In other news: US pastor abducted in South Africa rescued; Officials demand answers after Puerto Rico blackout

Published 12:00 am Friday, April 18, 2025

A US pastor abducted in South Africa has been rescued after a police shootout

South African law enforcement officials have rescued an American missionary who was abducted by armed and masked men as he was preaching in the Eastern Cape province last week. Police say that suspects in a car on a property that was being surveyed tried to escape and started shooting as officers approached the house. They say three unnamed suspects were killed in a shootout. Josh Sullivan, who describes himself as “a church-planting missionary” on his personal website, has been reunited with his wife, Meagan, and their two children.

Officials demand answers as crews work to restore power after another Puerto Rico blackout

Crews are working to restore power to Puerto Rico after a blackout across the entire island affected the main airport, several hospitals and hotels filled with Easter vacationers. The blackout left 1.4 million customers without electricity and more than 400,000 without water. About 47% had power back on Thursday morning. The blackout snarled traffic, forced businesses to close and left those unable to afford generators scrambling to buy ice and candles. It’s the second island-wide blackout in less than four months. The cause wasn’t yet known, but Puerto Rico has had chronic outages due to hurricane damage and a lack of maintenance and investment in its power grid.

A restaurant in Havana defies Cuba’s tech struggles with digital menus and a robot waitress

For Sonia Pérez, stepping into Havana’s Doña Alicia restaurant felt like entering a movie. Even as Cuba struggles with power outages and technological scarcity, this eatery has leaped into the 21st century with digital menus, Alexa-enabled assistance, touchless bathrooms and even a food-delivering robot. While commonplace globally, such automation is a complex feat in Cuba due to the island’s frequent power cuts and a lack of modern technology. The prices align with those of other private restaurants, making them unaffordable for the average Cuban and reflecting the island’s inflation.