Ripped from the Headlines: April 2024: This Week in Words: Current Events Vocab for April 6–April 12, 2024

A British man achieved his goal of running the whole length of the African continent. It took Russ Cook nearly a year to run 10,000 miles through 16 countries, from the southern tip of the landmass to its northern border. Cook hoped to cross Africa in 240 days, running more than a marathon daily, but he was slowed by visa problems in Algeria, a robbery in Angola, and an injury in Nigeria. Continent is a translation of Medieval Latin terra continens, "continuous land."

Mexico will break diplomatic ties with Ecuador, according to an announcement made by President Andrés Manuel López Obrador. The decision to end friendly relations came after police forced their way into the Mexican embassy in Quito, Ecuador to arrest a former Ecuadorian vice president who was seeking political asylum. López Obrador said this "violation of international law" meant Mexico would begin bringing its diplomats home from Ecuador.

A person using a black trash bag as a disguise was caught on a doorbell camera stealing packages off Omar Gabriel Munoz's porch in Sacramento, California. The thief, who was not apprehended, had apparently tried to camouflage themselves as a bag of garbage, edging slowly closer to the packages before snatching them. Munoz didn't report the theft because he found the costume funny — and the phone chargers inside the packages were only worth about ten dollars.

A total solar eclipse crossed North America on April 8. The 100-mile-wide path of totality, where the moon briefly blocked the entire sun from view, stretched from Sinaloa, Mexico to New Brunswick, Canada. The phenomenon was visible in states from Texas to Maine. The contiguous U.S. won't see another total eclipse until 2044. The Greek root of eclipse, ekleipsis, means "darkness" and also "an abandonment or forsaking."

The Mexican government declared that a group of feral cats can live out the rest of their lives at the presidential palace. Half-wild felines have roamed the National Palace and its grounds for at least 50 years, and there are currently about 19 cats in residence. Mexico's president made them "living fixed assets," meaning they are now an official part of the palace. Feline is from the Latin feles, "cat."

A study found that wearing eyeglasses seems to improve people's income. Researchers focused on adults in developing countries with age-related eyesight decline who couldn't afford reading glasses. In Bangladesh, 400 seamstresses, weavers, and tea pickers were given free eyeglasses; 400 others did not receive the glasses. A comparison of the groups found that monthly wages significantly rose only for people who started wearing glasses, from an average of $35.30 to $47.10.

Marine mammal experts are trying to save an orca calf that's stranded in a lagoon off the coast of British Columbia. The two-year-old orca, known by local First Nations people as "Brave Little Hunter," was orphaned when her mother died in March after getting stuck on a gravel bed in shallow water. Rescuers hope to reunite the calf with her grandmother, aunt, and other family members by luring her into the Pacific Ocean. The Greek root of orphan means "bereft."

South Carolina beat Iowa in the women's NCAA final on April 7, with Kamilla Cardoso being named the Final Four’s most outstanding player. After a shaky start, with Iowa scoring the game's first 10 points, South Carolina surged forward to complete a perfect season of 38 wins and no losses. Cardoso was the tournament's standout, with 15 points scored and 17 rebounds in the final game. Outstanding is from an obsolete verb, outstand, "to endure successfully."

Some Walmart shoppers may be eligible for hundreds of dollars from a class-action settlement. The resolution of a lawsuit that accused the company of deceptive business practices includes $45 million in payments to customers who purchased "weighted goods." The suit argues that items priced by weight, like meat and produce, had those weights inflated to make them more expensive. Shoppers who were overcharged may receive up to $500 as part of the case's settlement.

Chechnya has banned all music with a tempo that authorities consider to be too fast or too slow. The country's Minister of Culture announced that "all musical, vocal, and choreographic works" must have a speed of between 80 and 116 beats per minute. He also specified that music is required to fit the “Chechen mentality and musical rhythm." The ban means that most popular music, from Beyoncé to the Beatles, will now be outlawed. The Italian word tempo means "time."

Italy's Mount Etna, the largest volcano in Europe, is puffing nearly perfect rings of smoke into the air. Known by scientists as "volcanic vortex rings," the smoke circles are formed when a brand new crater rapidly releases gas and vapor into the atmosphere. As bubbles of magma burst beneath it, gas is propelled through the round mouth of the crater. Mount Etna was the first erupting mountain to be named for the Roman god of fire, Vulcan, the root of volcano.

Māori conservationists are taking steps to protect whales by granting them legal personhood. Indigenous leaders from South Pacific countries including New Zealand and Tahiti signed a treaty giving the huge marine mammals some of the same rights as humans. They hope to pressure governments to ensure that whales are able to migrate freely and have a clean ocean environment. Whale was originally used to describe any large sea creature.