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AIR MILES Is Gone. Here's What Actually Earns You Travel Now

  If you've been holding onto a Air Miles card waiting to redeem for a flight, the program you signed up for doesn't exist anymore — and the cards that replaced it aren't the best game in town. If you searched "best AIR MILES credit card" and landed here, there's something you need to know first: there is no such thing anymore. AIR MILES, the loyalty program that's been part of Canadian wallets since 1992, officially became BMO Blue Rewards on June 2, 2026. BMO had already stopped issuing new AIR MILES cards back in January, and every collector's Miles converted automatically into Blue Points at a rate of roughly 1 Air Mile to 15.79 Blue Points — no action needed, no lost value. That's good news if you're a longtime collector sitting on a pile of Miles. It's less good news if you were hoping to earn free flights that way going forward, because Blue Rewards was built to compete with PC Optimum and Scene+ — grocery, gas, and everyday spendi...

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Families Flee Gaza City as Israeli Offensive Looms

A Palestinian woman carries humanitarian aid, she gathered after an aid drop, as she walk in the Mawasi area of Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip on August 18, 2025. 


 Fearing an imminent Israeli ground assault, some Palestinian families have begun leaving eastern districts of Gaza City, now under relentless bombardment, for safer areas to the west and, in some cases, further south.

Israel’s stated plan to seize control of Gaza City — described by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as Hamas’ “last bastion” — has sparked alarm both internationally and domestically, with tens of thousands of Israelis staging some of the largest protests since the war began, urging a ceasefire and the release of the remaining 50 hostages.

Egyptian and Qatari mediators have intensified ceasefire talks in Cairo, which sources describe as a “last-ditch attempt” to avert the offensive. However, previous negotiations collapsed in late July, with both sides trading blame for the deadlock.

Residents fear that a full-scale incursion could displace hundreds of thousands, many already uprooted multiple times during the nearly two-year conflict. “I can’t risk losing any of my family should there be a sudden invasion,” said Tamer Burai, a local businessman preparing to move his parents and children south.

The humanitarian situation remains dire, with aid agencies warning of worsening famine and malnutrition. The Israeli military has indicated plans to provide tents and shelter equipment for those relocated from combat zones, though details remain unclear.

As tensions mount, unions in Gaza City have called for mass protests later this week, adding pressure on Hamas to intensify negotiations aimed at halting the fighting.

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