this is bbc news with the latest headlines for viewers in the uk and around the world. i'm sally bundock. president trump dismisses his top cyber security official, chris krebs — who denied there was evidence of fraud in the presidential election. and the president orders cuts to troop numbers in afganistan and iraq — but stops short of outright withdrawal. a six—day lockdown in south australia — trying to contain the state's first coronavirus outbreak since april. and the new dinosaur research that suggests humans owe their existence to a large meteorite.

hello and welcome. in a dramatic move donald trump has fired the head of the us cybersecurity agency, chris krebs, who contradicted his claims of voterfraud. last week the agency declared the 2020 election "the most secure in american history". mr trump has refused to concede the presidency tojoe biden, making unsubstantiated claims of "massive" voter fraud. our north america correspondent peter bowes reports. another post—election sacking by donald trump. another senior official with whom the president disagrees over the accuracy of the result. chris krebs was in charge of the agency responsible for the integrity of the election. on polling day he said some overseas attempts to interfere in the process had been addressed, but he warned the country wasn't

out of the woods yet. today, in some sense it's half time. there may be other events or activities or efforts to interfere and undermine confidence in the election. so i'd ask all americans to be patient, to treat all sensational and unverified claims with scepticism. last week, with mr trump still refusing to concede the election, the security agency said there was no evidence that any voting system deleted or lost votes, changed votes or was in any way compromised. not so, says the president. "there were massive improprieties and fraud," he writes on twitter, making unsubstantiated claims — "including dead people voting, pollwatchers not allowed into polling locations, glitches in the voting machines which changed votes from trump to biden, late voting, and many more." "therefore," the president adds, "effective immediately, chris krebs has been terminated as director

of the cybersecurity and infrastructure security agency." for his part, mr krebs, who reportedly expected to be fired, is standing by the conclusions of his agency. he tweeted. .. donald trump is still refusing publicly to acknowledge that he lost tojoe biden, and the white house isn't cooperating with the president—elect as he prepares to take office. court challenges have failed to support mr trump's view that the election was stolen. peter bowes, bbc news, los angeles. we will have more on that story inafew we will have more on that story in a few moments, later on the programme. america will havejust 2,500 troops left in iraq and afghanistan by the time president trump leaves office in january.

the cut of almost half those currently in afghanistan will see the number remaining the lowest there for almost two decades. the move — announced by president trump — comes despite opposition from senior us commanders. here's mark lobel troop withdrawal is centre stage, days after donald trump fired his defence secretary amid reports he questioned the pentagon chief's loyalty. this latest d rawd own target pentagon chief's loyalty. this latest drawdown target two of the most bitterly contested us battlegrounds of recent years. by battlegrounds of recent years. by january 15 next year at us forces in afghanistan will be cut by 2000 troops from a500 troops, leaving 2500 troops in the fractious country. in iraq, troop numbers will be down by 500 from the current 3000 troops there, also leaving 2500 present. a move donald trump's acting defence secretary insists is supported by the american people and is not a

change to us policy. we all will execute this repositioning ina way will execute this repositioning in a way that protects our fighting men and women, our partners in the intelligence community, the diplomatic corps and there were superb allies that are critical to rebuilding afg ha n that are critical to rebuilding afghan and iraqi security capabilities and civil society. it isa capabilities and civil society. it is a move that has alarmed normally while politicians at home. our movements are extremely important in the next couple of months, not to have any ea rthshaking changes couple of months, not to have any earthshaking changes with regard to defence and foreign policy. i think a precipitous drawdown in either afghanistan oi’ drawdown in either afghanistan or iraq would be a mistake. the announcement has also spooked america's security allies abroad with delicate peace negotiations with the taliban still under way. in a statement nato's secretary general warned...

president trump has long called for troops to come home. he is a known critic of us interventions abroad. but one a nalyst interventions abroad. but one analyst predicts this will prompt a taliban offensive in afghanistan prompt a taliban offensive in afg ha nista n early prompt a taliban offensive in afghanistan early in the year, with other repercussions. the us will only be able to focus on counterterrorism operation. it will really have to cut back its train, advise and assist mission, which means the afghan government is the one that will feel the brunt of this. the cuts are pencilled in for five days before president—electjoe biden takes office injanuary. he says he is weary of the land war in afghanistan but once it ended responsibly. a hard task now possibly made harder when he inherits a conflict that has so he inherits a conflict that has so far seen us troops involved

