How did he die? Brazil's former president exhumed

November 14, 2013 -- Updated 1937 GMT (0337 HKT)

The remains of Brazil's ousted President Joao Goulart arrive to Brazil, Thursday, November 14.

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

• The remains of former Brazilian President Joao Goulart are being studied
• There are suspicions about how he really died
• He was given full state honors at a ceremony Thursday
• Other Latin American leaders have also been exhumed for similar reasons

(CNN) -- Full funerary state honors were bestowed upon former Brazilian President Joao Goulart for the first time Thursday, nearly 37 years after his death.

Goulart, who was president from 1961-1964, was deposed in a coup and died in exile. The ceremony in the Brazilian capital provided the proper official ceremony to which deceased heads of state in Brazil are entitled.

President Dilma Rousseff placed flowers on top of the casket and presented the flag that had been draped over it to Goulart's widow.

But the remains of the former president were exhumed for purposes other than a funeral ceremony.

Goulart died in exile in Argentina of a heart attack in 1976, but there have long been suspicions that he was murdered. Poisoned, to be exact.

The former president's body was exhumed so that investigators in Brazil and abroad can study the remains in hopes of clarifying how he died.

"It is Brazil's duty to clarify the circumstances surrounding the death of President Joao Goulart," said Maria do Rosario, Brazil's secretariat of human rights.

Other South American leaders have recently been exhumed for similar investigations.

In 2011, the remains of former Chilean President Salvador Allende were disinterred over questions about his death. A court studied the results and ruled that Allende indeed had committed suicide.

In Venezuela, investigators studied the remains of revolutionary leader Simon Bolivar, but were unable to determine the cause of his death. They did, however, recreate a 3-D image of his face.

According to the Brazilian government, there are suspicions that Goulart was poisoned on orders of the Brazilian military government with the help of the Uruguayan military through Operation Condor, an alliance between the military dictatorships in the Southern Cone at the time.

Last year, the media reported on intelligence documents that showed that the military government spied on Goulart even after he left the country.

After being ousted from the presidency, Goulart went to Uruguay, and later Argentina.

The first requests to have the former president's remains exhumed came from his family in 2007, the government said in a news release. The request received the backing of the human rights secretariat in 2011, and the exhumation was finally given the green light in 2012.

The intent is to combine the forensic analysis with testimonies and government documents to paint a complete picture surrounding his death.

But on Thursday, it was a moment of honor and ceremony for the president who was popularly known as "Jango."

In addition to Rousseff, three former presidents were also in attendance.

Another black eye for Brazil ahead of World Cup as footballers protest

November 15, 2013 -- Updated 1638 GMT (0038 HKT)

Brazilian footballers protested Wednesday because they want, among other things, a better schedule.

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

• Brazilian footballers cross their arms in games to protest against their confederation
• The players want changes made, including more vacation time and fewer games
• If their demands aren't met, they say "drastic measures" could be taken
• The protests are the latest black eye for the country that hosts next year's World Cup

(CNN) -- Less than a year before it stages the World Cup, Brazil is once again in the news for the wrong reasons.

Brazilian football players protested Wednesday and said they could take more action -- possibly "drastic measures" -- if their confederation doesn't make changes to the country's overcrowded calendar.

They want, among other things, more vacation time, longer preseasons, fewer games and a bigger voice in decision making.

In some matches, the players crossed their arms before the opening whistle. In others they did so after the whistle blew.

And in some instances, they passed the ball from one end of the field to the other after the referees threatened to give players yellow cards.

Also in a game, players from both sides unfurled a banner in the middle of the pitch while the national anthem played. It read: "For a football that is better for everyone."

In a statement, Common Sense F.C. -- not a club but a movement symbolizing the changes the players want -- said on its Facebook page: "If there are attempts to prevent players from expressing themselves in a peaceful way, drastic measures will be taken.

"We expect an official position followed by moves that will benefit Brazilian football."

According to Brazilian media, the future measures could include players crossing their arms for a longer period of time, wearing red clown noses or even halting a game.

There was no official reaction on Friday, which is a national holiday in Brazil.

What's behind attack on Salvadoran human rights group?

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

• Attackers stole computers and burned files at a human rights organization
• The group's mission is to find children who disappeared during civil war
• Another human rights office was closed recently
• Some wonder if there is a connection with a debate over amnesty law

San Salvador, El Salvador (CNN) -- In recent weeks, the offices of one human rights group in El Salvador was attacked and another shuttered.

