usatoday24, Author at usatoday24

The new law puts an end to one of the last tobacco subterfuges in Spain

July 21, 2026 by usatoday24

Some customs survive by pure inertia. In Spain, one of them consists of going out to a terrace, ordering a beer and assuming that someone, sooner or later, will light a cigarette half a meter from your table. It doesn’t matter that you are eating, that there is a baby carriage and a mother breastfeeding. It doesn’t matter if the smoke reaches you before the waiter does. So far: the Council of Ministers has given the green light to the project of the largest anti-smoking reform since the ban on smoking in bars and restaurants in 2011. To exemplify the power and scope of this measure: in Madrid alone more than 6,300 bars, almost 64,000 tables and more than 200,000 chairs on terraces. That’s a lot of money. The terrace will no longer be a shared ashtray. The most visible measure affects one of the great symbols of Spanish hospitality: the terraces. When the law comes into force after its parliamentary processing, smoking will not be allowed on the terraces of bars and restaurants. Nor vaping. The Government equates e-cigarettes, heated tobacco and nicotine pouches with conventional tobacco in most restrictions. The Ministry of Health survey said, STUDIES 2025that the prevalence of daily smokers among adolescents was registering all-time lowssince counting began in 1994. However, it seems that the problem lies more in a distortion of the samples. The danger of vaping. The Spanish Society of Family and Community Medicine (semFyc) warned, however, that the problem, rather than disappearing, has moved: 90.5% of underage smokers use both vapers and conventional cigarettes. Many young people, in fact, They do not smoke other cigarettes that are not electronicmore in line with other lifestyles and appearances cleaner and more modern. An alternative, clearly, defective. Although the legislation protected the interior of the premises but left a huge legal vacuum in the exterior spaces, this has now ended, understanding that a risk exists and persists, especially for children, pregnant women and hospitality workers who spend full days breathing that environment. Now the inn will have to face this new reality which leaves the local smoker without margin and equates it with that of Sweden, the only country in the EU where smoking is prohibited in public spaces. Tobacco also disappears from campus. The reform promoted by Minister Mónica García seeks to expand smoke-free spaces to marquees, music festivals, and outdoor or non-open-air events (in addition to theaters, cinemas, and any closed venue) and, for the first time, expressly prohibits smoking by minors. It is a cultural change. And there is more: the text, which modifies Law 28/2005, also adds as cigarette-free spaces the beaches, both sea and river, sports centers and public swimming pools, the network of National Parks and the work vehicle itself, as long as you are on professional duty. Denormalize tobacco consumption. Or so the norm says: that smoking stops being part of the daily landscape. Yeah you see smokingit is more likely that you end up smoking. Because if a teenager spends his entire life watching smoking on terraces, at concerts, at universities or in swimming pools, he ends up perceiving it as normal behavior. Reducing this presence also reduces the social attractiveness of cigarettes, according to the scientific evidence supported by the Ministry. “The reality of smoking has changed and this reform pursues a very clear objective: moving towards a tobacco-free generation,” said the Minister of Health, Mónica García. And the data seems to support his claim. The big news: the minors. Until now, the law prevented the sale of tobacco to minors. Now it also prohibits them from consuming it. It may seem like a semantic difference, but it has important legal consequences. The text incorporates an express prohibition on smoking, vaping or using nicotine pouches as a minor. The sanctions will fall on those legally responsible when appropriate and seek to reinforce the preventive message rather than collection. Of course, the reform modifies the sanctioning regime and establishes fines from 200 euros for these infractions. In the case of minors, the financial responsibility will fall on the parents or legal guardians, as always. But the project also foresees that this economic sanction can be replaced by work for the benefit of the community, with a clear educational and preventive focus, similar to what already exists in other regulations aimed at minors. Images | Pexels (Eyüpcan Timur, Helena Lopes) In Xataka | Experts agree: “Regular physical exercise makes the difference in quitting smoking” IN Xataka | It’s never too late to quit smoking: the lungs have an incredible capacity to regenerate

