The us defence secretary has denied that us troops are pulling out of iraq, despite a letter from an American General there suggesting a withdrawal. And the highest ranking us soldier, the chairman of thejoint chiefs of staff, has called the letter a mistake. At the centre of tensions the killing in an american drone strike of the top iranian commander, Qasem Soleimani, in baghdad. His funeral has attracted huge crowds in tehran. Gareth barlow reports. Helicopters fly over baghdad as the United States insists its forces will remain in iraq. Washington has been forced to deny that this draft letter written by a Senior Us Army general suggests american troops are withdrawing from the country. In it, the brigadeer general writes iraqi mps have called on american troops to leave and Us Government officials acknowledge the letter is genuine, but it says it explains the us is moving troops out of the capital to provide protection elsewhere and isnt withdrawing. The defence secretary mark esper said the letter was inconsistent with us policy. With regard to the letter which ive read once, i can tell you the voracity of the letter, i can tell you what i read. That letter is inconsistent with where we are right now. The clamour for clarity comes amid the fallout from americas killing of irans top military commander as he visited the iraqi capital. Qasem soleimani was the man on the ground in the middle east. Tehran has vowed severe revenge for his death and has withdrawn from the 2015 nuclear accord. Tensions are at historic highs and there is little clarity over what is going to happen next. Peter mansoor is a retired Us Army Colonel and currently professor of military history at ohio state university. Is he expecting. Withdrawal of us forcess the vote was just advisory, it is non binding. Forcess the vote was just advisory, it is nonbinding. You have forcess the vote was just advisory, it is nonbinding. You have to get a new Iraqi Government in place and there will be negotiations on the future of the us mission and the Coalition Mission as well. And you know you have to realise that the presence of us forces actually benefits iraqi. Its more training their army, we are fighting to rest on their soil so i think that theres a lot of posturing going on right now and there will be more to follow in the days and weeks to come. Yet the Iraqi Parliament has passed the vote, hasnt it . And surely President Trump would like to see American Forces are every rock. Thats an interesting point. He would be playing to his base here in the United States, who want out of the United States, who want out of the middle east, you gotta realise that in terms of the vote, it was 170 mp5, that in terms of the vote, it was 170 mps, most of all of them didnt show up, trying to make sure that there wasnt a decorum, iraqi is split on the future of us forces and whether they should stay or go. Theres plenty of people in the rock who would like us forces to remain asa who would like us forces to remain as a counterweight to iranians influence in that country. How do you see the current state of things for the United States in the middle east . Pretty tenuous quite frankly. Iranians retribution for the killing of Qasem Soleimani is coming and there will be a lot of searching around our base, making sure that the force protection is tight and be a really in a wait and see move mode because the next move belongs to the iranians. The coalition is fracturing awkward fracture based on what has happened so right now it looks like ron is the winner of this latest move. It does make its own people are united behind for the most part, the iraqis or at least the council representatives, the ones who voted, want the us out of the rock in the coalition is against isis, not good times ahead for the United States and our allies. Just briefly how would you characterise in this letter from the s army general, which has caught some speculation . I cant read into his mindset but he got away in front of the administration on this. My guess is that he was trying to reduce us troops presence in baghdad to make fewer targets for iranians proxy militia or hejust fewer targets for iranians proxy militia or he just got ahead of the administration and clearly was a mistake in the policy is for us troops to remain any rock for the foreseeable future. With australia still battling bushfires and more hot windy weather to come, Prime MinisterScott Morrison has promised more than a billion dollars to aid recovery. He has been heavily criticised for his response to the disaster. Last week, he had to cut short a visit to the town of cobargo when angry local people shouted abuse at him. The bbcs clive myrie is there. Since a huge fireball ripped through this town back on new years eve, there has been very little outside help that has come to the people here. There are local food shortages, people have to get stuff in, water problems is one and there is no power. Look at the south behind me. Completely destroyed by that fireball. An irony of ironies. Right over there it is extra to the local fire station. But it is the random nature of the damage that is frankly bizarre. Look at this house here, completely untouched. You wouldnt think