Ministry

ONCE and the Ministry of Science give away 2 million glasses for the solar eclipse: this is how you can get them

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Looking ahead to the next solar eclipse on August 12, something as important as find a good location to see it is to get hold of good approved glasses. X-rays and photographic negatives are not valid, as has traditionally been said. It is also not safe to look at the eclipse with conventional sunglasses. Such acts, such as looking with the naked eye, can cause serious eye problems. This is something they know a lot about. ONCE. That’s why, they just launched next to the Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities of the Government of Spain a campaign aimed at raising awareness about the importance of protecting eyesight at these types of events. And since there is no better way to raise awareness than by giving access to solutions, an important part of the campaign will be the distribution of 2 million free eclipse glasses throughout the country. ¿Where can you find the ONCE eclipse glasses? The glasses will begin to be distributed completely free starting next Monday, August 3. 1,700,000 units will be distributed through ONCE points of sale throughout Spain. The Spanish Foundation for Science and Technology (FECYT) will be responsible for the rest, which will distribute them among research centers, science museums and other public entities in the field of science, innovation and universities. Specifically, this is the list of museums and scientific centers that the Ministry of Science has shared: Interactive Museum of Music of Malaga – MIMMA Andalusia Science Park – Granada Aragonese Museum of Paleontology – Teruel Museum of Science and the Cosmos – Tenerife Elder Museum of Science and Technology – Las Palmas de Gran Canaria Eyes to the sky – La Palma Science Museum of Castilla-La Mancha (MCCM) – Cuenca Museum of Paleontology of Castilla-La Mancha (MUPA) – Cuenca The Light Factory. Energy Museum – Ponferrada Valladolid Science Museum – Valladolid Museum of Natural Sciences of Barcelona Mathematical Museum of Catalonia – MMACA – Cornellà de Llobregat Montsec Astronomical Park – Lleida National Museum of Science and Technology (MUNCYT) – Alcobendas National Museum of Natural Sciences – Madrid Royal Botanical Garden – Madrid FORAL COMMUNITY OF NAVARRA University of Navarra Science Museum – Pamplona Big History. Scientific and environmental dissemination center – Aras de los Olmos City of Arts and Sciences of Valencia Botanical Garden of the University of Valencia Alicante Water Museum Museum of Natural Sciences of Valencia Didactic and Interactive Museum of Sciences of the Vega Baja del Segura (MUDIC-VBS-CV) Castellón Planetarium National Museum of Science and Technology (MUNCYT) – A Coruña Coruña Scientific Museums – A Coruña House of Sciences of Logroño Eureka! Zientzia Museoa – San Sebastian Bioparc Aquarium of Gijón Museum of Science and Water of Murcia As for the ONCE points of salethe glasses approved for the eclipse will be distributed at ONCE points of sale throughout Spain. If you want to know which one is closest to your home, you can use the application My Seller ONCEwhich features a very easy-to-use drop-down map. In total there are 35,000 points of sale throughout the Spanish territory, so you are sure to have one quite close by. Other initiatives The coupon for August 12, 2026 from the ONCE draw will be dedicated, as it could not be otherwise, to the solar eclipse. It is another of the initiatives that have emerged from this project between ONCE and the Ministry of Science, but not the only one. The agreement was signed yesterday at the National Museum of Science and Technology of Spain (MUNCYT) in A Coruña. The signatories were the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Universities, Juan Cruz Cigudosa, and the first vice president of Institutional Coordination, Solidarity and External Relations of the General Council of ONCE, Alberto Durán. Together, they announced the initiative to distribute eclipse glasses and sell a special coupon, but also many other activities. And with this signature, it has been decided to incorporate the ONCE Social Group into the meetings of the Interministerial Commission for the preparation, organization and coordination of actions related to the Trio of Eclipsesas well as to provide resources and educational materials that can be adapted, to guarantee the inclusion and cultural development of people with visual disabilities in particular and other disabilities. As Alberto Durán explained during the presentation, his goal is that after the eclipse no more people arrive at ONCE with vision problems. For this, awareness is a key point. Guaranteed approval To check that eclipse glasses are suitable, they must be approved according to the standard. EN ISO 12312-2:2015 and have the CE seal. The positive part is that these are distributed by two totally reliable institutions, such as ONCE and the Ministry of Science, so it is guaranteed that they have said seal. It is a nice initiative with which ONCE wants its clients to be very well protected in the face of the astronomical event of the year. And the best thing is that, well stored to avoid scratches or deterioration Otherwise, they can also be used to the solar eclipses of 2027 and 2028. An exciting time is coming for astronomy lovers in our country. Let’s enjoy it with protection. Images | ONCE and Ministry of Science In Xataka | Leo Hernández, eclipse hunter: “I knew that whenever I could or life allowed me, I would try to travel to see more”