Kimi K3 triggers the alarm in Silicon Valley

July 21, 2026 by usatoday24

Kimi K3 has just dismantled an idea that had been installed among analysts for many months: the Chinese laboratories of artificial intelligence (IA) were, at least, between six and eight months behind its American rivals. This model, published last week by Beijing startup Moonshot AI, has 2.8 trillion parameters and has been designed for programming, knowledge work and complex reasoning tasks, as well as incorporating native vision capabilities. In fact, it’s bigger than the latest flagship models launched by Chinese rivals, such as Zhipu AI or DeepSeek. Its performance, and this is what is really surprising, has surpassed that of the main closed models from the USAsuch as Claude Opus 4.8 from Anthropic or GPT-5.5 from OpenAI, leaving only from behind of the most recent Claude Fable 5 and GPT-5.6 Sol, according to Artificial Analysis data. China is only a few weeks behind The most shocking conclusion Ryan Fedasiuk picked it upresearcher at the American Business Institute, in a report published this Saturday under the title “China has caught up with the US in frontier AI.” Fedasiuk maintains that the gap between the two countries, which until now was measured in months, has narrowed to something close to a few weeks. Large American laboratories continue to lead the absolute frontier with Claude Fable 5 and GPT-5.6 Sol And Kimi K3 not only competes in performance. In tests such as the Arena AI ranking for development front-endthis Chinese model has surpassed both GPT-5.6 Sol and Claude Fable 5 despite being noticeably cheaper than both American alternatives. Of course, its price is somewhat higher than other Chinese models, such as DeepSeek or those from Zhipu AI. This combination (a larger, more capable and cheaper model than much of the American competition) is what has triggered concern in Silicon Valley, a location accustomed until now to taking for granted a cushion of several months of advantage. In any case, the large American laboratories continue to lead the absolute frontier with Claude Fable 5 and GPT-5.6 Sol. What has changed, according to the Fedasiuk report, is the speed at which that distance is shortened. Silicon Valley can no longer continue discounting that advantage for months. Now it is measured in weeks. Image | Generated by Xataka with ChatGPT More information | SCMP In Xataka | China has a plan to win the AI war against the US. And DeepSeek is its champion

smoking and vaping prohibited in company cars and fines of 200 euros

July 21, 2026 by usatoday24

16 years later, the Anti-Tobacco Law is updated after years of rumors. It does so with substantial changes such as equating vapes with traditional cigarettes. And also with changes that affect mobility. Because smoking or vaping while driving will be prohibited… in some very specific cases. Forbidden. This is what the Government has agreed that with the update of the Anti-Tobacco Law approved by the Council of Ministersfour big changes have been confirmed: Vapes and cigarettes are equated, so both products will be prohibited in the same spaces. Nicotine pouches are also equalized. Consumption by minors is prohibited (previously only sales to minors were prohibited). The consumption of vapes and cigarettes is prohibited in new spaces or those that did not have homogeneous national regulation, such as terracesplatforms or swimming pools, among others. And the car? Indeed, smoking or vaping in the car will also be prohibited. Although only in those that are used in the professional environment. That is, they will be prohibited in taxis and vehicles with a VTC license but also in company shared cars. The prohibition only affects when they provide a service for the transportation of passengers but will not be effective when the professional vehicle is always driven by the same person. That is, in a taxi or VTC you cannot smoke or vape. Nor in a vehicle for the transport of goods in which workers rotate, but there is no problem if the vehicle is for the exclusive use of a single person. The fine? The fine for incurring any of the aforementioned infractions will be 200 euros. That is, in the case of a violation in the car it would be equivalent to a penalty for a serious offense. Of course, we must keep in mind that we are talking about a sanction that is imposed by the Anti-Tobacco Law in very specific situations. Smoking in the car is not punished, smoking in some specific vehicles is punishable, so we should not have changes in the Traffic Law. This means that we do not expect modifications in this last text that could lead to the deduction of points. Tobacco and the car. The issue of smoking in the car has been a source of controversy for years. Last year 2022, the sanctions were updated for throwing a cigarette butt from the vehicle, raising the punishment to 500 euros. However, nothing expressly specifies that smoking while driving is prohibited. For years there have been rumors of the possibility of completely prohibiting this activity or limiting it when there are minors inside. However, fines have been limited to those that can be imposed for not paying attention to the wheel or not being able to control the car at all times. Both assumptions are included in the articles 10.2 and 13.2 of the Traffic Law. These are used as a basis for imposing light penalties of 80 euros. This can be applied to all types of cases due to the diffuse definition of the text. From drinking water or eating until operate the radio while we are underway. Photo | 岁月如歌 In Xataka | All DGT fines for consuming alcohol or drugs: a punishment of up to 1,000 euros and jail

In China, taking a taxi is already cheaper than using your own vehicle for one reason: electric cars

