narrator: funding for this presentation is made possible by... woman: babbel, a language app that teaches real life conversations in a new langue, like spanish, french, german, italian and more. babbel's 10 to 15 minute lessons are available as an app or online. more information on babbel.com. narrator: funding was al provided by... the freeman foundation. by judy and peter blum-kovler foundation. pursuing solutions for america's neglected needs. and by contributions to this pbs station from viewers like you, thank you. woman: and now, bbc world news. >> this is "bbc world news."i

am lewis vaughan jones. israel's prime minineer benjamin tanyahu says he will seek parliamentary immunity from prosecution for alleged bribery and fraud. australia'sew south wales fire service once people to leave areas on the coast with more dangerous this weekend.recast supporters of iranian-backed militia in iraq have pulled away from the u.s. embassy in baghdad after a second day of violent protests. dozensf endangered animals die -- germa zoo.a gerns to. lewis: welcome to "bbc world news." israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu has announced he will se parliamentary immunity from prosecution in three corruption

eases. the allegations h dogged mr. netanyahu as he faces is third election campaign in less than f year aftling to form a government. he was indicted in november, but the request could delay to legal proceedings agaiim for several months. mr. netanyahu made his annocement in a live levision address. prime min. netanyahu: i intped to ask theer of the knesset, according to article for, to let me implement my right and duty and my mission to continue serving you for the future of israel. i intend to ask because i am sacrificing my life to you, people of israt there are people who, unlike me, did commit graverimes, and they have lifelong immunity. they are just on the right side of the media and the left wing. lewis: mr.hu neta's main

political rival, benny gantz, has criticized the prime minister, saying he must face the justice is important -- justice system. mr. gantz: i see israel is led by a man pushing us to the fringes and against the principle we are all educated, everyone is equal before e law. lewis:orresponded for the newspaper "haaretz ss this takes israel into uncharted waters. >> so it was not a surprise. were anticipatinghis for several months, the prime minister netanyahu, once he is indicted, will try to seek immunity. it is unprecedented in the gistory of israel for a sitt prime minister to do this. acally, we have only had two members of parliament, the knesse who have done this before him. they were low-level members of the opposition. this is a new low, some would say, for israeli politic but for netanyahu it was the only option bee if he did

not seek this immunity, he would have begun his trial in a few weeks in a court in jerusalem, and that probably would haveen he end of his career. with the immunity request he is at least delaying the court s.oceedings by several mon lewis: we should point out, of course, he denies any wrongdoing whatsoever. but how do you think this mon will go downrael? >> so, as you said, in israel, any person is innocent until proven guilty. but i think for many israelis, this is a move that seems to convince them that netanyahu may be is afraid of the court or is hiding something -- this has beenhe line of the oppositio right now. theyre saying basically if y are innocent, why are you protecting yourself from going to court? don't you want to go to court and prove your innence? and we have seen public opinion polls in israel the last several weeks that seem tohow this is the opinion of the majority of israelis. thmost israelis are agains immunity request by the prime minister.

there is a big majority against it amongst centerleft israel and even a chunk of right-wing israelis who are more supportive politics and' still don't like this latest move, because it is not a move that an innocent persod choose to do. we have elections in exactly two months. we will have to see how this will impact the voters. lewis: this is the question i'm going to ask you. i know it is impossible to answer, but given that we have had election after electioin israel recently that has not delivered a result, what do you -- what impact do you think this will have the next election? >> so we know that netanyahu and his advisers were very concerned and d long deliberations abo this immunity request, because they did see in their internal polling what we are seeing in the public polling, this is an unpopular move. most of the public doesn't like it. this could hurt netanyahu's electorally. th alternative, beginning his

court trial as he is running f reelection, could have been worse. most of the public opinion polls in israel show a result in the t third electit's expected in march that is almost similar to the electiowe had in september, three months ago. lewis: so we're not necessarily any further forward in that case. >> yeah, exactly. th means we arcontinuing to be in a deadlock. for netanyahu, however, results similar to the september election is not good, because ie the current of the knesset, there is not a majority that supports his immuty quest. it means that if we have an election and the result is similar, his request will be denied. wi next, the new south wales fire service in australia has warned people to leave the south ast of the state if they don't need to stay there. they are using calmer conditions to send staff to warn people to get out ahead offo fire danger recast this weekend. at least seven people have died

since october in -- at least 17 peopleave died since october across new south wales, pretoria, and south australia. several people are still missing. from sydney, phil mercer reports.ex phil: these artraordinary times in australia. the bushfires have brought terror into the lives of ordinary people. they are devastating andeadly. more lives have been lost, and hundreds of homes have been destroyed. at you walk around a bit of your house and you go, as the bedrooman, that was mques work from my family history. my baby memories from my kids, everything just gone. >> i don't know what i'm going home to. so i just hope forheest. >> it ispsetting to lose your memories. that is very upsetting. but we cannot dwell on it. you know, if you dwell on it, you would just be upset all the time.

