Ripped from the Headlines: July 2021: This Week in Words: Current Events Vocab for July 10–July 16, 2021

Thanks to a new bullet train in Tibet, all 31 provinces of mainland China now have access to high-speed train travel. The rail line, connecting the cities of Lhasa and Nyingchi, travels at such a high altitude that its passengers need extra oxygen. The route takes riders to a record-breaking height of 5,100 meters above sea level and provides them oxygen levels of 23.6 percent, slightly higher than average at normal altitudes.

One week after the July 7 assassination of Haiti's president, Jovenel Moïse, at least 23 people had been arrested in connection with the murder. While the ongoing investigation is focused on a Haitian-born doctor with ties to the U.S., it remains unclear who organized the group that broke into Moïse's home in the night, killing him and wounding his wife. The source of assassination is the Arabic hashīshīn, an ancient Islamic sect known for killing powerful enemies.

England's bid to win soccer's Euro 2020 ended in bitter disappointment on July 11 when Italy defeated them 3-2 in a penalty shootout. It had been 55 years since England's national team had won a major tournament, the 1966 World Cup, and this was their first time in the Euro finals. After winning 33 straight matches, Italy was again victorious.

Thousands of Cubans participated in demonstrations on July 11, the largest mass protest seen in the country in decades. People marched in the streets shouting anti-government slogans and peacefully protesting shortages of food and medicine, conditions that have grown worse during the pandemic. The demonstrations, described by some as the biggest protests since the Cuban Revolution, were swiftly followed by dozens of arrests.

A new study comparing wolf and dog puppies has found that domestication, rather than human contact, makes dogs skilled at communicating with people. The wolf pups had constant human contact, while the dogs lived with litter mates until they were eight weeks old. In tests, the dogs were more likely to approach people and more skilled at interpreting gestures, despite having less human contact. Domestication comes from a Latin word meaning “to tame."

A Mexican politician was arrested for forgery in New York after attempting to sell fake paintings for millions of dollars. Angel Pereda, who ran an unsuccessful mayoral campaign in San Andrés Cholula earlier this year, is accused of forging ownership papers and attempting to pass off several works as valuable pieces by Keith Haring and Jean-Michel Basquiat. In 2017 an authentic Basquiat painting,Untitled, sold for a record $110.5 million.

This week, the nonprofit group Physicians for Social Responsibility obtained internal documents from the Environmental Protection Agency that confirmed the agency knowingly approved of dangerous chemicals used for fracking. The records show that the substances, which make oil flow more freely from the ground, produce long-lasting, toxic chemicals known as PFAS. It's also clear from the documents that the EPA was aware of their toxicity to humans when it approved them in 2011.

Federal officials used genetic material found in tree stumps as proof that thieves illegally cut and sold timber — and started a forest fire in the process. The 2018 fire in Washington state burned more than 3,000 acres. Investigators who found sawed-off limbs among the wreckage were able to link the trees' DNA to timber that two men sold to mills. The men were charged with theft, trafficking, and starting the fire. Genetic is from the Greek genesis, "origin."

On July 11, the North Korean foreign ministry's official website stated that the kind of humanitarian aid offered by the U.S. to other countries is a "sinister political scheme." It characterized charitable assistance by the American government as part of a devious plot to gain power. The post was thought to be in response to an earlier statement by a South Korean official that donations of U.S.-provided coronavirus vaccines might boost relations with North Korea.

Economists say a rise in gas prices played a large role in June's 0.9 percent increase in the Consumer Price Index, a key measure of inflation. Over the past year, prices jumped 5.4 percent, the steepest rise in inflation in 13 years. Americans are driving more than they did last year, and demand for gasoline is up, along with its cost. Price increases in the last 12 months also include food, cars, plane flights, and hotel rooms.

Enormous goldfish, some as large as footballs, are becoming a problem in lakes and ponds around the U.S., officials say. Raised as tiny pets in small tanks, the fish quickly become invasive when they're released into the wild, overwhelming native species and destroying their habitats as they uproot plants and cause algal blooms. Goldfish reproduce quickly, can live up to 25 years, and grow to weigh as much as four pounds.

Unlike whales, whose blubber keeps them comfortable in frigid ocean waters, sea otters stay warm thanks to their unusual metabolism. The small marine mammals burn calories at a rate that's three times higher than typical for other animals of their size; the energy that results from metabolizing food so fast keeps their body temperature at a comfortable 98.6 degrees. Scientists have found that a cellular process in sea otters' muscles is what causes them to run so hot.

The federal moratorium on evictions is set to expire on July 31, ending the temporary suspension of property owners' ability to evict tenants for nonpayment of rent. The emergency moratorium was enacted to help financially struggling renters during the pandemic. About seven million people in the U.S. are currently behind on rent payments, and many states and cities are stepping in with their own moratoriums, using federal emergency aid money to buy renters more time.

On July 13, the Television Academy announced the 73rd Emmy Award nominations. It was the first time that the three most-nominated shows — The Crown, The Mandalorian, and WandaVision — were all on streaming platforms. All three were nominated in more than 20 categories, including lead actress, best drama, supporting actor, and limited series. The Emmy Awards will be presented on September 19.

Thawing permafrost is endangering an Alaskan pipeline, twisting the supports that hold the pipeline up and increasing the potential of a massive oil spill. The state's Department of Natural Resources has approved the use of tubes to suck heat out of the soil, which is normally frozen year-round, in order to keep the slope from thawing further. The average temperature of permafrost in Alaska has increased 3.5 degrees over the past several decades.

More than 50 Texas Democrats left the state on July 12 to prevent the passage of a restrictive state voting law. The vote in the state's House of Representatives requires a quorum in order to proceed; in Texas this currently means at least two-thirds of the House, or 100 members, must be present. The move will only delay an eventual vote in the Republican-controlled House, but Democrats hope to spur U.S. senators to address the issue of voting rights in the meantime.

Organizers say the Tokyo Olympics will be more environmentally sustainable than ever, with recycled metal used in winners' medals and beds made from cardboard. Environmentalists counter that despite efforts to lessen the event's impact on the planet, Olympics sustainability continues to decrease. They say the emphasis on corporate profits and spectacle, as well as the resources used to transport, house, and feed thousands of athletes, makes a truly sustainable Games impossible.

Scientists at the University of Colorado have compiled a 3D map of the flashes made by groups of fireflies. The map shows how the insects synchronize their lights. Researchers have long observed that extremely dense groups of fireflies tend to coordinate their flashing, but the new study found that the patterns of harmonized light move in waves, indicating that each insect is influenced by its immediate neighbors. The Greek roots are syn-, "together," and khronos, "time."

Lummi Nation artisans are trekking across the U.S. from Washington state to Washington, D.C. this month with a 25-foot totem pole, making stops at several Indigenous sacred sites. The 5,000-pound pole is carved with symbols representing Native stories and heritage, including Grandmother Moon, who watches over the earth, and seven tears symbolizing the "generations of trauma following colonization." Totem is from an Ojibwa word meaning "family mark."

Coca-Cola will tweak the formula of its popular Coke Zero product, the company announced this week. The "refresh" will change the drink's flavor and packaging, though the company's statement emphasized that the new recipe will be a subtle adjustment rather than an overhaul. Coca-Cola famously changed the formula of its regular Coca-Cola soda in 1985 — resulting in a public relations disaster that ended only when the company returned to its original recipe.