
World music was ablaze once again at the ninth annual globalFEST 2012. The sold out event at New York City’s Webster Hall showcased 12 musical acts from 5 continents on 3 stages.

Uruguayan president Jose Mujica and his host and peer Sebastián Piñera said they are committed to expand and intensify the presence of their countries in Antarctica which they described as a “continent of peace and of the future”.

Bolivian president Evo Morales said the Malvinas Islands are Argentine and gave full support to his peer Cristina Fernandez siding with Mercosur in the dispute with the UK over the South Atlantic Islands sovereignty and the latest decision to bar all Falklands flagged vessels from regional ports.

US Airways Group, Delta Airlines and private equity firm TPG Capital are among several parties interested in potential bids for AMR Corp, the bankrupt parent of American Airlines according to US financial media reports.

While Argentina’s Mercosur trade partners have adopted a cautious attitude regarding the latest measures that make it more cumbersome and bureaucratic to sell to Argentina, the country’s manufacturers and importers have warned of the consequences and called for a more balanced approach to the issue.

Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega lashed out at Israel and condemned the killing of former Libyan dictator Muammar Qaddafi while being sworn into office this week alongside Iran and Venezuela presidents.

Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad blasted capitalism during a speech at Cuba's University of Havana on the third leg of a trip to highlight friendship with Latin American allies, most of them at odds with Washington's.

Chile ratified this week that vessels flying the Malvinas flag will continue to be barred from Chilean ports and that the country’s position relative to the issue has not changed and denies the existence of a blockade. A brief statement from the Chilean Foreign Affairs ministry indirectly refers to the latest statement by UK Foreign Secretary William Hague.

In an official communiqué Uruguay ratified full support for Argentina’s Malvinas sovereignty claim and underlined that the barring of Malvinas’ flagged vessel from Uruguayan ports stands and “has not changed an iota”.

Spanish president Mariano Rajoy said that Latin America is a “top priority” of his administration’s foreign policy and his target is to have the “best possible” relations with the Ibero-American community.