that doesn't get you anhere. you got to move on. phil: help is yet to reach some residents who reportedly suffered burns. authorities say it has been too dangerous to send in rescue teams by roads or air. >> we have a very real challenge at the moment with a couple of isolated communities where we have got reports of injuries and burn injuries to members of the public. we have not been able to get access via roads or by aircrt. it has been too dangerous and we simply cannot access, nor ca ople in these areas get out.co philitions on new year's day have easedbut the danger remains. dozens of fires continue to burn across several states. bushfires have always been part ofhe australian story, but officials say this crisis is unprecedented. dry and windy weher is forecast for saturday. austelia will once again brac itself for another onslaught.

phil mercer, bbc news, sydney. lewis: police in hong kong have arrested around 400 people who t in a new year's da antigovernment demonstration. officers say they detained the esters for offensesun including wful assembly and possession of offensive weapons. despite the march starting peacefully, there were violent clashes between a small number of protesters and police. riot police used pepper spray and teargas, while hard-core protesters threw petrol bombs. our correspondent jonathanead sent this report. jonathan: the first day of the year, and already a mass rally. hong kongers wasted no time letting the government know that nothing has changed in 2020. they still fear that thei' citys identity and freedoms are under threat. but they cannot let up the pressure on their leaders and on their i backersbeing.

in this huge crowd, they came from all walks of life. what we have seen today is enough to tell us what is in store for hong kong this year, and it is going to be more of the same battle of wills between protesters determined to defend the territory's autonomy and a government that is equally determined not to be seen to make concessions. when all this started more than six months ago, few could have imagined it would last this long. today very few can imagine how this is all going to end. it had been a legal protest. but suddenly police announced it was no longer approved the families disappeared, then the masked youngsters, ready to confront securitrces, took p itions. and in an all-too-familiar routine, theirs. police took up >> unfortunately, again riotersi cked the procession today, which resulted in the decision of the police to end the

procession earlier thisrn afn. jonathan: but today even the hard-core protesters did not want to fight. as night fell, they lefts symbolic barri and withdrew. the police moving in to clear and reclaim the streets. they and their young adversariee arly tired of these continuous confrontations. yet it seems they are compelled to carry on, playing their part in what looks set to be another year of turmoil. jonath head, bbc news, hong kong lewis: let's see what else is hitting headlines around t world. north korea's leader kim jong-un has suggested e country could restart its nuclear and long-range missile tests. heaid north korea was no longer obliged to suspend the tests, as was formally agreed during talks with the u.s. mr. kim made the announcement am a governmenteeting two days ago. in austria, the conservative

party has struck a deal to return to power as part of a coalition with the greens. th agreement allows him to become chancellor for thsecond time in his career. the pacific nation of palau haso the first country to ban sun cream that is harmful to corals and sea life. the ban covers the sale and use of lotion containing 10 common esgredients. several other plncluding hawaii have announced similar plans. a fire at a zoo in germany on eve has killed at least 30 animals. the fire struck the monkey house, and officials have called it an incomprehensible tragedy. reporter: a the zoo in germany, new year's celebrations turned to tragedy. by daw on new year's day, the monkey house had burned to the

ground, leavinga onltal skeleton behind. two chimpanzees managed to survive the fire, but dozens of animals were killed many of them highly endangered primates. >>tr it is especiallic that the residents of the monkey lshouse, birds and mamwere victims of the fire aside. apes likm were orangutans from borneo and chimpanzees from westfrica. all of them highly endangered species who can nobe longe seen in our resume. reporter: an investigation into what started the fire is under way. its suspected that small paper hot air balloons lit during new year's celebrationsrifted into the zoo and set fire to the enclosure. >>se someone mthe saudis flying close to the zoo -- saw these flying close to the zoo and amending locum so we can assume they landed in the area and the same timeframe. we have witnesses saying they were on the roof as well.