for nearly 20 years. let's get some of the day's other news israel's launched air strikes on syrian and iranian targets in southern syria, reportedly killing three military personnel there. israel says its planes hit military bases, storage facilities and weapons after troops found explosive devices planted in the israeli—held golan heights, which the country's military believes were planted by iranian forces entrenched in syria. tropical storm iota has brought widespread flooding to central america as it moves west across the region. the storm has crossed into honduras from nicaragua where rivers have burst their banks and tens of thousands of people are in shelters — people who are still recovering from hurricane eta just two weeks ago. there's concern about a lack of food and drinking water. francisco sagasti has been sworn in as peru's new interim president — the country's third head of state in under a week. the 76—year—old engineer

and academic will lead peru until the presidential election next year. last week, president martin vizcarra was impeached over bribery allegations, which he denies — a move that sparked protests across the country. south australian authorities are introducing new coronavirus restrictions to deal with the latest cluster of cases. state premier steven marshall describes them as a "circuit—brea ker". pubs, restaurants, cafes and most shops will close for six days. schools and universities will shut. and from midnight, mask wearing will be mandatory across the state. let's get more on this with our correspondent shaimaa khalil, who is in sydney. this was a swift move of action, wasn't it? very swift and almost happening all at the same time, all of these measures happening very, very

strictly, all at once, because the south australian authorities say they want to go in hard and they want to go in quickly. we do know that this cluster now, which was discovered a couple of days ago, has now grown to 22 cases. this started in hotel quarantine with one worker carrying the virus and spreading it among 13 members of the same family. we now have 22 cases with some probable cases. health authorities are saying this is a critical stage in their investigation in contact tracing, and this lockdown will give them a chance to be on top of that and be in control. something else thatis be in control. something else that is concerning the chief health officer is that there particular strain of the virus is reproducing very, very rapidly with an incubation period of about 2a—hour is, and people carrying the virus showing minor symptoms and that is why they say the lockdown is essential. and it is very strict compared to what we are

experiencing in europe. schools and universities are a shot except for those children whose pa rents a re except for those children whose parents are essential workers —— schools and universities are closed. how are people reacting? what they are looking at quite closely is what happened in melbourne. the comparison to what happened in melbourne, that outbreak in melbourne, that outbreak in melbourne that got out of control really quickly also started in hotel quarantine and authorities there didn't go strict enough or fast enough, so strict enough or fast enough, so it can spread to other places, to housing buildings, to aged care facilities, and what the health authorities are saying in south australia is that by doing these very strict measures very, very early on, but also for just six days, that gives them control, prevents them from what happened in melbourne. remember, these numbers, when you compare what is happening here to there, these numbers on a global scale compared to the us or europe arc minute. but remember, australia is a country with states that have done really, really well, bar

melbourne and they want to keep that. they don't want to lose control of curbing the virus. melbourne has turned things around. it is now an almost 20 days without the virus, so health authorities note that the strict lockdown works, it helps. not just the strict lockdown works, it helps. notjust in controlling the virus but making sure that contact tracing is on top form and that is what they want to do in south australia. all right, we shall speak to you again soon. shaimaa khalil in syd ney again soon. shaimaa khalil in sydney for us. as security is stepped up in the mediterranean, more and more people are trying to migrate to spain, using an even more dangerous route across the north atlantic. ten times as many people — at least 16,000 — have left the west coast of africa for spain's canary islands this year, compared to a year ago. as refugee centres there become increasingly full, hotels are being used to house new arrivals during the pandemic. that is also causing concern, as gail maclellan reports. celebrating from their hotel

room with a view of europe, waiting for their new life to begin. translation: i came here by boat from senegal. i have seen many dead bodies, many problems, but my family doesn't have any money or anywhere to live. hotel owners now house thousands of refugees where tourists once slept. translation: we have plenty of space. the tourists that are here are not hindered. most behave very well. the surge in migrants crossing the atlantic to this holiday island follows tightened security on other routes in the mediterranean. some say it is putting a new strain on the island. we go, we go, we go. this local fisherman says coronavirus means local tourists have gone but an influx of migrants is worse. he calls it a different war.

spanish state tv reported 500 migrants were rescued at sea on tuesday alone, despite four in every 100 people who attempt the journey drowning, according to the international migration organisation. translation: the southern tip of this island is very close to 15 countries that live in poverty. that's not news, but we cannot handle it any more. this was no joyous island paradise in gran canaria over the weekend, with demands for a more humane reception for migrants. the living conditions at this port have been described as inhumane, and crowding is making them worse. politicians have pledged to build more migrant centres and resume the repatriation of migrants who do not qualify for refugee status. there is an added urgency to act in case further arrivals fuel local far—right groups or scare

off foreign tourists. stay with us on bbc news, still to come... the celebrations that mark germany's heaviest defeat in 89 years — that, and more coming up in sport.

