Weekly Report - 13 August 2009 (WR-09-32)

Argentina's President Cristina Fernández was forced on the defensive this week after the local press seized upon a message from Pope Benedict XVI urging action “to reduce the scandal of poverty and social inequality" in the country. The Pope's words were embarrassing for the government which has trumpeted its achievement in reducing poverty from an alleged 60% in 2003 in the wake of the financial debacle to just 15.3% now, according to the national statistics institute, Indec. The Argentine bishops' conference claims that the poverty rate, which is intimately related to the much-questioned inflation figures produced by Indec, is being underreported, and is in fact oscillating around 35%.

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