July 21, 2026 by usatoday24

China is experiencing a peculiar situation: on its streets, it is now cheaper to get around by taxi than by private car. According to the latest data from the Ministry of Transport collected by the Reuters agency, lTaxi trips grew by 6% since the outbreak of the Hormuz crisisa phenomenon that coincides with the increase in fuel prices and the enormous electrification of urban fleets. This percentage translates into more than 3,050 million taxi trips in the month of May alone, demonstrating that the international geopolitical situation has a great impact on people’s daily lives. The context. The war in Iran and the situation in the Strait of Hormuz have caused Chinese crude oil purchases to reach historic lows. Last June, oil imports had a collapse of 41.3% year-on-yearwhich placed them at their lowest level in a decade since October 2016, with only 29.27 million tons (about 7.12 million barrels per day). Added to this is also the low production that the national refineries are having due to a fairly low internal demand. All of this has created the perfect cocktail to generate a shortage situation that has skyrocketed prices, among other things, of gasoline. The secret is in the electrical. This is where the taxi comes into play. Although fuel prices rise every day, the rates for this type of transport in China are becoming cheaper. This is because, as Reuters indicates, almost half of the country’s taxi fleet is electric (a condition that in cities covers almost 100% of the car supply) and, therefore, is not as dependent on volatile oil prices, making it an effective shield from China. in front of shock of Hormuz. But not only that. In recent times, the increasingly easier access to an electric vehicle and the slowdown of the Asian country’s economy has pushed many Chinese citizens to take the leap to be independent professionals and look for work in the mobility sector as drivers with their own car. According to Reuters, companies like DiDi, the main Chinese MaaS application, have grown thanks to this phenomenon. In this case, the company has incorporated more than 2 millions of hybrid or electric vehicles in the last year, which represents a total of more than 8 million fossil fuel-free models in its fleet. Thus, there is more supply and more competition and the rates, consequently, are much cheaper. The user wins. This new trend has already flooded the Asian country’s social networks and, in addition to the lower rates and savings on gasoline, many Chinese citizens point out the comfort of the trip and the ease of not having to look for parking as other benefits of opting for a taxi, as expressed by Yang, owner of a gasoline car, to Reuters. However, not everything is risk-free, since these economics professions in demand -such as those of a professional driver, riders and couriers – are in high demand and could end up saturating the market. A change forever? Since the crisis, it is no secret that the world is getting used to living with a 9% less oil which previously passed through Hormuz. Like many other countries, China is now seeking to be less vulnerable to international volatility and rely less on fossil fuels.. It does so in a very clear commitment to leading decarbonization by dominating the global production of solar panels, batteries and, of course, electric vehicles. The big question is whether this change responds solely to the rise in oil prices or whether it will end up consolidating a change in habits in the mentality of Chinese citizens even when the energy market stabilizes again. Cover image | Teresa Wang In Xataka | China has so many electric cars running on its streets that it is going to use them to generate energy for homes

The EU has hit AliExpress with a record fine. And make it clear that the next one could be even bigger.

