theodp writes: Q. How many AP Computer Science Principles ‘exam takers’ would you have if you cancelled the AP CSP exam due to the coronavirus? A. More than 116,000! That’s according to the math behind a new College Board press release, which boasts, “In 2020, more than 116,000 students took the AP CSP Exam — more than double the number of…
Tag: Press
Electoral College Certifies Biden’s Victory, As Trump Still Refuses To Concede
The Electoral College gave Joe Biden a majority of its votes Monday, confirming his victory in last month’s election in state-by-state voting that took on added importance this year because of President Donald Trump’s refusal to concede he lost. The Associated Press reports: California’s 55 electoral votes put Biden over the top, clearing the 270-vote mark that affirmed he will be…
John le Carre, Author of Spy Novels, Dies at Age 89
“This terrible year has claimed a literary giant and a humanitarian spirit,” tweeted novelist Stephen King, adding later that “The Little Drummer Girl was one of the best novels I’ve ever read.” Margaret Atwood tweeted “His Smiley novels are key to understanding the mid-20th century.” And the Associated Press tells the story of how spy-novel writer John le Carré was “drawn…
FDA Approves Pfizer/BioNTech Covid-19 Vaccine For Emergency Use in America
Friday night America’s Food and Drug Administration finally authorized Pfizer and BioNTech’s coronavirus vaccine for emergency use in the United States, reports CNN. The Verge calls it “a landmark moment in the fight to suppress a virus that has killed nearly 300,000 people in the United States and sickened tens of millions around the world.” The vaccine is authorized in the…
France To Build New Nuclear-Powered Aircraft Carrier
France will build a new, nuclear-powered aircraft carrier to replace its Charles de Gaulle carrier by 2038, French President Emmanuel Macron announced Tuesday. The Associated Press reports: Macron framed the decision to use nuclear reactors to propel the future warship as part of France’s climate strategy, stressing its lower emissions compared to diesel fuel. Speaking at a nuclear facility in the…
Aliens In Hiding Until Mankind Is Ready, Says Ex-Israeli Space Head
The former head of Israel’s space program, Haim Eshed, says space aliens have reached an agreement with the U.S. government to stay mum on the experiments they conduct on Earth — as well as their secret base on Mars — until mankind is ready to accept them. The New York Post reports: “The aliens have asked not to announce that they…
JavaScript Turns 25
The programming language JavaScript emerged 25 years ago and has grown to become one of the most important pieces of the web and browser applications we use today. From a report: JavaScript is the go-to language for front-end development and has spawned Microsoft’s Typescript, a superset of JavaScript with a stronger optional type system for developers that compiles to JavaScript when…
EU Pushes for ‘Right To Disconnect’ From Work at Home
An anonymous reader shares a report: The coronavirus pandemic has not only upended social life across Europe but dramatically changed the way people work. With ever more people working from home — roughly a third of all employees within the bloc according to the Associated Press (AP) — and needing to be constantly reachable, the boundaries between work and private life…
EU Greenhouse Gas Emissions Down 24% Since 1990
Greenhouse gas emissions in the European Union have been reduced by 24% compared to 1990 levels, according to the bloc’s annual climate report, but the EU said Monday it still needs to intensify efforts to keep to its target of making Europe the first climate-neutral continent by mid-century. The Associated Press reports: The EU’s executive arm said Monday that emissions in…
No One Who Got Moderna’s Vaccine In Trial Developed Severe COVID-19
An anonymous reader quotes a report from Science Magazine: Continuing the spate of stunning news about COVID-19 vaccines, the biotech company Moderna announced the final results of the 30,000-person efficacy trial for its candidate in a press release today: Only 11 people who received two doses of the vaccine developed COVID-19 symptoms after being infected with the pandemic coronavirus, versus 185…