These events, some fear, may be connected to a recent Supreme Court decision to review the validity of an amnesty law that has been in the books since the end of the country's civil war.

If the court were to overturn the amnesty law, military officers and others could face charges for atrocities committed during the 1980-1992 civil war.

In the wake of the review, two human rights groups who possess and handle civil war-era documents have suffered severe setbacks.

This week, three armed men attacked the offices of the Pro-Search Association of Disappeared Children, a group dedicated to locating the children who disappeared during the war.

In the predawn attack, the gunmen tied up a driver, a guard and an employee who were at the office, according to an account on the organization's website.

The intruders seemed to know what they were looking for, as they stole computers with sensitive data and DNA samples used in their investigations. Then, they torched the rest of the files.

"First of all, I think this is sabotage" said Ester Alvarenga, the group's director.

The stolen or destroyed items included documents and files of parents looking for their children, she said. The destruction of the files could put some judicial actions at risk, she added.

The group has solved 387 cases of about 925 investigations of children who disappeared during the civil war. Many ended up being adopted abroad.

"I don't think a political motive can be ruled out," David Morales, a prosecutor in the human rights division, said.

The attack on the Pro-Seach Association follows the closure of another important human rights office.

The Tutela Legal is an organization started by the Catholic church during the civil war to investigate massacres and other human rights violations during that period.

The church suddenly announced that it was closing the Tutela Legal, a move that followed the announcement of the Supreme Court review of the amnesty law.

The reason for the closure, ostensibly, is that "irregularities" were discovered among the office's personnel. But like with the attack against the Pro-Seach Association, observers wonder if there is a connection.

Amid concerns that the group's 50,000 civil war-era files could become inaccessible, the prosecutor's office ordered that the documents be guarded in place.

"We are going to inventory all of the files and they will remain under guard here, as they could help us with investigations that are ongoing," said Julio Arriaza, of the prosecutor's office.

The government is welcome to verify that the files are still there, Archbishop Jose Luis Escobar said, but it cannot remove them.

The Washington Office on Latin America, a US-based non-governmental organization, is among the groups concerned about connections between the debate for amnesty and the recent setbacks.

"It is crucial that the civil war-era files of human rights defenders are preserved," WOLA said in a statement. "We urge the Salvadoran government ... to investigate and punish those responsible. We also urge the government to take steps to protect the various sources of data on human rights violations throughout the country."

Journalist Merlin Delcid reported from San Salvador. Mariano Castillo reported and wrote the story in Atlanta.

Chile to hold presidential election runoff

A woman casts her vote at a polling station during general elections in Santiago on November 17, 2013.

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

• Socialist Michelle Bachelet won a majority of votes, but not enough to win
• The South American country will hold a runoff election on December 15
• Bachelet was Chile's president from 2006 to 2010

Read this article in Spanish at CNNMexico.com

(CNN) -- Chilean voters cast ballots in a presidential election on Sunday, but no candidate secured enough votes to declare victory.

The South American country is set to hold a runoff election December 15.

Socialist Michelle Bachelet, who was Chile's president from 2006 to 2010, will face off against Evelyn Matthei of the conservative Independent Democratic Union party.

Chile's constitution requires a candidate to garner more than 50% of votes to win the presidential election.

Bachelet had won 46.8% of votes with more than 92% of votes counted, elections officials said Sunday night. Matthei had garnered 25.1% of votes.

READ MORE: Can Bachelet lead Chile to change?

CNN's Elwyn Lopez contributed to this report.

Cuba libre: Could port herald new economic age for communist island?

By Eoghan Macguire, for CNN

November 20, 2013 -- Updated 1205 GMT (2005 HKT)

The Gateway goes behind the scenes of the world's major transport hubs, revealing the logistics that keep goods and people moving.

(CNN) -- In the sleepy seaside town of Mariel, northwest Cuba, a hulking monument to the communist islands' evolving economy is rapidly taking shape.

It is here, under the intense glare of the Caribbean sun, that a giant free-trade zone (FTZ) and container port are in the latter stages of construction.

The deep-water facility will have an annual capacity of up to one million containers when finished (three times that of Havana's existing port roughly 30 miles away) and 700 meters of berth that it is hoped will host some of the world's largest cargo ships.

