5 die in Beirut blast

5 die in Beirut blast

BEIRUT

An explosion tore through a crowded commercial street Thursday in a south Beirut neighborhood that is a bastion of support for the Shiite group Hezbollah, killing at least five people, setting cars ablaze and sending a column of black smoke above the Beirut skyline.

It was the latest in a wave of attacks to hit Lebanon in recent months as the civil war in Syria increasingly spills over into its smaller neighbor. The violence has targeted both Sunni and Shiite neighborhoods, further stoking sectarian tensions that are already running high as each community in Lebanon lines up with its brethren in Syria on opposing sides of the war.

Study: Shingles can increase heart risks

As if the fiery rash and painful blisters of shingles were not punishment enough, the average patient who suffers a resurgence of the dormant chickenpox virus known as herpes zoster — or shingles — has a higher risk of heart attack or mild stroke two decades or more after the blisters and rash recede, says a new study.

For those who suffer a case of shingles between age 18 and 40, the outlook is worse: They’re more than twice as likely to suffer a mild stroke and 50 percent more likely to have a heart attack than those who have not had shingles.

British researchers calculated these increased average risks even after taking account of subjects’ cardiovascular risks, such as smoking, obesity, hypertension, diabetes and worrisome cholesterol readings. In other words, all other things being equal, a case of shingles in your medical history puts you at higher risk of cardiovascular disease.

NYT, Guardian: Mercy for Snowden

LONDON

The New York Times and Guardian newspapers have called for clemency for Edward Snowden, saying that the espionage worker-turned-privacy advocate should be praised rather than punished for his disclosures.

The papers — both of which have played a role in publishing Snowden’s intelligence trove — suggested late Wednesday that the former National Security Agency contractor’s revelations about the United States’ world-spanning espionage program were of such public importance that they outweighed any possible wrongdoing.

Law license granted to illegal resident

SAN FRANCISCO

The California Supreme Court granted a law license Thursday to a man who has lived in the U.S. illegally for two decades, a ruling that advocates hope will open the door to millions of immigrants seeking to enter other professions such as medicine, accounting and teaching.

The unanimous decision means Sergio Garcia, who attended law school and passed the state bar exam while working in a grocery store and on farms, can begin practicing law immediately.

It’s the latest in a string of legal and legislative victories for people who are in the country without permission. Other successes include the creation of a path to citizenship for many young people and the granting of driver’s licenses in some states.

Rescued passengers on way to open water

CANBERRA, Australia

All 52 passengers rescued after being trapped for more than a week on an icebound Russian research ship in the Antarctic were aboard an Australian icebreaker slowly cracking through heavy sea ice today toward open water after their dramatic rescue by a Chinese helicopter.

A spot of clear weather allowed the multinational rescue operation after blinding snow, strong winds and thick sea ice forced rescuers to turn back time and again.

Combined dispatches