By Gerard Best
CJ Contributor

Data privacy will be among the items topping the agenda at an upcoming Caribbean Internet Governance Forum to be held by the Caribbean Telecommunications Union (CTU) in Suriname this month.

The meeting is part of an effort by several Caribbean countries to establish and strengthen policies to ensure that Internet users’ personal information is collected, shared and used in appropriate ways.

It will take place from May 21 to 23, days before the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) comes into force in the European Union on May 25. The GDPR is a regulation on data protection and privacy for all individuals within the European Union. But Caribbean stakeholders are already preparing for the fallout across the region’s geopolitical space.

“Although the GDPR comes into effect in Europe, its effect will be felt in the Caribbean, because the region includes Dutch, French and British territories, all of which fall under the EU jurisdiction, and will therefore have to comply with the GDPR from as early as May 25, 2018,” said Nigel Cassimire, Telecommunications Specialist at the CTU.

Because the GDPR has significant penalties for companies found in violation of its data privacy regulations, the law could adversely affect Caribbean companies doing business with European companies.

“The onus is on European companies doing business with anyone in our region to ensure that whoever they do business with have measures in place that will enable them to remain compliant with the GDPR. For the Caribbean, it is urgent for us to understand what requirements will be placed on us,” Cassimire said.

The forum will be held in Suriname, a former colony of the Kingdom of the Netherlands which became an independent nation in 1975.

The agenda will include a range of issues, including service resiliency and network neutrality.

The Caribbean Internet Governance Forum is a multi-stakeholder meeting initiated by the CTU and the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Secretariat to coordinate a regional approach to Internet Governance. Since its inception in 2005, the forum has met annually and has focused on the formulation of a regional framework for Caribbean Internet governance policy, the proliferation of Internet exchange points, and the growth of Caribbean influence in the global Internet governance arena.

The forum is part of a series of ongoing policy development discussions across the region. Policymakers met in Miami on April 19 to discuss Internet governance issues at a special Caribbean Forum hosted by the CTU and the American Registry for Internet Numbers.

The post Data Privacy in the Caribbean: What’s Next appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

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By the Caribbean Journal staff

It was always a bucket-list destination: Pinel Island, the sandy oasis a short ferry ride off the coast of Cul de Sac on the French side of St Martin.

Pinel Island.

And now, the legendary island is open again — and so are both of its legendary beach bars.

The Karibuni beach bar and lounge.

In a huge step for the island’s post-Hurricane Irma tourism recovery, both the Karibuni and Yellow Beach beach bars have relaunched operations.

That means beach lovers can return to the pair of Cote D’Azur-style beach destinations, replete with freshly-made cocktails, classic French Caribbean food and some spectacular scenery.

Karibuni.

And as always, it means two beach bars for the price of one, and the perfect place to spend an entire day (or more), with lounge chairs, cocktails and calm waves.

The menus have returned, too, with everything from tuna tartare to fresh-cooked marlin.

It all adds up to what is still a must for any lover of Caribbean travel, and a reason in itself to return to St Maarten, where more and more flights are relaunching every day.

As for Karibuni’s namesake hotel, the plans are to return in the first quarter of 2019, according to a spokesperson.

— CJ

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By the Caribbean Journal staff

One of the region’s hottest music festivals is returning for its eighth year.

The Curaçao North Sea Jazz Festival is set for Aug. 30-Sept. 1, with headliners including Damian Marley, Burt Bacharach, Farruko, Patti LaBelle and KC and the Sunshine Band, among others.

Marley, the youngest son of Bob Marley, won his third consecutive Grammy Award for Best Reggae Album this year.

Bacharch, one of the world’s most legendary composers, is making his first appearance at the festival.

Past performers at the popular festival have ranged from Alicia Keys to Stevie Wonder.

For more info, visit the Curacao North Sea Jazz Festival.

The post Damian Marley, Burt Bacharach to Headline Curaçao North Sea Jazz Festival appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

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By the Caribbean Journal staff

Another jewel of St Barth tourism is planning a relaunch.

LVMH’s only Caribbean hotel, the Cheval Blanc St Barth Isle de France is planning to reopen at the end of 2018, according to a statement from St Barth Tourism.

The launch is timed with what is expected to be a major winter season, with many of St Barth’s hotels primed to reopen in the last quarter of 2018.

The Cheval Blanc, long one of the Caribbean’s most exclusive places to stay, is set on Flamands Bay.

— CJ

The post St Barth’s Cheval Blanc to Reopen in Late 2018 appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

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By the Caribbean Journal staff

This year’s Saint Lucia Jazz Festival will have a special sound.

The 2018 edition of the leading jazz festival in the Caribbean will showcase the female jazz movement at the forefront in the United States, the Caribbean and the United Kingdom.

This year’s festival will be highlighted by female jazz artists including Lalah Hathaway, Zara McFarlane, Pauline Jean, Carolyn Malachi, Jazzmela Horn and Avery Sunshine, among others.

Lalah Hathaway.

“There are so many outstanding female jazz singers who belong to any Jazz Hall of Fame, sharing their messages of love, resistance, hope and humanity through unforgettable songs,” organizers said in a statement. “There is no doubt now that a new jazz wave has emerged – a growing movement led by artists who feel empowered and are inspired by the reality of the times.”

The festival will feature a broad range of styles, from Jean’s Caribbean-focused sound to Malachi’s reggae and hip-hop-infused jazz influences.

For more info, visit Soleil Saint Lucia.

The post In Saint Lucia, a Focus on Female Jazz appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

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