Partially financed by loans from Brazil and built by Brazilian construction firm, Odebrecht, the port will be operated by Singapore's PSA. The FTZ, meanwhile, aims to attract international companies to Cuba by offering them a low-tax, low-regulation environment in which to manufacture goods.

Mariel, Cuba (click to expand)

"What the zone is intended for is to create a special climate where foreign capital is going to have better conditions than in the rest of the country," said Cuba's foreign trade and investment minister, Rodrigo Malmierca, during a September visit to Beijing.

See also: Dawn of the super-ports

The $900 million project mirrors similar developments and FTZs that have sprung up in fast-growing communist nations such as China and Vietnam in recent decades -- although experts doubt whether Cuba will follow the same path as the "Asian Tigers."

While the ruling Communist Party maintains that state control will take precedence, the ambitious development is the latest in a series of controlled reforms that have been made since Raul Castro came to power in 2008. The government has already relaxed its control over many sectors, encouraging ordinary Cubans to fill the void with their own private enterprises.

A sign at the entrance to the town of Mariel, Cuba (Credit: Derek R. Kolb)

"Cuba is shedding its old skin and it's becoming something else which is like a hybrid of models," explained senior Latin America fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations and author of the book "Cuba: What Everyone Needs to Know," Julia Sweig.

"This will (likely consist) of a much larger private sector, a much smaller social sector with the basics of social protection left in place, a lot more personal autonomy and economic freedom for Cuban people without necessarily moving beyond the single party system," she added.

Regional developments

This new economic direction -- which the administration refers to as an "update" of the socialist economic system -- and in particular the Mariel development have been brought about by a number of specific challenges and opportunities for Cuba, Sweig explained.

The widening of the Panama Canal (which is due to be completed in 2015) means more of the world's largest ships will soon be passing through the Caribbean, providing Cuba with the chance to benefit as a transhipment hub thanks to its strategically favorable location.

Fast-growing economies in the region, such as Brazil, Mexico and Chile, meanwhile, provide fresh possibilities for foreign investment and trade tie-ups. Nurturing new relationships has been made all the more important given the volatile political climate in Venezuela, whose leftist government currently sells subsidized oil and trades with Cuba on conditions that are highly favorable to the island country.

A vitally important cog in this wide-ranging strategy is Mariel. According to Carmelo Mesa, professor of economics and Latin American Studies at the University of Pittsburgh and author of the book "Cuba under Raul Castro: Assessing the Reforms," the port and FTZ are by far the most important development project on the island.

See also: What happens to goods lost at sea?

"The objective for Mariel and the free zone is to expand infrastructure, increase exports, reduce imports and develop high-tech projects that will create jobs," Mesa said. "This is important as the Cuban government has indicated that anywhere from 1.3 million to 1.8 million workers in the state sector are unneeded and must be dismissed.

"Cuban exports are generally raw materials, except for pharmaceutical products and biotechnology products but this is only about 8% (of exports). So they want to have value added goods such as computers, appliances and expand biotechnology," he added.

Breaking with the past

Whether the wider economic plan and investment in Mariel will achieve these aims, however, remains far from certain.

The 51-year-old U.S. trade embargo still restricts Cuba's ability to trade freely with its international partners. Any ship that docks in Cuba cannot enter the United States for six months. If the embargo was ever lifted, however, the FTZ would be favorably located (only 120 miles from Florida) to serve as a low-cost site for companies looking to manufacture and ship their products into the U.S. market.

As it stands, international investors will have to be persuaded to choose Cuba over nearby competitors. The likes of Panama, Jamaica and the Dominican Republic already have established FTZs in their territories.

A panoramic view of Mariel, Cuba (Credit: Wikimedia Commons)

Mesa also points to economic development zones introduced under Fidel Castro in the 1990s and early 2000s which expanded very quickly before "there was a re-centralization of the economy" leading many foreign firms to pull out of Cuba.

According to Diego Moya-Ocampos, a Cuba specialist at IHS Global Insight, many investors still see Cuba as a "hostile business environment" and will treat any opening of the economy with a high degree of skepticism.

"This opening is going to be taken with a pinch of salt ... it's still to be assessed what the tax and regulatory benefits of the (FTZ) will be," he said.

The end of communism?

Despite these significant challenges, Cuba still has much to offer international companies, not least a well-educated labor force -- Cuba has one of the highest literacy rates of any country, according to data compiled by the CIA World Factbook.

