happy for the recognition, adding that “this award is very important”.
“Over the years, I have been helping people in various capacities; so it is good to be recognized at the highest level,” he said.
In the category of the Medal of Honour for Meritorious Service, nine persons from the Jamaica Defence Force were awarded, 25 from the Jamaica Constabulary Force, 26 from the Department of Correctional Services, and 11 from the Jamaica Fire Brigade.
Contact: Tanesha Mundle
Release: JIS
Header: Prime Minister, the Most Hon. Andrew Holness (2nd left), congratulates Minister without Portfolio in the Office of the Prime Minister, Hon. Mike Henry, on being one of five persons conferred with the Order of Jamaica (OJ) by the Government, this year. He was presented with the award by Governor-General, His Excellency, the Most Hon. Sir Patrick Allen, during Monday’s (October 21) Ceremony of Investiture and Presentation of National Honours and Awards, at King’s House. Among those looking on are: Jamaica Broilers Group Chairman, Robert Levy (right,. front row), who was also awarded the OJ; and National Security Minister, Hon. Dr. Horace Chang (right, second row), who was awarded the Order of Distinction (Commander Rank).
1st Insert: Prime Minister, the Most Hon. Andrew Holness (right), congratulates international recording artiste, Sean Paul Henriques, on being awarded the Order of Distinction (Commander Rank) by the Government, this year. He was presented with the award by Governor-General, His Excellency, the Most Hon. Sir Patrick Allen, during Monday’s (October 21) Ceremony of Investiture and Presentation of National Honours and Awards, at King’s House.
2nd Insert: Prime Minister, the Most Hon. Andrew Holness (left, standing), and the Most Hon. Juliet Holness, with four of the five persons conferred with the Order of Jamaica (OJ) national award by the Government, this year. The honourees (from left) are: veteran parliamentarian, Robert Pickersgill; Jamaica Broilers Group Chairman, Robert Levy; Minister without Portfolio in the Office of the Prime Minister and Central Clarendon Member of Parliament, Hon. Mike Henry; and Dr. Julius Garvey, son of National Hero, the Rt. Excellent Marcus Mosiah Garvey. They, along with globally-acclaimed Reggae singer, Dr. Alpharita ‘Rita’ Marley, were presented with their award by Governor-General, His Excellency, the Most Hon. Sir Patrick Allen, during Monday’s (October 21) Ceremony of Investiture and Presentation of National Honours and Awards, at King’s House.
Adrian Walker Photos
How Venezuelan farmers are learning to grow and live with a devastating plant disease
In the fields of Venezuela, where the banana has been for generations a symbol of sustenance and tradition, a shadow fell across the land. In 2023, Venezuela’s National Institute of Integral Agricultural Health (INSAI) declared a phytosanitary emergency: the fungus Fusarium Tropical Race 4 (TR4) (Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. cubense tropical race 4; syn. Fusarium odoratissimum) had arrived in producing areas in the states of Aragua, Carabobo and Cojedes.
This fungus, considered a devastating disease of banana and plantain (Musaceae) trees, can remain in the soil for more than two decades,
threatening production and the lives of those who depend on it.
In the state of Aragua in the north of the country, the Renacer community had been growing bananas and plantains on 20 hectares since 2018. Then Fusarium arrived.
“When the disease hit, the entire plantation began to deteriorate. We refused to ‘die’ with the trees because that was our livelihood. The visits of INSAI confirmed that we had to chop down the banana trees. I cried a lot because I had worked with my banana trees for years,” recalls woman farmer, Lesbia Margarita García, with a broken voice.
In response, INSAI implemented measures to eliminate the affected plantations and improve the soil health by changing to other crops that allow agricultural production to recover. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) offered assistance by providing corn seeds, tools, biosecurity inputs and training, with teams of experts helping farmers to start again.
“Planting corn, thanks to the INSAI-FAO programme, gave us a harvest that benefited everyone. We have been improving the soil,” says Lesbia Margarita with a smile. “Now we rotate crops, observe soil health and have learned how to use natural fertilizers. Expert assistance has been key.”
The pilot project works directly with affected producers in high-risk areas, promoting alternative crops such as cereals and vegetables, delivering inputs and tools to mitigate damage and applying biosecurity measures for safe and effective containment.
“Beyond the corn received, we have already planted cassava, chili peppers, beans and pumpkin. We hope that by the end of the year [2025] we will be diversified and that each season we will have something to sell. These lands do not give up,” says Lesbia Margarita with conviction.
