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Best credit cards for international travel

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:12:49 GMT

Holly D. Johnson | Bankrate (TNS)Credit cards can be valuable tools when you use them close to home, but they should also be an essential part of your packing list any time you travel overseas. Not only do you normally need a credit card to put down a security deposit to rent a hotel room, but you’ll likely need a credit card to rent a car, too. And if you run out of cash while on a trip, a credit card lets you charge whatever you need and pay the balance when you return home.The best credit cards for international trips also let you avoid added fees on international transactions and earn rewards for each dollar you spend. Some even offer robust travel protections that can shield you financially if your flight is delayed or your bags are lost or stolen.If you’re planning a trip overseas this year, here are some of the best cards to consider.The Platinum Card from American Express: Best for international travel overallWhy we picked it: The Platinum Card® from American Express makes i...

DUI suspected in deadly crash near border

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:12:49 GMT

SAN DIEGO — A man was arrested in connection to a deadly freeway crash Wednesday near the San Ysidro Port of Entry, the California Highway Patrol announced.The crash happened shortly before noon on southbound Interstate 805 near Camino De La Plaza, which is the last U.S. exit.According to CHP, the driver of a white Audi sedan was driving the wrong-way on I-805 when they crashed head-on with the driver of a blue Honda van.“Our understanding at this point is they turned around at the point of entry and came the wrong way,” CHP Sgt. Hope Maxson said.The driver of the Honda was was killed as a result of the crash. The driver of the Audi was hospitalized with major, but not life-threatening injuries, according to CHP.During the course of their investigation, officials came to believe the driver of the Audi was under the influence of alcohol at the time of the crash, CHP Public Information Officer Jesse Matias said. Man killed in Mira Mesa crash The driver of the Audi, identified a...

This is the most affordable housing market among San Diego metro's largest cities: report

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:12:49 GMT

Editor's note: This story was updated to reflect that the report is based on the largest cities inside the San Diego metro.SAN DIEGO -- Can you guess which of the largest cities in the San Diego metro has the most affordable housing market?If you don't want to spend over half of your yearly income towards homeownership, then San Diego may not be the place for you -- hypothetically speaking. Based on the average projected income of a household, median asking price, estimated mortgage cost and taxes, there's only one city among the largest cities in the San Diego metro where homebuyers will be forking out less than 50% of their income for a place to call their own. These 10 gas stations have the cheapest fuel prices in San Diego County: GasBuddy That's according to a report by real estate listing platform RealtyHop, which examined home affordability for the average American family in the 100 largest U.S. cities and their surrounding metros.Based on this report's key findings, Carlsb...

Animation master Hayao Miyazaki’s ‘The Boy and the Heron’ to open TIFF this year

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:12:49 GMT

Influential Japanese animator Hayao Miyazaki’s first feature in 10 years will open this year’s Toronto International Film Festival.“The Boy and the Heron” is a hand-drawn film, written and directed by Miyazaki. The coming-of-age movie centres on a boy who loses his mother during the Second World War and embarks on a journey into a magical world.The Studio Ghibli production, which set box office records in Japan earlier this month, is the first Japanese or animated film to fill the high-profile opening-night slot at the festival. The announcement signals a departure from the longtime event that often featured stateside directors and production studios.While current SAG-AFTRA strike rules may prevent Hollywood stars from promoting their work, such rules wouldn’t affect international talents like Miyazaki or the actors in his film. Film festivals have already seen the impact of the labour action — Venicelost its buzzy opener, Luca Guadagnino’s “...

White House rolls out measures aimed at lowering cost of housing, increasing supply

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:12:49 GMT

The White House is taking steps aimed at increasing the the supply of affordable housing while also bolstering protections for renters. The housing measures announced Thursday include providing communities with $85 million in funding from the Department of Housing and Urban Development to reduce barriers to affordable housing, such as zoning restrictions that in some places have become a hurdle to increasing the supply and density of affordable housing. HUD would provide grants upwards of $10 million.“HUD recognizes that communities have unique housing challenges and that’s why the resources announced today are not one-size-fits-all,” HUD Secretary Marcia Fudge said in a statement. “Today, we are acting to increase the supply of affordable housing, which is crucial to lowering housing costs. We look forward to continuing this work in partnership with local communities.” The White House also announced that it was forming an inter-agency task force to develop ways to fund efforts to c...