Mesa however identifies laws that restrict foreign companies hiring Cubans directly as a potential disincentive to FTZ investors. Instead, workers are employed via a government agency that makes all decisions on the wages they receive often driving up the price of labor -- although new laws on foreign investment are expected.

See also: Where are the world's piracy hotspots?

Sweig meanwhile points to the lifting of travel restrictions between the U.S. and Cuba in recent years and a gradual shift in rhetoric in Washington policy circles that indicates a softening on the issue of the embargo.

All concur however that, despite the tentative adoption of market principles and the loosening of central economic control, this is far from the beginning of the end of communism in Cuba.

"(The Cubans) know they need to create these types of clusters where they can operate more aggressive free trade economic policies without necessarily affecting the economic dynamics of ordinary Cubans," Moya-Ocampo said.

"It's pragmatism," he added. "Cuba is trying to update its structures to meet the new realities of Latin America."

Decree powers widen Venezuelan president's economic war

By Mariano Castillo and Osmary Hernandez, CNN

November 20, 2013 -- Updated 1955 GMT (0355 HKT)

The president of the Venezuelan National Assembly, Diosdado Cabello, applauds Wednesday as Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro shows the document giving him special decree powers.

 

Caracas, Venezuela (CNN) -- Venezuelan lawmakers have given President Nicolas Maduro special decree powers to fight an "economic war," but the shape that fight will take is uncertain.

Maduro has promised to use his new powers -- approved by the National Assembly on Tuesday -- to make sweeping changes to the way the economy is run in the oil-rich, but poorly managed South American nation.

Among his priorities, Maduro says, will be to cap profits for businesses at between 15% and 30% and to enforce price controls on an expanding number of goods.

Some see this as a movement to a fully socialist model; other see political opportunism.

In recent months, Maduro has blamed capitalism for speculation that is driving high rates of inflation and creating widespread shortages of staples.

The so-called "enabling law" that grants him decree powers could make it easier for him to set price controls, as he did recently to an electronics and appliance chain he accused of price gouging.

The result was a run on the Daka chain of stores, as people mobbed to buy deeply discounted electronics in chaotic scenes that included some looting.

"Consumerism is not the path," the President said Tuesday. "We are re-establishing prices so that the people's economic rights are respected, not to consume without control."

The underlying goal of these expanded powers are for Maduro to push a socialist agenda to the point of no return, said Jose Vicente Haro, a Venezuelan constitutional lawyer.

"What we've seen is just a little of what's coming," he told CNN en Español. "What Nicolas Maduro's primary objective is now is to regulate the profits of all companies that provide services or produce goods."

Those who agree with Haro fear that foreign investment in Venezuela will dry up as the government cuts their profits.

But behind the blustery rhetoric, there may be hints at a more pragmatic approach, said David Smilde, a Venezuela expert and senior fellow at the Washington Office on Latin America.

Faced with a difficult transition after the death of President Hugo Chavez, Maduro has adopted the economic war for political purposes, Smilde said.

The bloc that supported Chavez has been difficult for Maduro to keep together. By putting a name and a face to the "enemy," as he did by singling out the Daka electronics chain, the President is trying to unite voters behind his party ahead of local elections next month, Smilde said.

"Their idea is to have this carry them through the elections," he said. "I think it's completely political."

Behind the scenes, there are signs that the Venezuelan government is taking a less controversial approach to its economy.

To fight a shortage of dollars, Venezuela's state-run oil company announced it will sell $4.5 billion in bonds, for instance. There are also reports that it will try to make up even more ground by selling gold from its reserves.

Facing shortages, Venezuela takes over toilet paper factory

Maduro hasn't highlighted these moves the same way he has trumpeted his new decree powers, but they are telling of a more pragmatic approach, Smilde said.

The government's short-term goal, Venezuelan analyst John Magdaleno agreed, could be to gain an advantage at the polls.

Once the election is over, the government will have to take unpopular steps, such as devaluing its currency, to curb inflation.

"I think it's inevitable that to face the current economic situation the government will have to take some measures that will have a negative impact on the lower classes," Magdaleno said.

On the streets, some Venezuelans see the economic war that their leader is waging as a necessity, or as a dangerous blank check.

"There's no merchandise, and what's available is expensive," said Leonardo Guerrero, who sells fish.

