Drawing from multiple news sources, TechCrunch's Startup Battlefield 200 is a highly competitive early-stage startup competition held annually at TechCrunch Disrupt in San Francisco, offering 200 selected companies unparalleled visibility, access to investors, and opportunities for growth. Applications for the 2026 cohort, which seeks startups in fields like AI, climate, and fintech, open mid-May and close in mid-June, with selected startups gaining access to a virtual preparation program starting around September 1 and a chance to win a $100,000 equity-free prize.

Drawing from multiple news sources, TechCrunch's Startup Battlefield 200 is a highly competitive early-stage startup competition held annually at TechCrunch Disrupt in San Francisco, offering 200 selected companies unparalleled visibility, access to investors, and opportunities for growth. Applications for the 2026 cohort, which seeks startups in fields like AI, climate, and fintech, open mid-May and close in mid-June, with selected startups gaining access to a virtual preparation program starting around September 1 and a chance to win a $100,000 equity-free prize.

Paraguay's President Santiago Peña is urging the EU to promptly implement the free trade agreement with Mercosur, despite resistance and a judicial review in Europe, as reported by Euronews and other sources. Peña believes delaying the agreement, which aims to create a large EU-Latin America free-trade zone, would be a mistake amid geopolitical tensions, while opposition in Europe stems from concerns about unfair competition.

Paraguay's President Santiago Peña is urging the EU to promptly implement the free trade agreement with Mercosur, despite resistance and a judicial review in Europe, as reported by Euronews and other sources. Peña believes delaying the agreement, which aims to create a large EU-Latin America free-trade zone, would be a mistake amid geopolitical tensions, while opposition in Europe stems from concerns about unfair competition.

Multiple news sources report that an Air India Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner flight from Heathrow to Bengaluru was grounded due to a potential defect in a fuel control switch, the same type of switch implicated in the fatal Air India Flight 171 crash in Ahmedabad last June. While Air India is investigating the pilot's concerns and Boeing is offering support, this incident raises renewed safety concerns despite the airline's previous checks finding no issues with the fuel control switches on its 787 fleet.

Multiple news sources report that an Air India Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner flight from Heathrow to Bengaluru was grounded due to a potential defect in a fuel control switch, the same type of switch implicated in the fatal Air India Flight 171 crash in Ahmedabad last June. While Air India is investigating the pilot's concerns and Boeing is offering support, this incident raises renewed safety concerns despite the airline's previous checks finding no issues with the fuel control switches on its 787 fleet.

Intel is entering the GPU market to challenge Nvidia's dominance in AI and gaming, leveraging specialized processors for computationally intensive tasks. Overseen by recent key hires, the initiative is in early stages, with Intel focusing on tailoring its GPU strategy to meet customer demands, signaling a significant shift in its product portfolio and a direct competition with Nvidia's established market presence.

Intel is entering the GPU market to challenge Nvidia's dominance in AI and gaming, leveraging specialized processors for computationally intensive tasks. Overseen by recent key hires, the initiative is in early stages, with Intel focusing on tailoring its GPU strategy to meet customer demands, signaling a significant shift in its product portfolio and a direct competition with Nvidia's established market presence.

Thames Valley Police are evaluating new allegations that a second woman was trafficked by Jeffrey Epstein to the UK for a sexual encounter with Prince Andrew at his Windsor residence in 2010. While Andrew has previously denied any wrongdoing, these claims, brought forth by the woman's lawyer, are under assessment by the police, who encourage anyone with information to come forward. The anti-monarchist group Republic has also reported Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor to the police.

Thames Valley Police are evaluating new allegations that a second woman was trafficked by Jeffrey Epstein to the UK for a sexual encounter with Prince Andrew at his Windsor residence in 2010. While Andrew has previously denied any wrongdoing, these claims, brought forth by the woman's lawyer, are under assessment by the police, who encourage anyone with information to come forward. The anti-monarchist group Republic has also reported Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor to the police.

Multiple news sources confirm that the Republican-led House passed a government funding package by a vote of 217-214 to end the partial shutdown, providing funding for several departments through the fiscal year and a short-term measure for Homeland Security. The bill, which now goes to President Trump for signature, includes a two-week extension for DHS funding, giving lawmakers until February 13th to negotiate a longer-term deal on immigration enforcement reform to avoid a DHS shutdown.

Multiple news sources confirm that the Republican-led House passed a government funding package by a vote of 217-214 to end the partial shutdown, providing funding for several departments through the fiscal year and a short-term measure for Homeland Security. The bill, which now goes to President Trump for signature, includes a two-week extension for DHS funding, giving lawmakers until February 13th to negotiate a longer-term deal on immigration enforcement reform to avoid a DHS shutdown.