July 21, 2026 by usatoday24

The European Commission has fined AliExpress with 550 million euros for allowing the sale of illegal, unsafe and counterfeit products on its platform. It is the highest penalty ever imposed under the Digital Services Act (DSA)the rule with which Brussels forces large online platforms to monitor what is sold and published on them. The investigation, opened in March 2024, concluded that AliExpress’s detection systems “were not working properly”: many illegal products passed through undetected and others remained on sale even weeks after being identified. Why is it important. It is not the first time that the Commission takes out the checkbook against a Chinese platform. In May he fined Temu 200 million for similar violations, and in December of last year sanctioned X with 120 million for their misleading payment verifications. AliExpress now takes, by far, the hardest hit of the three. Technology Commissioner Henna Virkkunen has been blunt: The sale of counterfeit clothing, dangerous toys and toxic cosmetics “is not an inevitable cost of shopping online”, but rather “a failure” of AliExpress itself when it comes to fulfilling its obligations. According to its own data, AliExpress has 193 million users in the European Union, ahead of Shein (156 million) and Temu (130 million). One in five Europeans shops at least once a month in one of the three. Between the lines. The Commission’s report does not describe a specific failure, but rather a poorly dimensioned system from its roots. AliExpress misjudged whether it had enough staff to review suspicious products, underestimated how poorly its own detection system was working, and failed to evaluate how its recommendation and advertising algorithms were helping to spread illegal items. The “brand authorization” mechanism, designed to curb counterfeits, has been very easy for sellers to circumvent. And when the platform did sanction a merchant, the penalty did not prevent them from continuing to sell the same thing shortly after. Yes, but. AliExpress assures that the fine is “disproportionate” and that it will appeal. It maintains that it has invested substantial resources in product safety and that the decision ignores the “proactive improvements” introduced after the first notice from the Commission, just over a year ago. That nuance matters because the sanction comes after AliExpress escaped a fine in 2024 by pledging to strengthen its controls on medicines and other potentially dangerous products. Brussels has now decided that those promises were not enough. The context. The DSA allows fines of up to 6% of a company’s worldwide turnover. With the 122,000 million euros that Alibaba invoiced last yearthe legal ceiling would be around 7.3 billion. The 550 million applied are far below, something that the Commission itself attributes, in part, to the fact that the standard is still relatively recent. And now what. AliExpress has until October 20 to present a plan to Brussels to correct the deficiencies detected. The Commission will review this proposal in December and, if it considers it insufficient, it may impose additional periodic sanctions, not just a single fine. The underlying message for the rest of the Chinese platforms operating in the European Union, with Shein under open investigationis that size no longer serves as a shield. “Scale is not an excuse,” Virkkunen summarized. In Xataka | EU tariffs have made it impossible to buy on Aliexpress and Shein: in a few months it will be even more complicated Featured image | Xataka

convert them into irrigated crops

July 21, 2026 by usatoday24

The Moroccan Government wants to reinforce its weight in the Sahara by betting on its agricultural muscle, a double objective for which it is looking for allies. His Agency for Agricultural Development (ADA) just launched a call to attract investment partners to help it gain around 1,100 hectares of agricultural land in Dakhla-Oued Ed-Dahab, land intended for commercial horticulture that will benefit from a new desalination plant. The topic is especially interesting in Spain for two reasons: it focuses on the environment of ancient settlement of Villa Cisneros and can affect the Spanish agricultural sector, which has been complaining for a long time of the Moroccan competition. What has happened? That the Moroccan Executive wants to reinforce its footprint in the economy of Dakhla-Oued Ed-Dahab, a region located south of the disputed territory of Western Sahara. In fact its capital is Dakhlawhat was once the Spanish settlement of Villa Cisneros. To that end, the ADA has launched a tender with which he intends to attract companies to help him cultivate an area of almost 1,100 hectares that will benefit from a new desalination plant. What exactly has he done? The news has advanced it the diary Les Inspirations Ecowhich a few days ago revealed that the Moroccan Agricultural Development Agency has launched a call to attract investors (both local and foreign) interested in taking charge of 35 agricultural projects spread across Dakhla-Oued Ed-Dahab and that will cover more than 1,090 h. Specifically, what Rabat has in mind is a public-private collaboration (PPP) formula focused on lands controlled by the Moroccan State and that will be divided into thirty agricultural projects: 28 medium-sized ones that cover 345.6 hectares, three large ones that are close to 170 h, another three that will require aggregation and total 565.1 h and another smaller one (9.8 h). How will they be managed? Through rental contracts. Interested investors will sign agreements with the Moroccan Government for between 25 and 40 years of exploitation (this last period, the longest, is reserved for plots that require investment in processing plants), a period during which companies must pay a rent established by the Government. According to the newspaper The DebateDepending on the size, the rent will range between €640 and €4,250 per year. The Moroccan press also speaks of a connection fee per hectare. That rent is not the only commitment that companies interested in exploiting farmland will assume. The rental fee will increase by 10% every five years from the moment the irrigation system is activated. The investor will also not be able to do what he wants with the land. The idea is that they present projects focused primarily on commercial horticulture (excluding berries). Those who sign the contract will also be obliged to manage and exploit the plots directly, without transferring them to third parties. Why is it important? That Morocco seeks partners to strengthen the country’s agricultural muscle is interesting, but it does not explain why the news has captured the interest of the Spanish press. If he has done it, it is not so much because of ‘the what’ as ‘the where’. As we noted before, the project focuses on Dakhla-Oued Ed-Dahab, in the area of Western Sahara that Morocco considers part of its territory and the Polisario Front claims as floor of the Sahrawi Republic. Is there anything else? Yes. The call launched by Rabat is part of a much broader and more ambitious initiative: a Dakhla irrigation project that aims to use desalinated seawater to irrigate just over 5,000 hectares. In fact, the almost 1,100 h that ADA offers will benefit from the water from that plant. In general, Rabat has been making an effort to reinforce the economic muscle of Dakhla, which in the process establishes its weight in the region. In the background is the program ‘Generation Green 2020-2030’launched years ago by the Moroccan Executive and which aims to strengthen the country’s agricultural GDP and reinforce its export muscle. Right now Morocco plays a key role as fruit and vegetable supplier of Spain and has managed to expand its export weight in the European Union in products such as the tomato. Meanwhile, Spanish farmers warn of the unfair competition that the country exercises. Images | Hugh Llewelyn (Flickr), Flowcomm (Flickr) In Xataka | Europe has found an energy vein for the next decade: North Africa

