Nation briefs 11/24/2016

E-cigarette explodes in man's pants

NEW YORK -- Officials say a man shopping in New York's Grand Central Terminal suffered leg and hand burns when an e-cigarette exploded in his pants pocket. Central Cellars employee John Lee said it looked like fireworks exploding when the vaporizer pen suddenly blew up in the man's pants Wednesday morning. Metropolitan Transportation Authority spokesman Aaron Donovan said the man was taken by a private ambulance service to a hospital. He said the injuries appeared minor. Donovan said train service at the transit hub wasn't affected. Electronic cigarettes and other battery-operated electronic smoking devices occasionally catch fire. Last year, the federal Department of Transportation issued a rule prohibiting passengers from packing e-cigarettes in checked luggage to protect against in-flight fires.

Cat stuck on pole for 9 days rescued

FRESNO, Calif. -- Utility workers in Fresno rescued a cat that was stuck atop a 45-foot-high power pole for nine days. Pacific Gas and Electric Co. linemen Tuesday retrieved the black and white, big-boned cat named Fat Boy after cutting power to homes in the area. Fat Boy's owner, 14-year-old Andrew Perez, said the cat probably climbed the pole after being scared by a dog. He said he had called several agencies for help, to no avail. Tree services also had declined to help, but Silver Villa of not-for-profit Paw Lives Matter said she made sure someone helped the feline. She said the cat is in pretty good health. PG&E spokesman Denny Boyles said power on the 1,200-volt line was cut off, leaving 250 homes without power for a few hours.

Twitter suspends its CEO's account

SAN FRANCISCO -- Twitter CEO and co-founder Jack Dorsey said the social-media platform accidentally suspended his account. Dorsey tweeted Tuesday night, "just setting up my twttr.again (account suspension was an internal mistake)." The post was an echo of his first-ever tweet, which came in 2006.San Francisco-based Twitter suspended the accounts of several prominent members of the so-called "alt-right" in an apparent crackown on accounts tied to hate speech or threats of violence. Twitter declined comment but noted its policies against hate speech and harassment. Some supporters of the movement cheered Dorsey's brief suspension with celebratory tweets Tuesday.

-- From wire reports