112: About a thousand pro-democracy activists turned up in Bangkok on Thursday to resume their protests against the all-powerful monarchy. The protesters carried "112" signs, alluding to the number of the article in the Thai criminal code that prescribes up to 15 years in jail for anyone who offends the royal family.
17: According to a new AP poll, only 17 percent of Americans say they will definitely or likely not get a COVID jab. Experts are worried that vaccine skepticism — which is higher among young people, those without a college degree, Blacks, and Republicans — could hamper the country's vaccine rollout, which is now progressing at a more rapid pace after a shaky start.
121.36: Computers that "mine" cryptocurrencies across the globe now consume 121.36 terawatt-hours of energy a year, more than the entire country of Argentina, new research from Cambridge University shows. And with bitcoin prices hitting a record on Tuesday after gazillionaire Elon Musk said Tesla would accept payment in crypto, the mining bonanza is only going to expand.
0: The US military has reported zero combat deaths in Afghanistan over an entire year for the first time in almost two decades of presence there. The news comes as the Biden administration reviews the peace agreement that former US president Donald Trump brokered a year ago with the Taliban, and prepares for a May 1 deadline to start withdrawing US troops (if the Taliban keep their end of the deal).
