News stories by Marcela Valente, page 8

BUENOS AIRES, Jul 03 (IPS) - The recovery of state control over the oil company YPF was a strategic move for Argentina, which is highly dependent on fossil fuels. But the country needs to incorporate cleaner sources of energy, and this will take time, says energy expert Mariana Matranga in this interview.

Voluntary blood donations have risen markedly in the year ending Thursday Jun. 14 in Argentina, which hosted the World Blood Donor Day event for 2011. South Korea takes over for the coming year.

This month, Argentina will join the growing list of Latin American countries that compel tobacco companies to display health warnings about the dangers of smoking on cigarette packs, illustrated with graphic images.

In Latin America, the distribution of laptops in public schools, an effort that has enjoyed success in countries like Argentina, Uruguay and Venezuela, is being studied by the governments of other nations interested in learning from their experience about the challenges that can be expected.

The identification of the remains of victims of forced disappearance of Argentina’s 1976-1983 military dictatorship — whose bodies were buried in secret graves or thrown into the sea - is moving forward, with periodic findings that have a strong impact on the families and on society as a whole.

A new approach to mental health care is slowly making headway in Argentina, against heavy resistance. Based on short-term hospitalisation, fewer psychiatric hospitals, and more services to strengthen the social integration of patients, it is aimed at eradicating inhumane treatment of the mentally ill.

The immense majority of women diagnosed with HIV in Argentina in the last two years were infected through unprotected sex with their stable partners, a new report says.

The Argentine pension system, renationalised in 2008, now covers more than 90 percent of people of retirement age, the highest coverage in Latin America. But analysts are concerned about its sustainability.