The Ministry of Consumer Affairs wants to prohibit them for children under 16 years of age

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For years, Spain (the West, in general) has had a problem with energy drinks. According to 2025 data, 38.4% of students from 14 to 18 years old declares having consumed them in the last 30 days. And so it shows in sales: last year 105 million liters were sold; which represents a growth of almost 39% in the last four years. And today, the Ministry of Consumer Affairs has just announced that wants to take action on the matter. As explained, it will prohibit the sale of energy drinks to children under 16 years of age and will impose an additional restriction for drinks with more than 32 mg of caffeine (per 100 ml) up to 18 years of age. Does it make sense? Is it a real problem? Will the ban help? What does the Ministry want to do? For a start, Consumption wants transfer to the legal level something that was already explicitly indicated in the recommendations of the Spanish Agency for Food Safety and Nutrition. Something that also already applies in specific environments and areas of the country. However, the regulation has details that will merit detailed analysis. For example, the threshold of 320 mg/L is striking in one context (the european) that sets notices starting at 150. Above all, because a gray area will be created for drinks labeled “high in caffeine” that can be sold to minors under 18. We will have to read the details of the rule to study its implications, but what does seem certain is that, with this step, Spain is going to enormously simplify one of the big problems that its regulation had on this issue: the disparity in minimum ages throughout the country. And that, we hope, will simplify its approach from social policies and public health. But what’s the problem with all this? The image of kids with huge 500 ml cans and bright colors has become ‘normal’ and the growth is enormous (in the United Kingdom, where we have longer series, the consumption of these products increased by 155% between 2006 and 2014). And how says the Spanish Food Safety Agency (AESAN), “the consumption of more than 60 milligrams of caffeine in adolescents aged 11 to 17 years (about 200 milliliters of energy drink with 32 mg of caffeine/100 ml) can cause sleep disturbances.” And this is just the beginning of the problems it can cause. “From 160 milligrams of caffeine (500 milliliters of an energy drink with 32 mg of caffeine/100 ml), (the consumption of these drinks) can cause general adverse health effects: psychological effects and behavioral alterations and cardiovascular disorders.” An invisible health problem. Because, as we know, lack of sleep is related to immunological problems, metabolic, cardiovascular, emotional and cognitive; with disorders such as diabetes or of the obesity. It leads us to be more tired and irritable, raises our stress levels and makes us take more risks and make more mistakes. None of this means that we are going to develop one of these diseases from consuming energy drinks, but it is clear that it puts us in a complicated situation. Above all, because it coincides with what we already know from other sources. “Energy drink consumption, even infrequent, was associated with several negative health indicators. Reporting of several health-compromising behaviors increased with frequency of energy drink consumption.” They are the conclusions by Maija Puupponen and her team at the University of Jyväskylä. And how explained Julio BasultoTo begin with, these drinks are correlated “with a significant increase in the likelihood of insomnia, nervousness, anxiety, depression, impulsivity, and poor academic performance, among others.” As if that were not enough, its frequent consumption can generate “hypertension, loss of bone density, osteoporosis, poor psychological, physical, educational and general well-being, among other consequences.” But the problem goes beyond health: it is cultural. And energy drinks have become a “prestigious” cultural practice among young people that is linked to an enormous amount of risk behavior. Nobody wants to compare it with tobacco, of course: but the truth is that many of the psychosocial mechanisms involved They have everything to do with tobacco. At some point there had to be a national debate about this and better sooner than later. Image | Diego Calabresa In Xataka | It’s not just sugar, hundreds of industries try to deceive us: we have a problem and it’s time to look for solutions

The Ministry of Labor wants death leave to be extended to 10 days. Obstacle: Congress