Multiple news sources report that the 2026 Grammy Awards on CBS experienced a significant drop in viewership across all age demographics, particularly among younger viewers, with politically charged statements from artists like Billie Eilish and Bad Bunny criticizing the Trump administration and ICE. The awards show, which featured artists protesting ICE, will move to Disney networks and streaming services in 2027 after 54 years on CBS.

Multiple news sources report that the 2026 Grammy Awards on CBS experienced a significant drop in viewership across all age demographics, particularly among younger viewers, with politically charged statements from artists like Billie Eilish and Bad Bunny criticizing the Trump administration and ICE. The awards show, which featured artists protesting ICE, will move to Disney networks and streaming services in 2027 after 54 years on CBS.

In December 1994, the author received a Gateway PC with a CD-ROM drive, sparking excitement about gaming possibilities. Drawing from personal experience and industry context, the author recounts purchasing Origin's Wing Commander III: The Heart of the Tiger, anticipating it would be a revolutionary gaming experience due to the franchise's success and incorporation of full-motion video.

In December 1994, the author received a Gateway PC with a CD-ROM drive, sparking excitement about gaming possibilities. Drawing from personal experience and industry context, the author recounts purchasing Origin's Wing Commander III: The Heart of the Tiger, anticipating it would be a revolutionary gaming experience due to the franchise's success and incorporation of full-motion video.

Drawing from recent financial reports and industry analysis, the original Nintendo Switch has surpassed the Nintendo DS to become Nintendo's best-selling hardware ever with 155.37 million units sold, driven by its continued availability as an entry-level option despite the release of the Switch 2. While the Switch 2 is off to a strong start with 15 million units sold, the original Switch's sales, even with price increases, position it as the second-best-selling game console of all time, trailing only the PlayStation 2.

Drawing from recent financial reports and industry analysis, the original Nintendo Switch has surpassed the Nintendo DS to become Nintendo's best-selling hardware ever with 155.37 million units sold, driven by its continued availability as an entry-level option despite the release of the Switch 2. While the Switch 2 is off to a strong start with 15 million units sold, the original Switch's sales, even with price increases, position it as the second-best-selling game console of all time, trailing only the PlayStation 2.

Multiple news sources report on a diverse range of events, from legal and business developments involving Grok, TikTok, and Dropout, to political and entertainment news, including a Texas Senate primary controversy and Halle Berry's reflections on her Oscar win. Simultaneously, the tech industry is grappling with internal pressure regarding immigration policies and contracts with ICE, while right-wing influencers are targeting California's social welfare programs with unsubstantiated fraud accusations, mirroring tactics used in Minnesota. Global developments include Haiti's struggles with poverty and political instability, Super Bowl LX attracting major advertisers amidst economic shifts, and various international political events, such as the release of Jeffrey Epstein files and planned nuclear negotiations with Iran.

Multiple news sources report on a diverse range of events, from legal and business developments involving Grok, TikTok, and Dropout, to political and entertainment news, including a Texas Senate primary controversy and Halle Berry's reflections on her Oscar win. Simultaneously, the tech industry is grappling with internal pressure regarding immigration policies and contracts with ICE, while right-wing influencers are targeting California's social welfare programs with unsubstantiated fraud accusations, mirroring tactics used in Minnesota. Global developments include Haiti's struggles with poverty and political instability, Super Bowl LX attracting major advertisers amidst economic shifts, and various international political events, such as the release of Jeffrey Epstein files and planned nuclear negotiations with Iran.

Drawing from multiple news sources, Illinois Governor JB Pritzker has been active on several fronts, including criticizing Trump's immigration policies and providing substantial financial support, totaling $5 million, to a super PAC backing Lieutenant Governor Juliana Stratton's Senate campaign. Stratton, along with Representatives Krishnamoorthi and Kelly, recently participated in a debate covering various topics, including their potential support for Chuck Schumer as Senate Minority Leader.

Drawing from multiple news sources, Illinois Governor JB Pritzker has been active on several fronts, including criticizing Trump's immigration policies and providing substantial financial support, totaling $5 million, to a super PAC backing Lieutenant Governor Juliana Stratton's Senate campaign. Stratton, along with Representatives Krishnamoorthi and Kelly, recently participated in a debate covering various topics, including their potential support for Chuck Schumer as Senate Minority Leader.

Multiple news sources report that Anthropic's Claude AI models, including Claude Code, experienced a significant outage today, causing developers to encounter 500 errors. Anthropic quickly identified and implemented a fix within 20 minutes, resolving the API outage, though this follows recent issues with Claude Opus 4.5 and AI credit purchasing.

Multiple news sources report that Anthropic's Claude AI models, including Claude Code, experienced a significant outage today, causing developers to encounter 500 errors. Anthropic quickly identified and implemented a fix within 20 minutes, resolving the API outage, though this follows recent issues with Claude Opus 4.5 and AI credit purchasing.