anything had happened, and yet right next door the Neighbour Parliament house, two houses in fact completely destroyed. Well, while the government has received a lot of witticisms for its handling of the crisis, the firefighters, the men and women who have been tackling these blazes, they have received universal praise. We have been to talk to one of them, a volunteer firefighter who put his life on the line. Some of these fires arejust too big now. All we can do is just keep protecting homes as best we can, keep protecting life as best we can without losing our own lives at the same time. Ive been keeping my gear here with me. Tristan lees has been a volunteer firefighter for more than two decades. So, yeah, these are it. Jacket, pants. This has seen a lot of service this bushfire season . This has. Self sacrifice runs in the family. His late father, as well as mother and brother, also served. The current crisis, the sternest test. Terrible. In 21 years ive been in, ive never seen it this bad. Itsjust phenomenal. Yeah, i dont know what else to call it, to be quite honest. And theres a guilt. 0oh, there it goes. For not always being able to help when needed. He has a dayjob that pays the bills. What are you going to do . Lose your own home, lose your family, because you cant pay for anything . You cant pay your bills . Or go to work and then sit at work feeling guilty because youre not out helping the rest of your firefighters . It tears you apart, because you want to be in two places, but you cant. Ah, yes. You remember seeing that one . Yes, i do remember seeing that one. Yes, cause that truck actually got destroyed. The video we watched captures the horror of trying to tame a wild fire. Put your blanket up. The men are trapped in their cab. All survived. But this hot season, volunteer firemen have died and the fires still burn. Its gut wrenching. It rips you apart knowing theres two good people gone, theyve left family and friends behind. Its. And it makes you fear even more, because you know what youre going into. Its like they said people, they call us crazy, its true. Everyone runs away from it, were the ones who run into it. And we dont do it for the love of it, we do it because no one else will. That is a remarkable band of volunteer firefighters. Talking to one of the residents here a few minutes ago. We are not getting any outside help, they will rebuild for their children to live in. Lets get some of the days other news. Forces loyal to libyan warlord, general khalifa haftar, are saying theyve taken control of the city of sirte, which had been held by the internationally recognised government, backed by the United Nations. Theyre trying to capture the capital, tripoli, and oust the government. Turkeys parliament has voted to send troops to libya, starting sunday, to support the government. The government in tokyo is saying it may request the extradition of former nissan boss carlos ghosn, who skipped bail injapan. He fled to his childhood home of lebanon to escape what he called a rigged Japanese Justice system. He was awaiting trial on charges of financial misconduct. Donald trumps former National Security adviser, john bolton, has declared he is willing to testify at the president s impeachment trial in the senate, if he is summoned by a subpoena. He has previously followed white house directives not to co operate with the inquiry, which is led by the democrats. John bolton would be the most senior former trump adviser to testify. The hollywood Film ProducerHarvey Weinsteins been charged with Sexual Assault in los angeles, on the same day he appeared in court in new york to face separate claims. He denies the allegations. Britains most prolific rapist has been sentenced to life in prison. Reynard sinaga was found guilty of drugging and sexually assaulting 48 different men at his apartment in manchester over more than a decade. When police discovered that he also videoed his attacks, they found evidence of many more victims. This report byjudith moritz contains material you may find disturbing. This is Reynhard Sinaga as he wanted the world to see him. His social media accounts full of grinning photos of a student having fun. But sinaga has many faces, and behind the mask lies the truth a depraved monster, said by prosecutors to be one of the most prolific rapists in the world. As far as thejudicial process, probably anywhere in the world is concerned, hes probably the most prolific rapist thats come through the courts. In the world . I would say in the world. Night after night, sinaga would leave his manchester flat to go and find victims. He took advantage of living in the city centre, amongst the nightclubs and bars, and he made the streets outside them his hunting ground. Sinaga would often wait for drunk men to come stumbling out of this nightclub, and then entice them around the corner to his flat, which is just next door. Hed offer them somewhere to have a drink or phone a taxi. On one occasion, it took him just 60 seconds to pick up a victim. Nearly 200 mostly heterosexual men made thisjourney, disappearing inside sinagas apartment block. Then theyd be offered drinks spiked with a drug like ghb, and that was the last theyd remember. Unconscious, the