The Renacer community is beginning to see fruits. Their products are reaching local markets, generating income and rebuilding their livelihoods.
Key actions to manage Fusarium TR4 are ongoing, including regular monitoring, continuous training, inter‑institutional coordination,
updates to the national plan, information campaigns and producer impact assessments. INSAI is sustaining regulatory, surveillance measures and training —with FAO support—as part of a comprehensive long‑term strategy.
At the global level, FAO supports awareness raising, capacity building and international collaboration in the fight against Fusarium TR4 by facilitating the World Banana Forum and its Global Network on TR4.
“The objective is for countries to strengthen their operational and technical capacity, articulating actions between the public sector, the private sector and family farmers,” says Raixa Llauger, FAO Agriculture Officer in Mesoamerica. “FAO and local partners have promoted this approach in Venezuela.”
As an essential part of the activities, a comprehensive training programme was developed with activities that taught farmers how to identify the disease contain it and protect crops. In addition, FAO has distributed laboratory equipment, biosecurity tools and a multispectral drone to INSAI. Drones are an efficient and cost‑effective tool for phytosanitary surveillance, offering rapid, high‑resolution monitoring and early detection of plant pests and diseases.
Overall, the project strengthened biosecurity measures against the Fusarium fungus through the adoption of the National Action Plan and the establishment of partnerships with national and international institutions. In addition, the pilot initiative supporting smallholder farmers in key production areas and a nationwide awareness campaign with broad outreach improved surveillance, diagnosis and phytosanitary response capacities across the country.
MIAMI, Florida — Emotional testimony from Martine Moïse, the widow of assassinated Haitian President Jovenel Moïse, has given
jurors in a U.S. federal courtroom a chilling account of the night gunmen stormed the presidential residence and killed the country’s leader.
Martine Moïse took the stand this week in Miami as part of the ongoing trial of several men accused of helping plan and finance the July 7, 2021 assassination, a crime that plunged Haiti into political crisis and remains only partially solved.
She told the court that armed men forced their way into the president’s private home in the hills above Port-au-Prince during the early morning hours, firing multiple shots at her husband while she lay beside him. She testified that she was also wounded in the attack and survived by pretending to be dead until the gunmen left the room.
According to prosecutors, the plot involved a group of foreign mercenaries, including former Colombian soldiers, along with Haitian and
Haitian-American suspects. Investigators say some of the men believed the mission was to detain the president, but the operation turned into an assassination.
The Miami trial is focusing on the alleged role of South Florida businessmen and others accused of organizing or financing the plan, part of a wider international investigation that has stretched across several countries.
More than four years after the killing, the question of who ultimately ordered the assassination remains unanswered, with suspects still in custody in both Haiti and the United States as the case continues to unfold.
Angle by Deandrea Hamilton. Built with ChatGPT (AI). Magnetic Media — CAPTURING LIFE.
CARIBBEAN — Jamaica has become the 13th CARICOM member state to accede to the African Export-Import Bank Establishment Agreement, further strengthening economic ties between Africa and the Caribbean.
The development was confirmed during the 50th CARICOM Heads of Government Meeting, where an Afreximbank delegation led by George Elombi and Kanayo Awani met with Jamaica’s Prime Minister Andrew Holness to advance cooperation.
Prime Minister Holness thanked the bank for its support following Jamaica’s recent hurricane, noting that Afreximbank financing helped restore critical infrastructure including water, electricity, sewage systems and roads, while also assisting reconstruction efforts aimed
at building stronger resilience to future disasters.
The meeting also focused on broader development opportunities tied to Jamaica’s membership in the agreement. Discussions included rebuilding and modernising infrastructure such as railways, hospitals and other public facilities, while strengthening regional transportation and trade networks to improve the movement of people and goods across the Caribbean.
Afreximbank has been expanding its presence in the Caribbean as part of its strategy to connect Africa with the region often referred to as “Global Africa.” The bank has already committed billions of dollars in financing and trade support to Caribbean economies in recent years, including funding for infrastructure, trade facilitation and private sector investment.
By joining the agreement, Jamaica gains expanded access to Afreximbank’s financial instruments, technical support and trade networks designed to promote commerce between Africa and CARICOM states.
Regional leaders say the growing partnership could unlock new opportunities in areas such as trade, logistics, tourism, manufacturing and cultural exchange, strengthening economic cooperation between the two regions with deep historical and diaspora ties.
Angle by Deandrea Hamilton. Built with ChatGPT (AI). Magnetic Media — CAPTURING LIFE.
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