Nation and world news in brief for Friday, April 19, 2024
Iran fires air defense batteries in provinces as explosions heard near Isfahan
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — State media said Iran fired air defense batteries after reporting explosions near a major airbase at the city of Isfahan. It remained unclear if the country was under attack. However, tensions remain high after Iran’s unprecedented missile-and-drone attack on Israel. State-run IRNA news agency said the defenses fired across several provinces. It did not elaborate on what caused the batteries to fire, though people across the area reported hearing the sounds. The semiofficial Fars and Tasnim news agencies reported the sound of blasts, without giving a cause. State television acknowledged “loud noise” in the area.
Fire in truck carrying lithium ion batteries leads to 3-hour evacuation in Ohio
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Authorities evacuated an area of Ohio’s capital, Columbus, for several hours out of fear that a fire in truck’s trailer could have caused lithium ion batteries to explode. Police began evacuating a several-block area west of downtown shortly after 7 a.m. Thursday and closed off several highway exits near the Scioto River. Officers went door-to-door to alert residents about the evacuation, and a shelter was set up. Although firefighters were still battling the blaze as of late morning, the evacuation order was lifted about three hours after it was issued. It was ordered out of concern that the batteries could burn very rapidly and explode.
Light pole installation in Missouri hits fiber line, knocks out 911 service
(AP) Workers installing a light pole in Missouri cut into a fiber line, knocking out 911 service for emergency agencies in Nebraska, Nevada and South Dakota. The mistake was reported Thursday by the company that operates the fiber line. The line was damaged Wednesday in Kansas City, Missouri. While it didn’t impact Kansas City, the damage resulted in the loss of 911 service in three states. Problems with 911 calls in a Texas city along the U.S. border with Mexico were unrelated, but the widespread outage created concerns about what was causing the problems. On Wednesday night, the outages created confusion for people trying to reach several communications agencies.
Britain’s Prince Harry formally confirms he is now a US resident
LONDON (AP) — Prince Harry, the son of King Charles III and fifth in line to the British throne, has formally confirmed he is now a U.S. resident. Four years after Harry and his American wife, Meghan, decamped to a villa on the Southern California coast, a travel company he controls filed paperwork informing British authorities this week that he has moved and is now “usually resident” in the United States. The formal acknowledgment underscores the prince’s increasing estrangement from Britain, after he and Meghan walked away from royal duties to pursue lucrative media deals in America.
Correction
An article published Tuesday incorrectly stated the date of the shutdown of Hamakua Energy. The power producer went offline on Feb. 13. A Hawaiian Electric statement quoted in the article was also made in response to a Monday Public Utilities Commission order, and not a related letter by Oahu lawmakers. The Tribune-Herald apologizes for the error.