unless wfind another cause for the fire can it looks like these lanterns were the cause of it. reporter: while a family of gorillas in a nearby enclosure were unharmed, it is reported that eope's oldest breeding silverback gorilla was killed. o a small memoriale victims of the fire has been made by locals keen to pay respects. one messe on a piecear of cardbosuddenly asks, why? wi stay with us on "bbc world news." still to comope francis apologizes for slapping a woman's hand which pullnc him off balaas he was greeting crowds in me. >> the most ambitious financial and political change ever attempted has got underway with the introduction of the euro. >> tomorrow in holland we will use ney we picked up in belgium today and then we will be in france and it will be the same money. it is just got to be the way to.

go >> george haison, the former beatle, is recovering in hospital aftereing stabbed in his oxfordshire home. a 33-year-old man from liverpoor is being iewed by police on suspicion of attempted murder. >> i think it was good. >> just good? >> no, fantastic. >> that's better. lewis: this is "bbc world news." i am leughan jones.

eathe latestines -- israel's prime minister, benjamin netanyahu, has said he will seek parliamentary immunity from prosecution for alleged bribery and fraud. australia's new south wales fire service has warnedto people eave areas on the coast with more dangerous bushfires forecast this weekend. nowesters in baghdad have away from the u.s embassy after earlier attacking the compound for the second day running. the crowd were supporter of a militia backed by iran and they were protestinagainst u.s. airstrikes last week inside iraq which killed members of the 25 militia. reporter: the bitter struggle between the u.s. and iran has again been playing out on the streets of iraq. a sizable crowd of proers and iranian-backed militias set fire to the perimeter of the american embassy in baghdad for a second day. but u.s. troops have used tear

gas and stun grenades to fce them back. just some of the thousands of troops it has in the country.is >> thiot the first time the u.s. have hit us. we will never move from here. i swear on god and on my life, until theave here. >> we are holding a t-in for the souls of our martyrs until the departure of the american occupiers. reporter: iraq's military says the protesters have withdrawn d that its forces have completely secured the embassy's perimeter. that will be welcomed by president trump, who has urged the iraqi government to take a tougher line. nonetheless, aund 750 additional soldiers have been deployed to the region, ande despinforcements being sent in, the u.s. embassy hasde suspall public consular operations.r' amid his new 's celebrations, president trump

warned he wouldn't allow a g repeat of the 2012 storm the u.s. consulate in the libyan city of benghazi, where four americans were killed. pres. trump: the marines came in. we had some great warriors come in and do a fantastic job, and they were there instantaneously, as soon as we herdd. i use the immediately" -- they came immediately. and it is in great shape. as you know, this will not be a benghazi.ho benghazid never have happened. reporter: present trump blames iran for the death of an american contractor at an iraqi military base last week. he responded with these airstrikes against the iranian-backed militia kataib hezbollah on the weekend. 25 people were killed. that is drawn st from iran's suprem whoer ayatollah kmenei, said that president trump's threats were hollow. ayatollah khamenei: if the islamic republic decides to

challenge and fight a country, it will do so unequivocally. we are strongly committed to ou' cou's interest and our peace. we are strongly committed to the dignity of our country.rt re: these protests come amid a u.s.-iran relationship that has deterioted since washington pulled out of the nuclear weapons deal in 2018. and all the while, iraq findsse stuck in the middle, trying to help the u.s. see off the so-called islamic state s group but at te time trying to protect its relationship with neighboring iran. lewis: a freelance journalist based in bagad davis this update -- gave us this update. >> things are fairly quiet now.t most sups of the militia group withdrew after they received orders from the militia commanders telling them to leave asand stop attacking the e. they left saying that they had succeeded and this s a retreat

in victory. things have become quieter in two days. wis: interesting. ll they be back again tomorrow? >> i think that depends on what the militia commanders say. at this point in time it seems like they don't necessarily want them to return. it is also important to know at this is coinciding with the u.s. sending more forces to iraq. if they did return, it might cause greater tension. lewis: and is that greater attention something that actually they want, or they don't want at the moment? what is in their interest? >> i thinkhat this point in time -- obviously this is an iran-sported group. i think that they don't want things to spiral out of control. the kind of tit-for-mall spats between the u.s. and iranc have beerring on iraqi soil. that is something they can deal with. something much larger than that would not be beneficial for any of the parties involved.