this is bbc news, the latest headlines... president trump has sacked his top cybersecurity official, chris krebs, for issuing statements in defence of the integrity of the recent elections. and the president is to halve troop numbers in afghanistan and iraq, in a move that has been criticised by both republicans and democrats. now for more on our top

story, we can speak to bryan cunningham, who's executive director of university of california irvine's cybersecurity policy & research institute. he also served as deputy legal adviser to national security advisor condoleezza rice in the bush administration. thanks for being on the programme. you know chris krebs well, you have worked with him. tell us what you think about this latest move on behalf of the president. thanks for having me. chris is professional, not pa rtizan, having me. chris is professional, not partizan, he certainly didn't need this job. i think this is basically political retribution that is making the person feel better. i don't think it will have any significant impact on us policy in the next administration and certainly will not hurt chris' future career. do you think chris krebs could have foreseen

this, given the fact that he put out that statement to say that the election was fair and probably one of the most democratic of recent history?” have d oze ns democratic of recent history?” have dozens of friends on both sides of the political aisle on the us who wanted to be public serva nts the us who wanted to be public servants and that was their career. all of them knew all along that if they did something publicly that crust of the president that they would risk punishment or firing andi would risk punishment or firing and i think it is an act of courage that the civil servants go forward in any event. he knew what was coming, yeah. in terms of the days ahead, between now and january the 20th, when president—electjoe biden will be inaugurated... what are your thoughts on what could happen in terms of the trump administration and its determination, or the determination, or the determination on the part of

president trump, to prove that this election was fraudulent? chris krebs' statement that the legal claims were "technically incorrect" were not only true but also quite amusing, speaking as a lawyer and a cyber security expert. every election with 150 million people, you will have some mistakes. you will have some fraud. it is always the case, it always has been. there is no evidence that i have seen to suggest that this was anything except the most to secure election we have ever had. the one thing i do slightly worry about is that chris' successor might bea about is that chris' successor might be a little bit intimidated with regard to the election in our state of georgia which is hermetically important because it will control the senate and in many ways what president—electjoe biden can do. i worried that the president may put someone in their hit dillon echo who is a little bit left resistant.

the reality is that the machinery of the votes, the cyber machinery and human machinery is already in place. i don't think we are in much danger of any shenanigans we shall keep a close eye. bryan cunningham, thank you for being on the programme. thank you. time now for the latest sports news. hello, i'm chetan pathak with your wednesday sport briefing. we'll start with germany's heaviest defeat in 89 years as spain sealed their place in the european nations league finals with a 6—0 win in sevilla. former chelsea forward alvaro morata headed home the first goal — that before manchester city's ferran torez scored three, his first career hat—trick. and the win was wrapped up a minute from time thanks to mikel oyarzabal‘s tap—in. next to a brilliant game at the atp tour finals in london, where the us open champion dominic thiem beat the french open winner rafa nadal in straight sets.

it was a really tight first set which thiem ultimately won on a tie breaker, he then squandered three match points before the second set went to a tie break, which the austrian managed to win, too. he's into the semifinals. all the players here are in a great shape, both physically and mentally. so we're going to see a lot of close matches, lots of tie—breaks like today. and there's always the one who is a little bit luckier, the one who has slightly better days, going to win. and i'm happy that i got it today. now, a half—century from this man — babar azam helped karachi kings to their first pakistan super league title as they beat the lahore qalandars by five wickets. babar azam hit an unbeaten 63 of a9 balls as karachi comfortably chased down their target of 135 with eight balls to spare on their home ground, winning on theirfirst appearance in the final. and they were clearly

delighted with that. belgium canjoin spain and france in the finals of the european nations league as long as they don't get beaten by denmark on wednesday. the number one ranked team in the world beat the danes 2—0 when both sides met in copenhagen on match day one. but the belgian manager is expecting a tough test. they've been very consistent, even in a game that got very complicated against iceland, they found a way to win in the last kick of the game. so this team is ready to compete. so i don't think that that's something that we don't expect. it's going to be a difficult game but we're playing at home and we play with a lot of desire and with all the belief of all our fans that we want to finish 2020 in a good way. the world number one, novak djokovic, is back in action at the atp finals in london on wednesday when he takes on russia's daniil medvedev. djokovic — and you'll see it here — delivering a masterclass to beat diego schwartzman in straight sets and his opening match, whilst medvedev

made his mark on monday with a win over alexander zverev. now, after multiple delays, the nba draft finally arrives on wednesday. fans are going to start to see how their team will look when the 2021 season begins next month. the minnesota timberwolves won the nba draft lottery and have the first pick this year. it's going to comprise of two rounds and, unlike past drafts, where prospects walk across the stage to shake the commissioner's hand as they'd picked, this year as they're picked, this year it's not going to happen — it's going to be held virtually. and we end with surely one of the happiest men posting on social media as smiley ferran torres took to instagram to celebrate his own historic achievement, and spain's, following their 6—0 win over germany. "what madness," he says. "great game. a historic win for spain and my first hat—trick as a professional. unforgettable. come on!"

