BACKUP ORIGINAL TWIW March 2–March 8, 2025

Egypt and Qatar officials said Israel’s blockade of food and supplies into Gaza violates the ceasefire deal. Barring food from reaching two million Palestinians also violates humanitarian law, according to the United Nations. 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 sports championship for the first time since 1996. Despite the fact that their own team's loss to India last week disqualified them from competing, Pakistanis were wildly enthusiastic about the Champions Trophy cricket tournament. All games but the final match, 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 that means "stick or staff."

A rare cyclone was forecast to bring violent rain and wind 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 Queensland state coast. Cyclone is from the Greek kyklon, "moving in a circle," from kyklos, "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 imports from Mexico and Canada, and an additional ten percent to Chinese goods. The tariffs are expected to raise prices in the U.S. and be costly for all three countries. Canada's economy depends on exports to the U.S., such as aluminum and large amounts of 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, all funding at the National Institutes of Health and the National Science Foundation has been eliminated. 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. Their "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 did 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 nutrias, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service suggested that Americans should hunt and cook them. The agency provided recipes for gumbo and stew featuring the ratlike, semiaquatic animal. These large, invasive rodents live in marshlands, where they cause severe erosion, uprooting plants as they burrow in the ground. Nutrias 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 can 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 prevent many illnesses for the ISS crew, their extreme cleanness also causes 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. The Blue Ghost robotic lander will spend two weeks on the moon carrying out experiments provided by NASA. Touchdown, originally "score in a rugby match," was first used to mean "airplane landing" around 1935.