Kimi K3 forces Trump to resume his plan to stop Chinese AI

July 21, 2026 by usatoday24

The Trump Administration likes to veto things. Now they seem to want to do it with the AI models of Chinese companies, which are becoming increasingly competitive. The launch of Kimi K3 seems to have been the trigger for this new plan to be activated, but there is a problem: vetoing those models is a terrible idea. This comes from afar. The US Department of Commerce I had already studied last year included several Chinese AI startups, including DeepSeek, in its famous Entity List. With this they wanted to limit the access of these companies to sensitive hardware and technology developed in the US. Companies at risk for using Chinese models. Recently it has even been proposed drafting an executive order to hold US companies responsible for security breaches that appear due to using Chinese models in their systems. The objective was always the same: to discourage the use of these Chinese models as much as possible. Why US companies use Chinese models. The reason is simple: Chinese open weights like DeepSeek V4 or Kimi K3 allow companies to download and run them on their own servers, dramatically reducing inference costs and keeping all data private. Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong himself has indicated that use models such as GLM-5.2 and Kimi K2.7 in local production, which has allowed them to cut their total spending on AI in half despite the fact that token consumption has skyrocketed. Duopolies without competition. David Sacks, White House AI advisor, posted a message on X on Sunday in which he warned of the risk of using these models: “We are at a critical turning point in AI policies. The leading laboratories with proprietary models, which are already a duopoly in terms of revenue from their AI models, want the government to eliminate Open Source competition.” A Axios report reveals that indeed both OpenAI and Anthropic could have part of the responsibility in promoting this ban. This could be a shot in the foot for the US.. An analysis published in The Washington Post raises an argument worth considering. Treating open models as a security threat is confusing competition with a danger that must be contained. This text recalls how the Sears chain was not allowed to ban Walmart, nor IBM to ban Compaq or Dell, nor traditional airlines to veto the operators that lowered prices. In each case the same thing happened: an established company ran into a rival that was lowering costs, so it had only two options: compete or lose. Linux and Open Source have already shown the way. As the author of the article says, open source eliminated the barriers of commercial software, which locked users into an alternative from which they had no way out. That did not make these companies disappear, but rather boosted competition. Red Hat, MongoDB, Android or Kubernetes showed that “giving away” the product was not incompatible with building profitable businesses around that product. Danger, duopoly. That analysis shows that almost all companies prefer a scenario in which open models remain available. The only ones who have a direct interest in maintaining closed models are precisely Anthropic and OpenAI, because their businesses depend precisely on there being no free (or very cheap) competitive alternatives. If they are so good, why are they afraid? What’s ironic is that if Anthropic and OpenAI really claim to be so far ahead of Chinese AI companies, they shouldn’t have to worry about the competition. Nor would they have to ask the government for help to stop their competition. The US antitrust laws themselves exist precisely to prevent a market from falling into the hands of one or two companies. This veto would precisely allow them to create that monopoly (or duopoly) to lock users and companies into it. In Xataka | A few days after the Kimi K3 “shock”, Alibaba has launched Qwen 3.8: it is the sign that the US has a problem

“Exercise tells the muscles to cleanse and reset”