more reaction to that match on the bbc sport website. but from me, chetan pathak, and the rest of the team, that is your wednesday sport briefing. kenya's government has ordered an investigation into the theft and sale of babies — following a bbc investigation into the trade. the announcement came after a bbc documentary exposed underground networks that steal children from homeless mothers, and selling them on the streets. a government minister said those responsible would face the full force of the law. we have more detail about this story on our website. also we have a full report, as well. so do takea have a full report, as well. so do take a look and of course we will be keeping an eye on the kenyan government and its

investigation into this. dinosaurs were not in decline at the time of their extinction when an asteroid hit the earth 66 million years ago. and they may have continued to dominate the planet if that had not happened. this is suggested by new research from the university of bath and the natural history museum in london. andy moore has the story. an asteroid the size of the isle of wight hurtling towards the earth at 20 times the speed of a bullet. this is what scientists believe caused the extinction of the dinosaurs 66 million years ago. but there's disagreement about what was happening before that. some scientists say dinosaurs were already in decline, and the asteroid was the final nail in their coffin. but this new study says the dinosaurs were thriving — and if it wasn't for the asteroid, the earth might be a very different place. a lot of studies in the past have had the idea that the dinosaurs would have died out anyway if the meteorite hadn't have hit the earth.

but what our study has shown is that that wasn't the case and that, had the meteorite not hit the earth, the dinosaurs probably would have done really well, which could have led to a world where the mammals didn't evolve as much as they have, and it could have led to a world in which we don't exist. the scientists in this latest study examined various dinosaur family trees to come to their conclusion. they used statistical modelling to fill in gaps in the fossil record. dinosaurs ruled the earth for tens of millions of years, and if it hadn't been for a chance encounter with some interplanetary debris, they might have carried on ruling the earth for millions more. andy moore, bbc news. borisjohnson the boris johnson the uk borisjohnson the uk prime minister has launched his green industrial revolution. what will it mean for the uk economy? we will discuss in a moment. also at the boeing 737 max could soon take to the

skies again. will you climb on board? we will talk about that in our business coverage in just a few minutes. hello. the very mild air that's been with us for the past few days is going to get swept away, and we're set to see a real change in weather type through the course of wednesday. it's going to be windy with some rain moving eastwards, and behind that, some colder air moving in, too. it's all down to this area of low pressure with its trailing cold front here, which is moving its way eastwards. lots of isobars on the map, indicating strength of the wind as well. still very mild out there. in fact, first thing wednesday, the temperatures well in double figures, teens for most of us. more typical, really, these temperatures of daytime highs. now through the day, we've got some initial heavy rain across western parts of britain and northern ireland, western scotland, too. the rain will edge its way slowly eastwards. really persistent for the northern isles and also for western parts of scotland as well. but it becomes a little bit

more patchy as it heads across eastern england during the course of the afternoon. so, cloudy ahead of that, with a return to some showers behind it and a drop in those temperatures. we are back into single figures in the west late on wednesday. now, wednesday evening, that's when the winds are really going to be picking up, particularly for parts of scotland and northern ireland, western fringes of england and wales, too. further showers moving south and across scotland, those showers will be wintry, even down to low levels, first thing for thursday morning. so certainly colder air moving in. you can see those northerly wind arrows and blue colours that are going to be spilling further south, a colder air mass across the uk as we head on into thursday. a bump of high pressure is going to be squeezing away most of the rain, but we've still got some pretty windy conditions, especially in the east. so, gales possible for eastern scotland, down the east coast of england as well. some sunshine for most places through the day on thursday. one or two showers dotted around here and there, and they will be wintry across parts of scotland, particularly over the higher ground. it's certainly much

colder than recent days. largely in single figures for most of us. we may welljust get 10—11 degrees across parts of wales and the south west of england. but it doesn't stay cold for very long because by the time we get to friday, we see more cloud and outbreaks of rain working into the west. the breeze coming in from the south—westerly direction once again. so, many of us back into double figures by the time we get to friday, and it's looking fairly unsettled through friday. into the weekend, it's a little bit up and down, quite breezy through the day on saturday. cooler but brighter for most of us. some sunny spells by sunday. bye— bye.

this is bbc news with the latest headlines for viewers in the uk and around the world. the uk launches a "green plan" that it hopes will create 250 thousand new jobs, but ban the sale of new diesel and petrol driven cars from 2030. back in the air soon? boeing is expected to get approval for the 737 max after two years on the ground. and, how to cope with the christmas rush. you may think you are busy, but lend a thought to freight companies that have to get millions of packages to the right place before the big day. we find out how fedex does it...