men were raped on this grubby mattress on the floor. When they woke up, they had no memory of what had happened. Sinaga would text his friends, boasting of sexual conquests. They thought he was joking when he quoted song lyrics about using a secret potion of which one drop should be enough. But in fact, the drug wore off early on one man who woke up whilst being raped. He fought back. And when the police were called, they seized sinagas phone. They couldnt believe what they saw on it. The rapist had filmed each of his attacks. They found hundreds of hours of video. This is an absolutely unprecedented case. Looking at that amount of evidence is challenging in itself. Thats equivalent to 1,500 dvd films. We believe theres over 190 victims that have been involved with sinaga, with Reynhard Sinaga, and 70 of them are still to be identified approximately. The men who were traced were given support at this centre in manchester, help to cope with the trauma of being told they were the victims of rapes they cant remember. Reynhard sinaga has shown no remorse. The judge remarked that he seemed to be enjoying being sentenced in court. He came to the uk from indonesia on a student visa and is said to have applied for permanent residency. But his victims have said they hope he never leaves prison and rots in hell. He prowled the streets for years before he was caught. Stay with us on bbc news, still to come the latest must have gadgets, currently on show at the ces in las vegas. The japanese people are in mourning following the death of emperor hirohito. Thousands converged on the imperial palace to pay their respects when it was announced he was dead. Good grief after half a century of delighting fans around the world, Charlie Brown and the rest of the gang are calling it quits. The singer paul simon starts his tour of south Africa Tomorrow in spite of protests and violence from some black activist groups. They Say International artists should continue to boycott south africa until majority rule is established. Teams were trying to scoop up lumps of oil as france recognises it faces an ecological crisis. Three weeks ago, the authorities confidently assured these areas that oil from the broken tanker erika would head out to sea. It didnt. The worlds tallest skyscraper opens later today. The burj dubai has easily overtaken its nearest rivals. This is bbc news, the latest headlines the United States has denied it plans to withdraw troops from iraq despite a generals letter that appears to suggest it. Huge crowds have gathered in iran to mourn general soleimani. His killing in an american drone strike has raised tensions to boiling point. Lets get more on the bushfires in australia. 0ne tragedy of this bushfire season has been the huge loss of wildlife in a nation known for its biodiversity. Lets speak now with dr noel preece, from James Cook University in cairns. Very good to talk to you, thank you for your time. Very good to talk to you, thank you foryourtime. Biodiversity very good to talk to you, thank you for your time. Biodiversity and sustainability as your specialist subject. They sound quite dry words. For wildlife and where wildlife lives, it is life and death. It is certainly life and death for whole species too, not just certainly life and death for whole species too, notjust individual animals. The kind of pictures we have been seeing, it must be heartbreaking for you. They are indeed, ive worked in the south east of New South Wales for over a decade, and to think of all that country burning is horrifying, it has never happened before in recorded history, and it is very disturbing because there are a lot of species there that are going to be pushed towards extinction if they are not already past the point. There have been pictures in the media of even kangaroos being burnt, being killed, and kangaroos can move very fast. If they cant escape, many animals cant escape. Thats true, if you see kangaroos and wallabies being burned in fires that indicates that the fires are very severe and there are report of birds dropping out of the sky and bats dropping out of the sky and bats dropping out of the sky into lakes where people took refuge, so it is extremely disturbing. These fires are unprecedented and it is deeply concerning. Even if animals survive the fires or the smoke, their future can be greatly at risk because their habitat is street . Thats right, in normal fire situations before the current crisis, you would have a fire that would leave patches of habitat left where they could shelter and maybe get some food and there would be a small population left so that they could re breed and build up their numbers again but these fires are so big and extensive and various that those habitats seem to be destroyed. Do you think this could cause extinctions . to be destroyed. Do you think this could cause extinctions . I think it could, and quite a number of my collea g u es could, and quite a number of my colleagues are deeply concerned. We wont know whats happened to them until the wildlife experts get back out onto country and survey to find out onto country and survey to find out if the species that are vulnerable have been pushed to extinction or not, it wont be years until