Animals killed in German zoo fire
BERLIN -- A fire raced through a zoo in western Germany in the first few minutes of the new year, killing more than 30 animals, including apes, monkeys, bats and birds, authorities said Wednesday.
Police said paper sky lanterns launched after midnight near the Krefeld Zoo to celebrate the arrival of 2020 were probably to blame. Gerd Hoppmann, the city's head of criminal police, said investigators also found used lanterns on the ground that hadn't burned entirely.
The zoo near the Dutch border said its entire ape house burned down and that more than 30 animals -- including five orangutans, two gorillas, a chimpanzee and several monkeys -- were killed, as well as fruit bats and birds. Only two chimpanzees were rescued from the flames by firefighters. They suffered burns but are in stable condition, zoo director Wolfgang Dressen said. He said many of the dead animals were close to extinction in the wild.
16 inmates die in Mexican prison riot
MEXICO CITY -- At least 16 inmates in a central Mexico prison were killed and five more were wounded in a riot that closed out a violent 2019 for the country, authorities said Wednesday.
Zacatecas State Security Secretary Ismael Camberos Hernandez told local news outlets that authorities confiscated four guns that they believe were introduced to the Cieneguillas state prison during prison visits Tuesday. He said the prison had been searched for weapons on Saturday and Sunday and that no guns were found.
The melee broke out around 2:30 p.m. Tuesday, and the prison was brought under control by 5 p.m., according to a statement from the state security agency. Fifteen of the victims died at the prison, and one died later at a hospital.
No guards or police were wounded, Camberos said. He did not offer a possible motive, but such killings frequently involve score-settling between rival cartel members or a battle for control of the prison's illicit business.
Israeli prime minister seeks immunity
JERUSALEM -- Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Wednesday that he would seek immunity from corruption charges, likely delaying any trial until after March elections, when he hopes to have a majority coalition that will shield him from prosecution.
Netanyahu was indicted in November on charges of accepting bribes, fraud and breach of trust. After failing to assemble a governing majority after back-to-back elections last year, he will get a third shot at remaining in office in March.
Wednesday's announcement essentially turns the upcoming election into a referendum on whether Netanyahu should be granted immunity and remain in office, or step down and stand trial. A recent poll indicated that a majority of Israelis oppose giving him immunity.
In a nationally televised address, Netanyahu repeated his assertion that he is the victim of an unfair conspiracy, lashing out at prosecutors, the media and his political enemies. Claiming credit for a series of economic and security achievements on his watch, he said he would seek to invoke the law that would protect him from prosecution as long as he remains in office.
Normally, a request for immunity would need to be approved by the parliament's House Committee and then submitted to a full vote. But the House Committee doesn't exist because a government was never formed after September's election. Court proceedings cannot begin until the question of immunity is settled.
Flooding in Indonesia kills 16 people
JAKARTA, Indonesia -- Severe flooding hit Indonesia's capital as residents were celebrating New Year's, killing at least 16 people, displacing thousands and forcing the closure of a domestic airport.
Tens of thousands of revelers in Jakarta were soaked by torrential rains as they waited for New Year's Eve fireworks.
National Disaster Mitigation Agency spokesman Agus Wibowo said Wednesday that monsoon rains and rising rivers submerged at least 90 neighborhoods and triggered a landslide in Depok, a city on the outskirts of Jakarta.
Wibowo said the dead included a 16-year-old high school student who was electrocuted. He said more than 19,000 people were in temporary shelters after floodwaters reached up to 10 feet in several places.
Jakarta Gov. Anies Baswedan told reporters after conducting an aerial survey over the flooded city that as much as 14.5 inches of rainfall -- more than three times the average amount -- was recorded in Jakarta and West Java's hilly areas during New Year's Eve, resulting in the Ciliwung and Cisadane rivers overflowing.
Director General of Civil Aviation Polana Pramesti said the floods also submerged the runway at Jakarta's Halim Perdanakusumah domestic airport, prompting authorities to close it and stranding some 19,000 passengers.
A Section on 01/02/2020