He has seen variety falling and costs rising, and would like to see a "fair price," for more products, he said.

U.S. expels three Venezuelan diplomats

 

Felipe Massa: Brazil faces F1 driver crisis

By Ben Wyatt, CNN

November 22, 2013 -- Updated 1928 GMT (0328 HKT)

Massa worried for Brazilian F1 future

Mugello, Italy (CNN) -- Felipe Massa can be forgiven for feeling a little emotional ahead of this weekend's Brazilian Grand Prix.

After notching up 11 wins in eight years for Ferrari, a longevity that makes him the famous Italian Formula One team's second-longest-serving driver, his last race for the Scuderia will be at the track he calls home.

Few nations can deliver the passion for motorsport and race-day color that Brazil offers, or match the country for its production-line output of star drivers such as Ayrton Senna, Emerson Fittipaldi, Rubens Barrichello and Nelson Piquet.

But for the latest talent from those shores, there is good reason to be anxious throughout the festivities that will take place at the Sao Paulo-based Interlagos circuit.

"We've always had great drivers in Brazil and many champions, I think racing is in our blood, and it's very special to be part of Brazil and to carry on fighting," Massa told CNN's The Circuit.

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"But Brazil is getting less and less drivers, you know, so now I am the only Brazilian Formula One driver.

"It's difficult to see other drivers that can replace me for the future. When I was racing in little categories -- Formula Renault, Formula 3000 here in Europe -- in every category there was one Brazilian fighting for the championship, for victories.

"And now you don't see it anymore. It is definitely a worry and is something that ... I think our organization, our federation, should do something to improve our school in Brazil."

The 32-year-old, who has agreed a deal with Williams for the next three seasons after being replaced by Kimi Raikkonen at Ferrari, believes Brazil needs to invest more on young talent and build on the strengths of its go-kart program.

"Something's changed, especially in the school categories. We don't have another category after go-karts. Any way I can help ... I would do everything I can because Brazil is a very special country for motor racing," Massa added.

Read: 'Fernando Alonso's season? 8/10'

Despite his fears for the future, Massa is passionate about the role Interlagos has played in his career.

"Well, I love that track. I mean, I started there. On the other side of the wall there's the go-kart track, and this side of the wall is the normal racing track for the cars. I started when I was eight in go-karts, so I spent my life there and it's a fantastic track," he said.

These fond memories persist despite Interlagos also being the location where Massa was narrowly beaten by McLaren's Lewis Hamilton to the drivers' world title in 2008, finishing just one point behind the Englishman despite his victory.

"Even if I lost the championship there in the last corner, I won the race. I started in pole position, I did the quickest lap of the race, so everything was perfect," he said.

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"For sure I lost the championship ... but I also had a great race in Sao Paulo and I had also a great championship as well."

Ferrari has not always been the easiest team to be a number two driver -- as Barrichello found out when he had to take a back seat to the ambitions of Michael Schumacher from 2000-05.

Massa, likewise, has had second billing at Mugello since the 2010 arrival of double world champion Fernando Alonso.

Team orders have often been enforced to the detriment of Massa's own goals, but he says there are no regrets over his time driving behind the "Prancing Horse" badge.

Read: Mark Webber aims to leave F1 on a high

"For sure you always have days where you expect better results and better things, but ... I had a lot of great times with Ferrari and very good years," said Massa, who suffered a horrific accident in Hungary in 2009 that kept him out of the car until the following season due to serious head injuries.

"Good fights, you know, victories and some difficult days, even one big accident that I had, which was also part of my history and my life. But I think I would not change anything in my life. I am very happy and I have zero frustrations in my life," he added.

No frustrations, maybe, but he still has an unfulfilled ambition of becoming world champion which, despite the domination of Sebastian Vettel and the Red Bulls, burns on inside his heart.

Getting back in the winning habit in front of a home crowd would be a big step in the right direction.

"When I don't believe anymore, I would stop racing," he said. "I mean, I really believe in myself, I know what I can do and I am really looking forward to having my championship, my title, and working on that."

Massa's bid for a "home victory" got off to a steady but unspectacular start Friday, claiming seventh fastest time in afternoon practice in his Ferrari, but quicker than teammate Alonso, who was 11th best.

Nico Rosberg set the fastest time in both sessions for Mercedes, with four-time champion Vettel second best in the afternoon runs as he bids for his ninth straight win and 13th of the season.