July 21, 2026 by usatoday24

The effects of physical exercise for older people They are more than proven. It helps them improve their cardiovascular health, improves mobility, reduces fractures and, in general, provides a long list of benefits. It is good at all stages of life, but when we get older it becomes essential. However, as well studied as this is, until recently it was unclear why it is so beneficial. Knowing the reason is necessary, as it can help squeeze those advantages even more. Now, a team of scientists from Duke-NUS Medical School, in collaboration with Cardiff University and Singapore General Hospital, has taken a big step in this directionby discovering the molecular pathways that cause both the deterioration of muscle health in advanced ages and the benefits of physical exercise for older people. Molecular pathways that suffer. This study is supported by previous research, which already pointed to the possible involvement of the mTORC1 pathway, involved in the regulation of the synthesis and elimination of muscle proteins. This pathway must maintain a balance between the synthesis of new proteins and the elimination of those that are damaged. However, it has been seen that, as we get older, this pathway becomes deregulated, tipping the balance towards the synthesis of new proteins. Damaged proteins that should normally be removed accumulate, causing stress on muscle cells and leading to a progressive loss of strength. This pathway, in turn, is regulated by another, called DEAF 1. As these scientists have seen, when its activity increases, the expression of genes in the mTORC1 pathway increases, causing this imbalance towards protein synthesis. Furthermore, what these scientists saw in experiments with fruit flies and mice is that the activity of DEAF 1 is regulated by the activity of a group of proteins that also exist in humans: FOXOs. They keep them in line. The problem is that FOXO activity decreases with age, giving free rein to DEAF 1 and, with it, an imbalance in the synthesis and elimination of muscle proteins. The role of physical exercise in older people. In their study, these scientists have seen that physical exercise reactivates FOXOs proteins. Therefore, physical exercise in older people aid to maintain balance in the synthesis and elimination of muscle proteins, improving muscle mass and increasing the benefits associated with it. Also stem cells. DEAF 1 does not influence muscles only by deregulating protein synthesis and elimination. It is also related to the synthesis of muscle stem cells. This normally decreases with age. Therefore, finding ways to maintain good activity levels is key. Physical exercise in older people also helps in that sense. It is not the same for everyone. In their study, these scientists have seen that, unfortunately, physical exercise does not always seem to be a good tool alone. There are people for whom it is enough, while others must resort to additional strategies to improve their health. This is the path through which they must continue studying. Not just for seniors. This study is not only aimed at studying the benefits of physical exercise in older people. Its authors believe that it can also be useful for patients who have lost muscle mass due to recovering from surgery, a fall, or diseases such as cancer. Be that as it may, the initial key is to understand the mechanisms that reduce the muscle health of older people. According to one of the authors of the studyPriscillia Choy Sze Mun, “physical exercise tells the muscles to cleanse and reset.” Logically, we will have to study more. To begin with, it would be necessary to verify that, no matter how much the mechanisms are shared, what has been seen in mice can be extrapolated to humans. If so, we would have key knowledge to improve physical exercise programs for older people. Knowledge is power and, in science, knowing the whys of things is very powerful. Images | Magnificent In Xataka | In the fever to train strength, the gym has faced competition: more and more people train on the street

The star Movistar Plus promo returns to see the start of LaLiga, the Champions League and more

July 21, 2026 by usatoday24

When a streaming platform releases a new promo, it’s always worth checking out. Movistar Plus has started a few minutes ago one that, although it is true that it is not new, is its star promo: It’s three months at half price without any permanencemaking it the best time to try what it offers. During these three months, its price is 4.99 euros per month. Monthly subscription to Movistar Plus (for three months) The price could vary. We earn commission from these links Three months with many sporting events This promo lowers the price of the Movistar Plus Free Plan with movies, series, documentaries and sports from 9.99 euros to 4.99 euros per month for three months. The best of all is that, since it has no permanence, we can test the platform during this time and, if it does not convince us, unsubscribe. It is important to note that the offer is available for both new subscribers and old subscribers without an active subscription. Plus, you can share it with a friend or family member. If we sign up today, we will be subscribed until October 21, paying a total of only 14.97 euros. In exchange, we will be able to see how LaLiga EA Sports starts with great games like the Atlético de Madrid-Málaga, Elche-Barcelona or Real Madrid-Málaga. Also several Champions League matches and the entire LaLiga Hypermotion. Obviously, The platform lives not only on football. Without leaving the sport, we can also watch the 1,000 Masters in Canada and Cincinnati, as well as the US Open. In addition, also the start of the Endesa Basketball League or the Euroleague. To all this we can add an enormous number of movies, series and documentaries where, for example, there are several true crime very interesting to see. ⚡ IN SUMMARY: Movistar Plus offer ✅ THE BEST Three months for less than 15 euros: It is a great price if we take into account that, in addition, we will be able to see the start of LaLiga and other competitions. Without permanence: Since we do not have permanence, we can take advantage of the promo and unsubscribe before it ends. ❌ THE WORST YesOnly for new or old customers without active subscription: If you already have an active Movistar Plus subscription, you will not be able to benefit from the promo. 💡 SUBSCRIBE IF… You want to try what Movistar Plus offers or watch a lot of sporting events taking advantage of the fact that several competitions start now in August. ⛔ DO NOT SUBSCRIBE IF… You already have many streaming platforms or you are not interested in football at all. You may also be interested XIAOMI TV F 65, 65 Inch (165 cm), 4K UHD, Smart TV, Fire OS8, Alexa Voice Control, HDR10, MEMC, 120Hz Game Boost Mode, Compatible with Apple AirPlay The price could vary. We earn commission from these links TCL TV 55Q7D Pro 55” SQD-Mini LED, 4K HDR 2000 nits, 480 Dimming Zones, Google TV, Dolby Vision IQ and Atmos, 2.1 Onkyo, 144Hz, Apple AirPlay 2 and Alexa The price could vary. We earn commission from these links Some of the links in this article are affiliated and may provide a benefit to Xataka. In case of non-availability, offers may vary. Images | Movistar Plus In Xataka | Movistar Plus+ activates its Free Plan with complete programs and a lot of content, regardless of which operator you are In Xataka | Movistar Plus for non-Movistar customers: what it is, how much it costs, channels, additional services and how to contract it

