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2 bus crashes in Afghanistan leave dozens dead, dozens more hurt

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Two highway crashes in southeastern Afghanistan killed a combined total of 50 people and injured 76, a government spokesman said Thursday.

One was a collision between a bus and an oil tanker on the Kabul-Kandahar highway late Wednesday, said Hafiz Omar, a spokesman for the governor of Ghazni province.

The other, also late Wednesday and in the same province, was in a different area of the same highway, which connects the Afghan capital with the south.

TOPSHOT-AFGHANISTAN-ACCIDENT
Afghan men inspect damaged passenger buses after two accidents on the Kabul-Kandahar highway, in Ghazni on December 19, 2024. 

MOHAMMAD FAISAL NAWEED / AFP via Getty Images


Hamidullah Nisar, the provincial head of the Taliban-run Information and Culture Department, told the Reuters news agency the other accident involved a cargo truck, adding that some of those injured in both collisions were in critical condition. 

Omar said many of the injured were taken to hospitals in Ghazni and patients in more serious condition were transferred to Kabul. Women and children were among the casualties, he said.

Authorities were in the process of handing over the bodies to families, Omar said.

AFGHANISTAN-ACCIDENT
Afghan residents inspect the accident site as they stand near the remains of a passenger bus following its collision with a coal truck on the Kabul-Kandahar highway, in the Andar district of Ghazni province, on December 19, 2024.

MOHAMMAD FAISAL NAWEED / AFP via Getty Images


Crash survivor Abdullah Khan, who was being treated in a Ghazni hospital, said he didn’t know how many people had either died or were injured.

“I got out from the bus myself and heard the sound of moaning. There was blood everywhere. Some people had head injuries and others had hurt their legs.”

AFGHANISTAN-ACCIDENT
Afghan men shift damaged passenger buses outside the traffic police department after two road accidents on the Kabul-Kandahar highway, in Ghazni on December 19, 2024. 

MOHAMMAD FAISAL NAWEED / AFP via Getty Images


Traffic accidents are common in Afghanistan, mainly due to poor road conditions and driver carelessness. 

AFGHANISTAN-ACCIDENT
A general view of an accident site shows broken parts of a coal truck after it collided with a passenger bus on the Kabul-Kandahar highway, in the Andar district of Ghazni province, on December 19, 2024.

MOHAMMAD FAISAL NAWEED / AFP via Getty Images




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Will credit card rates climb in 2025? Experts weigh in

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Credit Risk
If credit card rates climb in the new year, carrying any amount of credit card debt could get even riskier.

Mark Evans/Getty Images


Credit card debt has been surging nationwide — and with rates where they are, it’s no wonder why. According to the Federal Reserve, the average credit card rate sits at over 23% right now — up from just 14% just a couple of years ago and the highest rate on record.

Today’s sky-high credit card rates have made it incredibly hard for consumers to get out of debt. In fact, delinquencies on credit cards have more than doubled on credit cards since 2021 alone.

But credit card rates are variable, so they — and your monthly payment — can change fast. Will rates on credit cards climb in the new year, though?

Find out how to get rid of your existing credit card debt here.

Will credit card rates climb in 2025? Experts weigh in

Want to know where your rates may be headed in the next year? Here’s what experts had to say.

Credit card rates may remain the same

The Federal Reserve reduced its federal funds rate at its last three meetings — a move that typically results in interest rate dips on variable-rate products like credit cards and HELOCs.

But future rate cuts aren’t certain — especially with recent reports showing inflation ticking back up.

“As the Federal Reserve digests the recent election results and economic reports on inflation, housing, and employment, it appears they may be in a rate pause for 2025,” says Jason Fannon, senior partner at Cornerstone Financial Services. “This neutral stance would keep the average credit card interest rate near 21% annually.”

Compare your credit card debt relief options online now.

…or fall slightly

If the Fed does opt to cut rates, credit card rates could fall too — but likely not significantly.

“I don’t expect any significant change to credit card interest rates,” Fannon says. “If the Fed does cut or raise the Fed Funds rate, it would have to be a sizable move in either direction to change the average credit card interest rate.”

Could credit card rates fall below the 20% mark if the Fed reduces its rate? It’s doubtful, pros say. 

“It’s hard to predict beyond 12 months from now but if consumers want to see below-20% rates, then we need a variety of things to align,” says Eric Elkins, founder and CEO of Double E Financial Solutions. “We need inflation to remain below 3% for at least 15 months, we need to see average wage increases above 3%, we probably would need government regulations passed to limit the APR on the credit card institutions, and we’d need the Fed to continue reducing interest rates for borrowers. Lots of things need to occur.”

Other factors that impact your credit card rates

It’s not just the Fed and other economic conditions that weigh on credit card rates. Your credit score can impact what rate you get, too. So, if your score is on the lower end, improving it could help you snag a lower rate on a new card, which you could then transfer your existing credit card balance to.

“Having a good to excellent credit score could make you attractive to other companies,” says Troy Young, founder and president of Destiny Financial Group. “With a high score, you may be able to sell your debt to another company for a lower rate — in other words, refinance it by doing a balance transfer.”

The bottom line

If credit card debt is weighing you down, consider your debt relief options. There are debt consolidation, debt settlement, debt forgiveness and many other strategies that can help you tackle that debt more efficiently. Here are the best debt relief companies to consider if you need professional debt relief guidance.



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Why Amazon workers are striking days before Christmas

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Why Amazon workers are striking days before Christmas – CBS News


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Amazon workers in multiple cities are on a strike led by the Teamsters union. This comes during the Christmas holiday rush on package deliveries. Paul Clark, a labor and employment relations professor at Penn State University, joins CBS News with more details.

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Luigi Mangione’s extradition to New York expected

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Luigi Mangione’s extradition to New York expected – CBS News


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Luigi Mangione’s lawyer says the suspect in the UnitedHealthcare CEO killing is expected to waive extradition back to New York from Pennsylvania. CBS News’ Nicole Valdes reports.

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