Ripped from the Headlines: March 2025: This Week in Words: Current Events Vocab for March 2–March 8, 2025

Egypt and Qatar officials said Israel's blockade of food and supplies into Gaza violates the ceasefire deal. According to the United Nations, barring food from reaching two million Palestinians also violates humanitarian law. Israel blocked the entry of all goods in order to pressure Hamas into accepting new ceasefire terms. Blockade comes from the Old French bloc, "log or block of wood," and a Germanic root meaning "tree trunk."

Pakistan hosted a major international cricket championship for the first time since 1996. Although their own team's loss to India last week disqualified them from competing, Pakistanis were wildly enthusiastic about the Champions Trophy tournament. All games leading up to the final, to be held in Dubai between India and New Zealand, were played at Lahore's Gaddafi Stadium. Cricket, played by hitting balls with wide wooden bats, is from a root meaning "stick or staff."

A rare cyclone was forecast to bring heavy rain and violent winds to Australia's east coast this week. Brisbane residents living in flood-prone areas were urged to evacuate as the powerful tropical storm, with its rotating mass of air, moved slowly over the South Pacific Ocean toward the eastern coast of the state of Queensland. Cyclone is derived from a Greek word meaning "circle."

A new executive order designates English as the official language of the United States. English already has this designation in some states, but it's the first time the U.S. has given English this specific status on a federal level. While government agencies will no longer be required to help non-English speakers, most already provide documents in multiple languages, and they won't be prevented from continuing to do so. The Latin root of designate means "to mark out."

The Trump administration added a 25 percent tax to all goods coming into the country from Mexico and Canada, and an additional 10 percent to Chinese goods. The tariffs are expected to raise prices in the U.S. and be costly for all the countries. Canada's economy depends on exports to the U.S., such as aluminum, oil, and gas. Experts say fewer goods moving across the border between Canada and the U.S. will have particularly negative effects on both countries' car manufacturing industries.

Many scientists say that the Trump administration's latest funding cuts will increase the risk of endangered species going extinct. Among more than 400 workers fired from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, many were responsible for protecting at-risk animals like the black-footed ferret. Additionally, international conservation grants, such as those funding protection of rhinos in Africa, have been frozen. Extinct is from the Latin extinctus, "killed or destroyed."

A team of scientists has invented a device that provides the sensation of taste within virtual reality. The "e-Taste" technology adds a gustatory element to the simulated experience, which already makes users feel like they are seeing, hearing, and touching things that aren't really there. Using five chemicals, along with an "electronic tongue," the gadget will create a variety of flavors in VR experiences. The Latin root of gustatory is gustare, "to taste."

In response to doctor shortages in rural areas, some states are making it easier for foreign-trained physicians to get U.S. medical licenses. Currently, about 25 percent of U.S. doctors were born in other countries, and this number will likely increase as rules change. In nine states, doctors who completed international residencies no longer have to repeat them in the U.S. to be legally permitted to practice medicine. License is from the Latin licere, "be lawful."

To help control the population of large, invasive rodents called nutrias, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service suggested that Americans hunt and cook them. The agency provided recipes for gumbo and stew featuring the semiaquatic animals, also known as "swamp rats." Nutrias live in and along bodies of water, often causing severe erosion as they graze and burrow. They are native to South America and live in large colonies. In Spanish, nutria means "otter."

European leaders pledged to protect Ukraine's security and sovereignty as its war with Russia continues. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer outlined a plan for Europe's support, providing loans, weapons, and possibly troops, while working toward a peace deal. The plan also stresses Ukraine's right to govern itself without Russian interference. Starmer said he expected U.S. cooperation, despite a heated White House meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy last week.

Researchers have learned that the sterile environment of the International Space Station may actually make astronauts sick. A new study showed that the permanently orbiting spacecraft is so clean that many microbes naturally found on Earth are not present, including some that are helpful to the human immune system. While the germ-free surfaces help prevent many illnesses, the extreme cleanliness may also contribute to cold sores, rashes, shingles, and other immune-related conditions.

On March 2, an unmanned spacecraft made a successful touchdown on the moon's surface. It was the first time a private company's remotely operated lunar craft didn't crash or topple over as it landed. Firefly Aerospace's Blue Ghost robotic lander will spend two weeks on the moon carrying out experiments on behalf of NASA. Touchdown, originally "score in a rugby match," was first used to mean "airplane landing" around 1935.