lewis: next, indonesia floods in the capital, jakarta, have killed nine people and forced thousands to leave their homes. among theead was a teenager who was electrocuted. reporter: the heavy monsoon rains began lashing the indonesian capital on new year's eve, triggering the worst flooding in almost seven houses have been submerged forcing more than 19,000 people to leave their homes and find shelter elsewhere. more than 700 areas in the greater jakarta region have suffered from power outages. although the electricity was shut off in many parts for safety reasons, after a man died when he was ectrocuted. >> my son's body was covered in newspaper, and my second child passed by and people ask, you know him. my other child had not passed by. reporter: one of jakarta's for ports had to be clo the runway was flooded, meaning

delays and diversions for hundreds of passengers. many roads we impasble, cars and buses submerged by th the president has instructed government agencies to prioritize theescue efforts and to try to get pu ric transportning as good as possible--as soon as possible. >> water has inundated some public facilities, including airports, toll roads, and other vital places. the rivers must be stabilized so their functions can be rtored to normal. reporter: this is the worst flooding to hit jakarta since 2007, when at least 80 people were killed and more than 300,000 displaced. now schools and officers have be told to provide shelter as the country's weather agency says more rainfalls excited over the next few days. lewis: next, from life on earth to pushing frontiers in space, developments in science can have

a huge impact. what will 2020 bring? we look ahead at the bigger developments on the horizon. rebecca: i'm rebecca morelle, the bbc's global science correspondent. ine is what to look out for 2020 this is going to be a critical year for climate change. inns 2020, natill be revealing how they intend to cut greenhouse gas emissions from which means we will ut if their commitments are ambitious enough to stop the worst effects of climate change. at the moment, what countries are doing is falling far short, andci stists say the windoy of opportun act is closing fast. would all come to a hea d at the next round of u.n. climate negotiations, which will be held in glasgow in scotland. in spaceit is going to be all about mars. the are four missions planned

for the the united arab emirates are sending an orbiter to study martian atmosphere. china is going, too, but they are heading for the surface. europe and russia have joined rc with a robot named after dnad pioneer rosalanklin. and then there is necessary, who in addition sending a robot are bringing along a mini helicopter, a first for the red planet. back on earth, a big focus will be one nature come on ck of a major report warning that one million plant and animal species are threatened with extinction. missions will be meeting at the convention of biological diversity in china. they will try to work t how to address the devastating imct humans are having on the natural world. is ts the year that will finally shed light on dark matter? this a mysterious stuff makes quarter of the universe, but no one has ever seen it. now two major underground experiments in the u.s. and

europe will ramp up research. scientists say that finding it could transform our understanding of the universe was and in 2020, both boeing a spacex are aiming to take passengers to the international space station. it is part of nasa's big push for an all-american human space fightn club, which has bn hold since they retired their shuttle fleet in 2011. the hope is that it will ultimately pave the way for getting astronauts to the moon and then mars. scientists will be keeping aar close eye on aica. a vast crack is opening up on theyeshades and will create an iceberg the size of greater london. the british antarctic survey has already had to remove its research-based so it doesn't end up being dumped in the ocean. lewis: pope francis h confessed that he had lost his patience with an admirer who

grabbed his h square on tuesday. he had been greeting pilgrims when he was not particularly happy with a woman grabbing his hand. since apologized for th bad exhibit the days when he slapped the woman tries to break free ofher grip. former national basketball association commissioner david stern, who oversaw theri hug in the game's poparity, has died at age 77. mr.ch stern was ige of the sport from 1984 and during his 30 years in office, basketball's revenues increased more than 30 million. he oversaw a huge expansion of television coverage. the currennba commissioner id that david stern's leadership turned the mba into a truly glob brand. that is it for me. i am lewis vaughan jones. c this inews. narrr or: funding this presentation is made possible by... man: babbel, an online program developby anguage specialists teaching spanish, french and more.

narrator: funding the freeman foundation. by judy and peter blum-kovler foundation. ng solutions for america's neglected needs. and by contributions to this pbs station from viewers like you, thank you. be more, pbs. ♪

captioning sponsored by newshour productions, llc en>> schifrin: good and happy new year. i'm nick sifrin. judy woodruff is away. on the newshour tonight: backing down. a crisis end when demonstrators leave the u.s. embassy compound in iraq. then, nuclear north. kim jong-un announces a "new onstrategic we and warns that north korea can withstand u.s. sanctions. ewand,ear, new laws. from electric cars to minimum wage incre2020 rings in cnew rules across tntry. plus, warnings fthm antarctica. dangers penguins face in a warming world. >>eome species are going to major climate change winners, and there are going to be others species that are no longer able to thrive on the antarctic peninsula. >> schifrin: all that and more hton tonig pbs newshour.