News of rafael

Ecuador upholds graft sentence for former president Rafael Correa

08-09-2020 09:16 Ecuadorean court confirms former president's eight-year prison term for corruption, blocking his vice-presidency run in next year's elections and landing him a lifetime disqualification from future ballots.

NUCLEAR WATCHDOG

Iran allows UN access to alleged nuclear sites

26-08-2020 14:53 Iran agreed Wednesday to allow a United Nations watchdog the access it has requested to two alleged nuclear sites, as the head of the agency ended his first visit to Tehran.

BLOOMBERG

White House pushes for new Ecuador IMF accord as deadline nears

25-08-2020 14:46 “Ecuador has proven that there’s the utmost political will,” says Trump's pick for IDB chief Mauricio Claver-Carone. “It’s a high priority in the region for us and the IMF needs to bring Ecuador over the top.”

NUCLEAR WATCHDOG

Iran pledges to expand nuclear cooperation after IAEA rebuke

25-08-2020 13:20 Iran vows to expand its cooperation with UN nuclear watchdog, weeks after being rebuked by the body for failing to provide access to two sites suspected of hosting past nuclear activity.

NUCLEAR WATCHDOG

UN nuclear watchdog chief arrives in Iran

24-08-2020 20:01 Rafael Mariano Grossi is on his first trip to Iran since taking the helm of the International Atomic Energy Agency last year. Argentine official is due to meet with senior officials on Tuesday.

Brazilian football

Brazil's Serie A already in doubt after infected first round

11-08-2020 12:18 Nine football players in Brazil have tested positive for Covid-19, casting doubt on the decision to resume the championship originally scheduled to start in May.

SUPERLIGA ROUND-UP

Boca gain on River after Millo drop points at home

01-03-2020 21:38 Argentine Superliga heads for a decisive final weekend, with River top of the table and just one point ahead of arch-rivals Boca with one game to play.

Democracy on Trial

Ecuador puts ex-president on trial for campaign finance fraud

10-02-2020 12:30 Former president Rafael Correa, who is currently living in Belgium, maintains that the lawsuit is an attempt to bar him from running for a legislative position in next year's elections.

Diplomacy

María Fernanda Silva to be Argentina's new ambassador to Vatican

30-01-2020 14:41 Catholic and the first Afro-descendant woman of the Argentine foreign service, according to local reports, Silva will be the first woman to occupy the role.

NEW IAEA CHIEF

Rafael Grossi presses Iran about undeclared site, defends inspectors

04-12-2019 11:00 On his first day as director-general of the UN's nuclear watchdog agency, Argentine diplomat prompts Iran to break their silence regarding the particles of uranium found in an undeclared Tehran site.

UN NUCLEAR WATCHDOG

New IAEA chief Rafael Grossi promises 'firm and fair' stance on Iran

02-12-2019 12:32 Incoming head of the United Nations' atomic watchdog agency says he will take a "firm and fair" approach toward inspections of Iran's nuclear facilities, and plans to visit Tehran in the near future.

NUCLEAR WATCHDOG

Rafael Grossi takes charge of UN nuclear body

02-12-2019 07:43 Argentine diplomat will be confirmed as the new director general of the UN's nuclear watchdog the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) on Monday, with the growing crisis over Iran's nuclear programme at the top of his in-tray.

NEW IAEA CHIEF

Iran says it hopes new UN nuclear chief Grossi will act 'neutrally'

31-10-2019 10:04 Just a day after his election, Tehran begins to apply pressure on Rafael Grossi, the veteran Argentine diplomat who has been tasked with leading the International Atomic Energy Agency.

IAEA

IAEA Explainer: What is the International Atomic Energy Agency?

30-10-2019 11:43 Argentina's Rafael Mariano Grossi will lead the global agency tasked with steering the Iran nuclear deal.

IAEA Chief

Grossi: 'The IAEA's work is the essence for international peace and security'

29-10-2019 14:48 A top priority for the new director general will be monitoring the implementation of the fragile Iran nuclear deal.