“In inheritances it is a mistake not to ask for the deceased’s life insurance certificates”

July 21, 2026 by usatoday24

When a family member dies, the pain of loss is joined by an avalanche of legal and administrative procedures that must be fulfilled in a certain order. Therefore, between the mourning and the paperwork, there is a document that runs a serious risk of not being processed: the application for life insurance certificates. This certificate indicates whether the deceased had contracted any type of life insurance. This, which at first glance may seem obvious, can be a procedure that involves the loss of thousands of euros. for the heirs for not claiming compensation from the insurers. The failure that, surprisingly, is very common. As Manuel Hernández García, lawyer and director of Vilches Abogados, said, in a video from his YouTube channel, not requesting this life insurance certificate is one of the most common mistakes in inheritances. “On many occasions, families do not request life insurance certificates,” recalls the lawyer. The curious fact is that “insurance companies have an obligation to transmit this information about the deceased’s life insurance to state agencies.” That is, insurers are obliged to communicate in which insurance policies a specific person appears as a beneficiary, but they are not obliged to notify the heirs directly. A simple procedure but not for the impatient. The file in which all life insurance beneficiaries are collected is called the Registry of Death Coverage Insurance Contracts. It was created by Law 20/2005 and today it is managed by the Ministry of Justice. Anyone interested can request the insurance certificate and it includes the name and surname and what policies the deceased had in force. However, and this is one of the reasons why this certificate is often left behind in the inheritance process, it cannot be requested until after fifteen business days since death. Any attempt to apply earlier will result in your automatic denial. The procedure is done through the form 790 and can be processed online, by mail or in person, with the death certificate at hand. The registry responds within a maximum of seven business days. Some death insurance policies include administrative coverage in which they are responsible for requesting this certificate. Five years, not one more. We come to one of the most delicate parts of the process since insurance companies are obliged to indicate in that certificate what insurance each deceased has, but not to notify the heirs who are beneficiaries of it. As indicated by the insurer Aegonhe article 23 of the Insurance Contract Law establishes that heirs have a maximum period of five years from death to claim life insurance. After that time, the money simply remains in the hands of the insurer. Sure, how sure? The key is that much of that “forgotten” money does not come from life insurance policies themselves, but from “invisible” policies included in third-party services. Credit cards, banking and financial loan services, home insurance, vehicle insurance, which in addition to offering the main coverage, also allocate part of the coverage to insuring the service provider. According to the last Social Insurance Report, In Spain, 22 million people have taken out risk life insurance and many people are unaware that they have this coverage. Notaries as a last resort. The Registry creation life insurance also imposed an additional obligation for notaries, who must include the certificate from the Insurance Registry of the deceased before the award of the inheritance and must warn the heirs if there is any policy that covers said death so that it is recorded. In Xataka | Lawyers and notaries agree: “When making a will it is wise to leave specific assets to each child and the home to only one” Image | Vilches lawyersUnsplash (Romain Dancre)

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