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CNN  —  Venezuelans on Sunday for the first time elected a governor and other lawmakers for Essequibo, an oil-rich region that Venezuela has laid claim to even though it is widely recognized as being part of neighboring Guyana. Essequibo’s 125,000 inhabitants, who account for more than 15% of the English-speaking country’s population, did not take part in Sunday’s election. The vote, which was widely criticized by Guyanese officials, instead saw Venezuelans pick a new governor, six deputies to the National Assembly of Venezuela, and seven to a regional legislative assembly. It is unclear how the officials, once elected, plan on…

Salesforce has acquired cloud data management firm Informatica in an $8 billion equity deal, marking a major move in its push to strengthen its AI and data infrastructure capabilities. The announcement, made Tuesday, comes about a year after early rumors of the acquisition sent both companies’ stock prices sliding. At the time, Informatica denied it was for sale, but a lot can change in a year. Under the terms of the deal, Salesforce will pay $25 in cash per share for Informatica’s Class A and Class B-1 common stock, adjusting for its prior investment in the company. Informatica was founded…

Mark your calendars: June 18 just became a can’t-miss event. We’re thrilled that Ali Partovi and Russell Kaplan will be joining us for what’s shaping up to be a fantastic night of ideas and conversation in the heart of Silicon Valley at our next StrictlyVC evening, taking place in Menlo Park. Partovi, the longtime investor and former operator who’s making serious waves with Neo, will take the stage to discuss his ambitious mission that’s giving Y Combinator a run for its money. Neo isn’t just another platform and fund; it’s a systematic approach to identifying up-and-coming engineering and leadership talent…

Jennifer Lopez made out with multiple backup dancers Monday when she opened the American Music Awards with a dance set to a medley of nominated songs. The public displays of affection came on the heels of finalizing her divorce from Ben Affleck earlier this year. A male dancer smooched the newly single Bronx-born pop star, 55, who then kissed a female dancer during the transition from Benson Boone’s “Beautiful Things” to Teddy Swims’ “Lose Control.” The 7-minute, often steamy performance opened the Memorial Day awards show, which Lopez also hosted. Earlier this month, Lopez posted selfies of her bruised eyes…

There’s no shortage of APIs, models, or hype in the current AI ecosystem. But for early-stage founders, the real question is: How do I turn this firepower into a product that actually works…and sells? That’s where Hao Sang, from OpenAI’s Startups Go-to-Market team, comes in. At TechCrunch Sessions: AI next week — June 5 at Zellerbach Hall in Berkeley, California — he’ll unpack what it takes to build a durable AI engine inside a startup, from early integrations to responsibly scaling on frontier models. Image Credits:TechCrunch Sang works directly with founders who are in the trenches, helping them translate foundational…

Mary Lou Retton, once a superstar Olympic gymnast for the United States, is facing a count of DUI in West Virginia. Retton was pulled over in Marion County earlier this month, on May 17, and charged with one count of “driving under influence of alcohol, controlled substances, or drugs,” according to records posted online by the state’s Magistrate Court system. She was later released after posting $1,500 bond. Authorities have provided few other details, and 57-year-old Retton has not yet commented on the matter. Nicknamed “America’s Sweetheart,” Retton was just 16 years old during the Los Angeles Olympic Games in 1984,…

We’re incredibly proud to share that Awin has once again secured a spot on The Sunday Times’ prestigious list of the UK’s Best Places to Work 2025. The list overviews the UK’s 500 top employers in seven sectors, including Business & Management, Hospitality, Technology, Marketing & Advertising, and Non-profit and Charities. Using responses from current employees, entrants are scored on a range of factors, including Empowerment, Wellbeing, and Job Satisfaction, as well as their inclusiveness of the LGBTQIA+ community, disabled employees, ethnic minorities, and younger and older workers. Awin made the list for the third consecutive year while also being…

5/27/2025, Las Vegas, NV — Sati, a Bitcoin payments app and Lightning infrastructure provider, today announced the launch of its Lightning integration with Xverse, a Bitcoin wallet used by over 1.5 million people worldwide. Thanks to the integration, Xverse users can now send and receive sats (bitcoin’s smallest denomination) instantly over the Lightning Network with no setup, no app switching, and no custodial risk. Initially designed in 2017, the Lightning Network has grown to become Bitcoin’s leading layer-2, with a current BTC capacity of over $465M. Sati is now leveraging this technology to bring the world’s favorite digital currency into…

A second suspect in the kidnapping and torture of an Italian man inside a luxurious SoHo apartment in a failed bid to get him to give up his cryptocurrency password was criminally charged Tuesday after turning himself in to authorities — and was later ordered held without bail for the horrific three-week ordeal. William Duplessie, 33, surrendered at 7:45 a.m. to cops at the 13th Precinct stationhouse and was charged with assault, kidnapping, unlawful imprisonment and possession of a firearm. Sporting a white long-sleeved Ralph Lauren polo shirt and a blank expression on his face, the cryptocurrency investor said nothing…

By DARLENE SUPERVILLE and COLLIN BINKLEY, Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration asked federal agencies Tuesday to cancel contracts with Harvard University worth about $100 million, intensifying the president’s clash with the nation’s oldest and wealthiest university. The government already has canceled more than $2.6 billion in federal research grants for the Ivy League school, which has pushed back on the administration’s demands for changes to several of its policies. A letter sent Tuesday from the General Services Administration, which oversees contracting and real estate for the federal government, directed agencies to review contracts with the university and seek alternate…