Newsbytes: Ghost Ship Burns, Dakota Access Pipeline, Italian Prime Minister Resigns, Man Punches Kangaroo

By Staff Writers Katherine Guo & Julia Park

Local — Oakland Artist Haven “Ghost Ship” Burns Down
A crumbling warehouse known as the Ghost Ship burned down in Oakland after an electronic dance party on December 2. The Ghost Ship had been cited in November for hazardous trash and debris surrounding the building. Although it was only meant to be used as a warehouse, many of Oakland’s artists lived there because of rising rent costs and disappearing artist spaces. The search for remains concluded that 36 people had died in the fire. Investigators are currently combing the site for “every possible source of ignition.”

 

National — Dakota Access Pipeline to Choose New Route
Protestors at the Standing Rock Indian Reservation declared victory on December 4 after the government prohibited tunneling through Lake Oahe. The Dakota Access Pipeline (DAPL) would have transported oil through Lake Oahe, the reservation’s major water source, raising environmental and health concerns. On the same day, President Obama declared that the government would work with Dakota Access L.P., the company sponsoring the DAPL, in order to create alternative routes that would have a lesser environmental and cultural impact.

 

International — Italian Prime Minister Renzi Resigns
Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi resigned on December 5 after a decisive loss in a referendum vote that would have streamlined lawmaking and strengthened the executive branch. Much of the resistance came from the anti-establishment Five-Star Movement. Policy makers fear that the new makeshift government will be less aggressive than Renzi in improving Italy’s economy. Renzi had reformed many of Italy’s labor laws and attempted to improve the Italy’s infamously inefficient state bureaucracy.

 

Quirky — Australian Man Punches Kangaroo
A video uploaded to Facebook on December 2 shows a man punching a kangaroo in Australia. The kangaroo had attacked a dog when the man approached the kangaroo eye to eye. When the kangaroo gave a few hops to intimidate the man, he punched the kangaroo in the face. The animal soon retreated, and the dog was safe. Despite their cuddly reputation, kangaroos are extremely dangerous. Queensland’s Department of Environment and Heritage Protection advises using a branch for protection or rolling into a ball on the ground in the event of a kangaroo attack.

 

Photos by cbsistatic.com, cdnph.upi.com, sierraclub.org, slate.com

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