
Three ships from Russia's Northern Fleet arrived in Havana Bay on Friday as part of the Russian Navy's first visit to Cuba since the Cold War. On arrival the Admiral Chabanenko destroyer fired a 21-salvo international salute, which the country's coastal artillery returned.

The Captain of the cruise ship Discovery that visited the capital of the Falkland Islands, Stanley last week was John Brocklehurst. The former Chief Officer on the Atlantic Conveyor making his first visit since the Falkland's War.

U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates is has ordered his staff to prepare a plan for closing the Guantanamo Bay detention center, to be ready for possible implementation soon after President-elect Barack Obama takes office January 20.
Headlines:Endurance under tow to Punta Arenas; 'Satisfactory' progress report for FICS; From messboy to master; This week's cruise ships.

The order to release of 12 torture suspects from Argentina's 1976-1983 military dictatorship unleashed a storm of condemnation from President Cristina Fernandez as well as human rights organizations in Argentina Thursday.

The American Task Force Argentina (ATFA) condemned on Thursday Ecuadorian President Rafael Correa's decision to default on 3.8 billion US dollars in government debt owed to foreign lenders, the country's second such default in the last decade.
The Union of Latinamerican Nations (UNASUR) meeting in Brazil this week agreed the creation of a South American Defence Council, which will have a collective vision of defence, as it was defined by Chilean President Michelle Bachelet who currently chairs the twelve-member Unasur.

The Argentine Congress on Wednesday backed a government plan to expropriate Argentina's flag carrier and biggest airline after months of negotiations with the company's Spanish owners broke down.

Cuban president Raúl Castro said he was willing to talk about the possible re-incorporation of Cuba to the Organization of American States, OAS, from which it was expulsed in 1962, according to press reports from Brazil where the Latinamerican and Caribbean summit is taking place with the participation of leaders from the 33 countries.

In a highly sensitive area, Chilean Defence and Armed Forces, rich in resources from copper windfall prices, have a political and strategic problem in their hands with the decommissioning of 200 Leopard 1 tanks to be replaced by 140 Leopard 2, purchased from Germany.