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The Ministry of Labor plans to approve by royal decree law the extension of leave for the death of family members up to 10 days. Although the formula would allow its entry into force immediately after the Council of Ministers, there is a risk that the measure will end up being overturned later in Congress. Just like share El País, the Secretary of State for Labor, Joaquín Pérez Rey, confirmed this Tuesday that “the intention would be for the rule approving leave for bereavement and death to be an urgent rule” and that his “predisposition is to do so through a royal decree law shortly.” The Government’s strategy. By processing the norm as a decree law instead of as an ordinary draft law, the ministry led by Yolanda Díaz seeks to ensure that the extension of permits is applied immediately, without waiting to complete the entire parliamentary procedure. That would make the measure come into force the day after its publication in the BOE, although it then requires validation by Congress within a maximum period of one month. According to account In the middle, during that period, workers who suffer a family death could now access extended leave. Agreement. Job agreed with CCOO and UGT On December 15, the paid leave for the death of a spouse, common-law partner or relatives up to the second degree (parents, children, siblings, grandparents and grandchildren) was extended from the current two days (extendable to four in the event of displacement) up to 10 days. These could be used continuously or discontinuously within four weeks after death. Furthermore, just as share El País, the agreement includes a new 15-day permit for palliative care, divisible into two fractions over a period of three months, and one day of leave to accompany someone who is going to receive euthanasia, regardless of family ties. Rejection. The employers’ association CEOE and Cepyme have opposed the proposal because they consider that “it represents a new attempt to transfer to companies the cost and responsibility of public policies on care that corresponds to the Administration,” as they indicated in a statement. The lack of consensus in social dialogue marks the position of the PP, which has already announced its vote against following its criterion of rejecting labor measures that do not have the joint support of unions and employers. Key vote in the air. Parliamentary arithmetic turns Junts and PNV into decisive pieces in approving or not the measure. Just like they point From El País, the Catalan nationalists have already joined together with PP and Vox to overturn the reduction in working hours and have maintained very critical positions with other proposals rejected by unions and employers, such as the increase in the self-employed quota. For the measure to be approved, the Executive would need the support of the entire left plus the support of Junts and PNV, or at least the yes of one and the abstention of the other. Comparisons with Europe. Labor has been highlighting Spain’s delay compared to neighboring countries in regards to death leave. From the middle they point out that Portugal extended the paid leave for the death of a spouse in 2023 to 20 days, equal to that of children, while in France 12 working days are granted for the death of children and 14 if the deceased is under 25 years of age. According to the ministry, the current two days in Spain are insufficient to face a duel. A controversial vote. The decision to take the measure through a decree law responds to a clear intention to make it difficult for the opposition to reject it, since it is a measure of high social sensitivity. “suffering from the death of a son or daughter” is “not a question of the right or the left,” counted Pérez Rey in the middle. Cover image | Wikimedia Commons In Xataka | Deepfakes are much more than a bad joke. Now the Government wants them to be a violation of the right to honor

The Ministry recalled the existence of paid permits

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Spain has lived a Unpublished day in its historyafter him Mass blackout which kept the entire Iberian Peninsula including Portugal. The incident forced a good part of public transport services, as well as at the close of many companies before the lack of electricity supply and possible security problems. Given this unpublished event, the Ministry of Labor and Social Economy issued several communications through its profile in the social network X in which it remembered the workers: “The Government guarantees the protection of working people in the face of electricity supply problems. Blooded permits are available for affected workers.” Remunerated permits by force majeure As happened with the DANA or other adverse phenomena, the ministry reminds the workers that the Workers Statute It provides special coverage for cases classified as force majeure, preventing companies from retaliation in the form of layoffs or salary sales for this reason. In article 37.3 section G, which addresses the regulations on weekly rest, parties and permits, the statute of the workers establis Imminent, including those derived from a catastrophe or adverse meteorological phenomenon. “ As they remembered from the Ministry, they are covered by the permission paid for causes of force majeure: Because the official recommendations of not moving if it is not strictly necessary given the serious traffic incidents that left streets and roads without light signaling and the great traffic jams that this caused, this article of the Statute of the Workers is applied. In addition, the regulations also collect the assumption of doing the work remotely provided that the networks allow their development, something that could not always be carried out before the fall and saturation suffered by the entire communication network throughout yesterday’s day, and The impossibility of feeding computers. Although most of the services have already been restored with the return of the electricity supply, the official communications warn that, during the day today, Incidents can still be registered In the different services, so it is possible that, in some cases, today they can also benefit from that paid permit when it is not possible to move to the workplace. However, despite the incidents in transport that may remain to be resolved in transport, communication networks remain operational, so the remote work option is viable when possible. In Xataka | Work in times of climate emergency: the government promotes new permits and labor protocols after the DANA Image | Unspashy (Aaron Betts)

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