THREE ROCKETS HIT U.S. EMBASSY IN BAGHDAD, ONE INJUREDThree rockets slammed into the U.S. Embassy in Iraq's capital on Sunday inthe first direct hit reported after months of close calls, as thousands keptup anti-government sit-ins across the country.The attack marked a dangerous escalation in the spree of rocket attacks inrecent months that have targeted the embassy or Iraqi military bases whereAmerican troops are deployed.None of the attacks has been claimed but Washington has repeatedly blamedIran-backed military factions in Iraq. On Sunday, one rocket hit an embassycafeteria at dinner time while two others landed nearby, a security sourcetold AFP. The US embassy did not immediately respond to requests forcomment, but a statement by Iraqi security forces earlier in the eveningsaid there were no casualties. However, at least one person has been woundedin the attack, a senior Iraqi official told AFP on condition of anonymity.The attack took place earlier in the day than usual, with AFP reportershearing the booms on the western bank of the river Tigris at precisely 7:30pm (1630 GMT). Iraqi Prime Minister Adel Abdel Mahdi and Speaker ofParliament Mohammed Halbusi both condemned the incident, saying it riskeddragging their homeland into war.The United States called on Iraq to protect American diplomatic facilitiesafter the US embassy in Baghdad was hit by three rockets.TAPE SURFACES OF TRUMP CALLING FOR ENVOY'S FIRINGDonald Trump demanded the dismissal of Marie Yovanovitch, the Ambassador toUkraine and a key figure in the President's impeachment trial, according toa video recording released to U.S. media on Saturday.The footage was reportedly taken during an April 2018 donor dinner at ahotel and released to news outlets by an attorney for Lev Parnas, anindicted associate of Mr. Trump's personal attorney Rudy Giuliani.Mr. Parnas and his business partner Igor Fruman are key players in Mr.Trump's alleged campaign to pressure the government of Ukraine to dig updirt on Joe Biden, a potential election opponent for the President.The issue is central to Mr. Trump's ongoing impeachment trial in the U.S.Senate.His order to fire the Ambassador came after Mr. Parnas told him that Ms.Yovanovich was an impediment, and claiming that she had privately disparagedthe President. "Get rid of her!" Mr. Trump says on the tape, reportedlyaddressing a White House aide at the dining table. "Get her out tomorrow. Idon't care. Get her out tomorrow. Take her out. OK? Do it."Images taken at an awkward angle appear at the start of the one hour,23-minute long video. The rest of the recording shows a tan background, asif the camera were covered, but Mr. Trump's distinctive voice is clear.CORONAVIRUS: DEATH TOLL RISES TO 80 AS CHINA EXTENDS HOLIDAYThe number of people killed in China by the coronavirus has risen to 80,with almost 3,000 confirmed ill.The national new year holiday has been extended by three days to Sunday, inan attempt to contain the outbreak.Wuhan in Hubei, the source of the outbreak, is in lockdown and severalcities have imposed travel bans.Health commission officials said on Monday that the number of deaths inHubei province had climbed from 56 to 76, with four deaths elsewhere.The overall number of confirmed cases in China is 2,744. State media saymore than 300 are critically ill.More than half a million medical staff have joined prevention, control andtreatment operations in Hubei.Two new makeshift hospitals with at least two-thousand beds are being builtand factories are rushing to produce masks and protective clothing.On the weekend, Chinese officials warned the virus was able to spread duringits incubation period, making it harder to contain the illness.In humans, the incubation period - during which a person has the disease,but no symptoms - ranges from between one and 14 days, officials believe.'SET TO CREATE LARGEST STATELESSNESS CRISIS': EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT TO DEBATEDRAFT CAA RESOLUTIONThe Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), which has triggered a set of dominoprotests across the country and led to 26 deaths, will be taken up fordebate in the European Parliament next week. The European Parliament willalso vote on a draft resolution, which states the law will "create thelargest statelessness crisis in the world," PTI reported.The resolution was tabled by the European United Left/ Nordic Green Left(GUE/NGL) Group in the Parliament. It will be taken up for discussion nextweek on Wednesday and voted on the day after."The CAA marks a dangerous shift in the way citizenship will be determinedin India and is set to create the largest statelessness crisis in the worldand cause immense human suffering," the resolution says.The MEA has maintained that the law "does not seek to strip anybody ofcitizenship" and that the CAA "does not alter the basic structure of theConstitution".The resolution makes a reference to the United Nations Charter, Article 15of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) and the India-EUStrategic Partnership Joint Action Plan signed in November 2005, and to theEU-India Thematic Dialogue on Human Rights.The draft, which has been characterised under the "Relations with Asiancountries" section, urges Indian authorities to "engage constructively" withthose protesting against the CAA and consider their demands to repeal the"discriminatory" Citizenship law.U.S. WON'T LIFT CURBS ON IRAN FOR TALKS, SAYS TRUMPThe United States will not lift sanctions on Iran in order to negotiate,U.S. President Donald Trump tweeted late on Saturday, seemingly in responseto a Der Spiegel interview with Iran's Foreign Minister."Iranian Foreign Minister says Iran wants to negotiate with The UnitedStates, but wants sanctions removed. @FoxNews @OANN No Thanks!" Mr. Trumptweeted in English on Saturday and later in Farsi.Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif responded on Sunday by tweetingan excerpt from the interview with German magazine Der Spiegel published onFriday, where he said Iran is still open to negotiations with U.S. ifsanctions are lifted."@realdonaldtrump is better advised to base his foreign policy comments &decisions on facts, rather than @FoxNews headlines or his Farsitranslators," Mr. Zarif said in the tweet with the interview excerpt.PALESTINIANS THREATEN TO QUIT OSLO PEACE ACCORDPalestinian officials threatened on Sunday to withdraw from key provisionsof the Oslo Accords, which define relations with Israel, if U.S. PresidentDonald Trump announces his Middle East peace plan next week.Chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat told AFP that the PalestineLiberation Organisation reserved the right "to withdraw from the interimagreement" if Mr. Trump unveils his plan.Mr. Trump's initiative will turn Israel's "temporary occupation (ofPalestinian territory) into a permanent occupation", Mr. Erekat said.The Israeli-Palestinian Interim Agreement, signed in Washington in 1995,sought to put into practice the first Oslo peace deal agreed two yearsearlier.Sometimes called Oslo II, the interim agreement set out the scope ofPalestinian autonomy in the West Bank and Gaza.The interim pact was only supposed to last five years while a permanentagreement was finalised but it has tacitly been rolled over for more thantwo decades.Mr. Erekat's comment came as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu washeaded to Washington, where he will meet Mr. Trump at the White House onMonday and Tuesday to discuss the project."It's a great plan. It's a plan that really would work," Mr. Trump had said.The Palestinian leadership was not invited and has already rejected Mr.Trump's initiative amid tense relations with the U.S. President over hisrecognition of Jerusalem as Israel's undivided capital.GRAMMYS CEREMONY OPENS WITH TRIBUTE TO KOBE BRYANTThe 2020 Grammys ceremony has opened with a heartfelt tribute to basketballplayer Kobe Bryant, who died on Sunday."Tonight is for you Kobe," declared pop star Lizzo, opening the show withher stirring ballad Cuz I Love You.Host Alicia Keys then dedicated the show to Bryant's memory, with ana-capella version of It's So Hard To Say Goodbye, accompanied by Boyz IIMen.The show is taking place at the Staples Center, where Bryant played hisentire career with the LA Lakers.News of the star's death at the age of 41 stunned artists and performersbackstage at the arena when it broke earlier in the day.The mood was sombre as the ceremony started, and Keys acknowledged theatmosphere in her opening speech."Here we are together on music's biggest night, celebrating our artists thatdo it best," she began "but, to be honest with you were all feeling crazysadness right now, because earlier today Los Angeles, America and the wholewide world lost a hero."I know how much Kobe loved music," she added later, "so we got to make thisa celebration in his honour."PAK'S EXTERNAL AFFAIRS TO HAVE SERIOUS IMPLICATIONS FOR ECONOMY, SECURITY IN2020: REPORTPakistan's external affairs will remain challenging throughout 2020 whichwill have serious implications for its economy, security and internalstability, says a report published by an Islamabad-based think-tank.The think-tank, Islamabad Policy Institute, believes that tense relationswith India would continue to consume much of Pakistan's strategic anddiplomatic bandwidth, reports Dawn news.It, moreover, forecast that peace process in Afghanistan would in nearfuture continue to be marred by uncertainty.The report tilted, "Pakistan Outlook 2020: Politics, Economy &Security", has reviewed current trends in external environment, economy,political stability, and security and on the basis of that made short-termprojections in these areas.The report said that chances of limited conflict between India and Pakistanwould remain high.It further said that navigating China-US competition will test craft ofPakistani policy-makers in near term. This would, moreover, strainPakistan-US ties while complicating regional environment from Pakistan'sperspective.About ties with the US, the report said, it was a near certainty thatbilateral engagement will remain limited to the minimum agenda ofAfghanistan for foreseeable future and transactional nature of therelationship will continue.The report flagged developments in the Middle East as a defining challengefor Pakistan's foreign policy.