His campaign forced Sinead O’Connor to scrap a 1997 Jerusalem concert. Now he is a Cabinet minister

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:12:49 GMT

JERUSALEM (AP) — Death threats forced Irish pop singer Sinead O’Connor to call off a peace concert in Jerusalem in the summer of 1997. At the time, a young man named Itamar Ben-Gvir took credit for the campaign against her. Today, he is Israel’s national security minister.The transformation of Ben-Gvir from a fringe Israeli extremist trying to take down O’Connor’s coexistence-themed concert to a powerful minster overseeing the Israeli police force reflects the dramatic rise of Israel’s far-right.O’Connor, a spirited singer and frequent source of controversy who rocketed to fame in 1990, died on Wednesday in London. While most people remember the star for her hit cover of Prince’s ballad “Nothing Compares 2 U” or the uproar that followed her ripping up a photo of Pope John Paul II on live TV, many Israelis on Thursday recounted an open letter she wrote castigating Ben-Gvir.Incensed after hearing Ben-Gvir, who was then 21, boast in a radio int...

The Angels said they won’t trade Shohei Ohtani, and he celebrated by throwing a 1-hitter

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:12:49 GMT

DETROIT (AP) — Shohei Ohtani is staying with the Los Angeles Angels, at least for the rest of the season.The Angels said they have decided not to deal the two-way superstar, a morning after making a significant move that signaled they’re in win-now mode.It was welcome news in the Angels’ clubhouse, and Ohtani celebrated with a gem — he pitched the first complete game of his Major League Baseball career Thursday, spinning a one-hitter in a 6-0 victory over the Detroit Tigers.“We’re going to roll the dice and see what happens,” Angels general manager Perry Minasian told reporters in Detroit before a doubleheader against the Tigers, just days before MLB’s trade deadline.Ohtani will be a free agent this winter. Even though the franchise risks losing the 29-year-old slugger and starting pitcher on the open market — there’s speculation he could fetch $500-600 million — it is motivated to make its first playoff appearance in his six major league seasons.“I love Shoh...

Wildfire in Greece triggers explosions at an ammunition depot and the relocation of fighter jets

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:12:49 GMT

RHODES, Greece (AP) — A wildfire whipped on by strong winds triggered a series of massive explosions Thursday at an air force ammunition depot in central Greece, while firefighters worked to tame multiple blazes in the country.There were no injuries at the depot, which had been evacuated before the explosions, and by late Thursday the fire was no longer active. The Greek air force said that F-16 fighter jets at a nearby base were moved to another facility as a precaution, but that the base had not been under any immediate threat.Fires have raged across parts of Greece during three successive Mediterranean heat waves in the past two weeks, leaving five people dead, including two firefighting pilots, and triggering a huge weekend evacuation of tourists on the island of Rhodes.The fire in the Volos area of central Greece’s Magnissia region reached the ammunition storage facility about 6 kilometers (4 miles) north of the major military air base in Nea Anchialos. Local media report...

Suffocating heat wave in metro Phoenix starts easing after first major monsoon storm of the season

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:12:49 GMT

PHOENIX (AP) — The persistent heat wave that has suffocated Phoenix for most of July was slightly easing Thursday after the first major monsoon storm of the season kicked up dust and high winds and brought the first measurable rainfall in some areas since March. The Wednesday night storm, featuring high winds hitting over 60 mph (96.5 kph), ripped the roofs and awnings off numerous manufactured homes in Mesa. It even lifted the roof of a small one-story apartment building in that Phoenix suburb, pushing the overnight low below 90 degrees Fahrenheit (32.2 degrees Celsius) for the first time in 16 days. “The heat wave is not over yet,” said Tom Frieders, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Phoenix. “It will continue to be hot, but we’re hoping that once we get beyond Saturday it will start to cool off.”The Wednesday night storm brought heavy dust, lightning and rainfall of 0.25 inches (0.63 cm) to 1 inch (2.54 cm) in some locations, according to the Maricopa Cou...

Sammy Yatim’s mother continues fight for justice 10 years after son’s death

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:12:49 GMT

TORONTO — Ten years after her son was fatally shot on an empty Toronto streetcar, Sammy Yatim’s mother said she’s still fighting for justice.Eighteen-year-old Yatim was shot multiple times by Const. James Forcillo while standing alone holding a small knife on the streetcar on July 27, 2013. Cellphone footage of the shooting posted online set off a wave of public outrage and calls for police reform.On the 10th anniversary of her son’s death, Yatim’s mother said she worries her calls for change in policing and justice for her son are no longer being heard. “I wanted to do something actually to honour my son, but they left me disabled. I feel they disappointed me, the police, the government, the system – they failed,” Sahar Bahadi told The Canadian Press.“I promised Sammy to fight for justice for him. I want to continue that, in spite of all the problems I face. I miss him, I miss him a lot.”Bahadi said her family is still suffering becau...