IAEA CHIEF

Argentina's Rafael Mariano Grossi chosen to head UN nuclear agency

29-10-2019 08:41 Experienced Argentine diplomat chosen to head prestigious International Atomic Energy Agency. In his new role, Grossi will wade into some of the thorniest terrain in global relations.

PROTESTS IN ECUADOR

Ecuador's president agrees deal with indigenous to end protests

14-10-2019 11:58 Ecuador celebrated a deal President Lenín Moreno and indigenous leaders struck late Sunday to cancel a disputed austerity package and end nearly two weeks of protests that have paralyzed the economy and left seven dead.

Protests in Ecuador

Way forward in Ecuador looks murky after deadly violence

11-10-2019 11:47 The government’s removal of fuel subsidies last week plunged Ecuador into upheaval, triggering protests, looting, vandalism, clashes with security forces, the blocking of highways and the suspension of parts of its vital oil industry.

ECUADOR IN CRISIS

Ex-Ecuador president Correa denies plotting coup, calls for new vote

11-10-2019 07:00 As protests continue to paralyze nation, former leader calls for his successor to hold new elections and rejects accusations that he is conspiring with Venezuela's Maduro.

NUCLEAR WATCHDOG

Argentina's Grossi tops straw poll in race to head UN's nuclear watchdog

10-10-2019 13:55 Veteran diplomat and nuclear expert Rafael Grossi takes 15 votes – one more than closest rival, acting chief Romanian Cornel Feruta – in survey of 35-strong IAEA board.

CRISIS IN ECUADOR

Argentina slams Maduro, offers 'strong support' for Ecuador's Moreno

08-10-2019 17:29 Seven Latin American governments, including Argentina, offer 'strong support' for under-fire Ecuador President Lenín Moreno, who is facing large protests over rising fuel prices. Nations criticise 'any action' by Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro intended to 'destabilise' government.

ECUADOR IN CRISIS

Clashes at protests in Ecuador over fuel price hike, oil facilities seized

08-10-2019 09:26 President Lenín Moreno accuses predecessor and ex-ally Rafael Correa and Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro of an "attempted coup d'état." Government business temporarily moved to the port city of Guayaquil.

PROTESTS

Ecuador's declares state of emergency after clashes over fuel prices

04-10-2019 09:17 Clashes broke out between protesters and police in Ecuador after President Lenín Moreno declared a state of emergency Thursday following demonstrations against rising fuel prices due to the government scrapping subsidies. Moreno's measure allow the government to restrict movement, to employ the Armed Forces to maintain order and to censor the press.

FROM A GLOBAL PERSPECTIVE

New dawns and tightropes: The IAEA and Argentina

28-09-2019 04:05 The vastly experienced Rafael Mariano Grossi, 58, Argentina’s ambassador to the IAEA who has held senior disarmament posts since 1997, is backed by the Americas from top to bottom. Respected by China, he also enjoys support from the Commonwealth countries and even some Europeans.

by Michael Soltys

Unasur

Ecuadorean congress confirms country's exit from weakened Unasur

20-09-2019 17:39 Ecuador’s withdrawal from Union of South American Nations underlines fall from grace for the regional bloc.

UNITED NATIONS

Grossi one of four candidates for top job at UN nuclear watchdog

06-09-2019 12:53 Argentina's ambassador to the Vienna-based International Atomic Energy Agency confirms candidacy for director general post, vacant since death of Yukiya Amano. Three others also announce run for top post.

BLOOMBERG

Iran offered lesson by Argentine bid to head nuclear agency

09-08-2019 10:34 Nuclear expert Rafael Mariano Grossi says inspectors monitoring Iran’s nuclear deal could benefit from more openness and suggested his country’s nuclear programme holds a lesson for Tehran's leaders.

Nuclear watchdog

UN nuclear watchdog to have new chief in place by January

01-08-2019 16:50 Rafael Grossi, Argentina's ambassador to the IAEA, has been tipped as one of the most likely candidates for the post along with interim director, Romanian diplomat Cornel Feruta.

UN AGENCY

UN nuclear watchdog to start search for new chief

24-07-2019 15:29 Argentina's ambassador to the International Atomic Energy Agency, Rafael Grossi, is among the frontrunners to succeed Yukiya Amano, who died last week.