we know the results of those studies. On the basis of what you can gather at the moment, what chance do you see pulling something out of this, on lessons being learned and turning some corner on the climate . We have to take urgent action on climate and australia is very much lagging behind their, but the whole world needs to take action and or political need to take action, decisive action, on turning this around. The firefighters on the line are fighting fires that are invited. They have gone beyond what we used to have, and i have been in this game for years, so it is deeply disturbing. Thank you very much for talking to us. Within the last hour, us company spacex has launched another 60 mini satellites into orbit, part of its plans to build a giant constellation of thousands of spacecraft that will form a Global Broadband internet system. The satellites were launched on a falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral in florida. Eric berger, senior space editor for online magazine ars technica spoke to me at the start of the launch. There are 60 satellites packed on top of that rocket, and in about an hours time they are going to be deployed and then we will have a basis of an internet constellation in space later this year. We should stay with that for a moment, that brings the total number of satellites, part of its Starlink Network to just under 180 but the company says that could one day total 42,000. Resulting in much more crowded skies. I think there are concerns out there this could in many ways threaten our view of the cosmos, not improve it . There are several concerns, to be sure. One is that astronomers looking up the night sky see these trains of satellites, they launch in batches of 60 and they go along the sky one after the other, and that does disrupt the sky at certain points when you have these powerful telescopes looking up. Another concern is that as you put more satellites in space you have more chance of collision which is another big concern. And the communication we are talking about could surely be done just as well from the ground . Well, some of it could but private companies have found it to be the case in a lot of places around the world, certainly there are a lot of places in the world where you cant get high Speed Internet access and if you get a Global Network like this from space theoretically you could get coverage from anywhere in the world and at high speed and no latency. Without being too much of a promo for spacex, give us an idea of how far ahead they are here . They are the Second Company to get satellites into space that can provide internet. 0neweb was first, it launches six sattelites last year but now this is the third launch that spacex has done, and obviously they are putting more satellites up at a time, they are putting up 60 at a time, and the other big advantage is they have got this rocket that is just launching now and they are the only company in the world where that rocket comes back and lands and then a few months later they can fly it again. All in all, do you welcome it or are you tending more towards your concerns . I am actually an astronomer by training so it is a little bit disturbing to me to think of polluting the night sky like this but i think this is the price of progress. If it is not spacex doing this it is going to bejeff bezos and amazon, its going to be 0neweb, there are also several other companies that are trying to do it. So this is going to happen. The question is, can we make it happen with the least amount of disruption in the night sky and safety of space situational awareness. From a non expert point of view im sure a lot of people are going to look at that figure, 42,000 that they expect to have up there eventually and think there must be a big danger of collisions. How much does that matter . That is a big danger, the good news about this is that the satellites are going to be in low orbit so over time they will all eventually fall back to the earth, so they are not going to put up 42,000 at a time most likely, and over time satellites will fall back into earths atmosphere and burn up. Its not like theyre putting them up there and they are going to stay for thousands and thousands of years. How much tech can you take . Thousands of new products are being launched and demoed at the giant ces expo in las vegas this week. Everything from artificial intelligence, 5g, 8k, surveillance tech, and robotics are set to be among this years buzzwords. We start with the latest in tv tech. Lara lewington from the bbcs Click Programme has more. The edges on this tv are so thin it has been described as almost level lath. 99 of what you are looking at is just screen. These tvs are due to be released in a few months time, and there hasnt been oppressed but on them yet but no doubt it is going to be pretty high stop why people be so desperate to have a tv with a bevel so small . People have been asking us for bigger and bigger tvs, and now we are removing that black bevel around the tv so the image goes all the way up to the very edge giving you an amazing, immersive experience. Is not a bit of a risk that with the tvs having less protection of the edges that people could bump into them and some damage. Most people hang their tvs on the wall, and if they dont they put it on one of our stands and they are quite well protected. If you are struggling to understand why anyone would actually care that the frame isa would actually care that the frame is a little bit smaller, then at least this one has something very different about it. This tv not only works horizontally like a normal tv, but also, vertically. Take a look at this. It can mirror a smart phone and that doesnt need to be a samsung device, it is also compatible with apple. People are consuming so much content online on social media, they wanted to be represented on the screens they use in their homes. Still think its better the old way. As they say, what happens in vegas spreads all over the world. And you can catch up on all the bbcs tech expo coverage at bbc. Com ceszozo. Just a reminder of our top story, sorry, that is in fact a storyjust coming and. Trump administrator has denied a runs foreign minister a visa to visit the United Nations later. He had been expected to speak to the Security Council after the american assassination of one of irans general counsel. Denying the visa on the face of it appears to breach an agreement reached in 1947 to guarantee foreign officials access to un headquarters in new york stopping no official comment from either side. Washington has previously said it can deny access to the un for reasons of foreign policy, security, or terrorism. Thank you very much for being with us. Hello. Weve got multiple areas of low pressure to deal with across the uk in the coming days. Mondays rain has cleared away, but waiting in the wings is our next system pushing in from off the atlantic, this one likely to bring some disruption across parts of scotland and Northern England, given the strength of the wind and also some heavy rain. Thats only part of the story, though, because we are also pulling up some very mild air. Temperatures quite widely in the mid teens, maybe even higher to the east of higher ground. But its the strength of the wind that were concerned about through tuesday. Severe gales across scotland and Northern England, we have a met Office Yellow warning in place, some disruption is possible. And with the wind also comes some heavy rain, particularly across scotland, likely to linger through much of the day. Easing from Northern Ireland through the afternoon, some of that rain getting into Northern England, north wales, maybe into South West England through the afternoon. Further south and east things stay mainly dry if rather cloudy. A few brighter skies through the eastern side of england through the morning. But some very windy conditions through tuesday, particularly across scotland, gusts 60 70mph, maybe 75 for some northern and western coasts, but very mild particularly to the east of higher ground. Strong and gusty winds across Northern England and north wales too, 30 40mph gusts across much of central southern england and into wales, the strongest winds really are across Northern England and scotland, but likely to bring some disruption. As we go through tuesday evening, we keep those strong winds across scotland, starting to ease further south, we have got a band of cloud and rain just sliding its way southwards across england and wales, that rain becoming increasingly patchy. But wintry showers starting to develop across scotland and quite a range in temperature come first thing wednesday morning. Very mild across central southern england and wales, but turning much colder further north. Theres still some strong winds across scotland as we go into wednesday, keeping an eye on this system here, pushing some rain into South West England later in the day on wednesday. But most of us will see some sunshine around on wednesday. Legacy of cloud clearing from southern england through wednesday morning, wintry showers piling into scotland, and then through wednesday afternoon we start to see cloud and rain starting to nudge into wales and South West England. Still in some fairly mild air across central southern england and into wales, double figures here, but much colder further north again with those wintry showers across scotland. Thursday is a very messy day, most of us will see some spells of rain, still some wintry showers across scotland. That will ease away and briefly on friday, this ridge of High Pressure building, bringing quieter, drier days. So for the end of the week, further rain, particularly on thursday, the winds easing, then drier and colder on friday. The Us Government has denied that american troops will be pulled out of iraq, as demanded by Iraqs Parliament and suggested in a letter from an American General there, just made public. The pentagon says the letter is a mistake. Tensions have been raised by the assassination, in an american drone strike, of the iranian general, qasim soleimani. The funeral procession honouring general soleimani is reaching its final stage, as his body is taken to his hometown of kerman in south eastern iran, where he will be buried in the coming hours. With australia still battling bushfires and more hot windy weather to come, Prime MinisterScott Morrison has promised more than a billion dollars to aid recovery