TRUMP IMPEACHMENT: PRESIDENT'S LAWYERS DEMAND IMMEDIATE ACQUITTALPresident Donald Trump's legal team, representing him at his impeachmenttrial, has demanded that he is immediately acquitted by the Senate.In a brief submitted on Monday, they called the impeachment "a dangerousperversion" of the constitution.Meanwhile House impeachment managers submitted their own brief, saying MrTrump engaged in "corrupt conduct... to cheat in the next election".Impeachment hearings will begin on Tuesday at 13:00 (18:00 GMT).Mr Trump is charged with abusing his presidential power by asking Ukraine toinvestigate Democratic political rival Joe Biden - and of obstructingCongress as it looked into his conduct.During the course of the trial, Senators will hear arguments for six hours aday, six days a week. It will be presided over by the US chief justice, JohnRoberts.The trial could, in theory, lead to Mr Trump being removed from office. Butas a two-thirds majority of 67 votes in the 100-seat Senate is required toconvict and oust Mr Trump, and there are only 47 Democrats in the Senate,the president is widely expected to be cleared.Mr Trump will be at the economic forum in Davos, Switzerland, when his trialopens.IRAN TO QUIT GLOBAL NUCLEAR TREATY IF CASE GOES TO UNIran today said it would quit the global nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty(NPT) if European countries refer it to the UN Security Council over anuclear agreement, a move that would overturn diplomacy in its confrontationwith the West. The 1968 NPT has been the foundation of global nuclear armscontrol since the Cold War, including a 2015 deal Iran signed with worldpowers that offered it access to global trade in return for accepting curbsto its atomic programme.Britain, France and Germany declared Iran in violation of the 2015 pact lastweek and have launched a dispute mechanism that could eventually see thematter referred back to the Security Council and the reimposition of UNsanctions. "If the Europeans continue their improper behaviour or sendIran's file to the Security Council, we will withdraw from the NPT," IranianForeign Minister Javad Zarif said, according to comments carried by IRNA andother Iranian news agencies.He also said Iran could take other steps before withdrawing from the NPT,although he did not specify them. The fate of the 2015 pact has been indoubt since US President Donald Trump pulled the United States out of it andreimposed sanctions. Iran has responded by scaling back its commitments,although it says it wants the pact to survive.The nuclear dispute has been at the heart of an escalation betweenWashington and Tehran which blew up into military confrontation in recentweeks. The 190-member NPT bans signatories other than the United States,Russia, China, Britain and France from acquiring nuclear weapons, in returnfor allowing them to pursue peaceful nuclear programmes for powergeneration.BORIS JOHNSON LOSES VOTE OVER POST-BREXIT CITIZENS RIGHTSU.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Monday suffered his first parliamentarydefeat since the poll when peers voted to give EU citizens physical proof oftheir right to stay after Brexit.Members of the unelected upper House of Lords voted by 270 to 229 to amendthe EU Withdrawal Agreement Bill, which ratifies the terms of Britain's exitfrom the EU on January 31.The Bill had passed without hindrance through the lower House of Commons.The EU citizens must apply to stay after Brexit, and if successful are givenan electronic code to present to anyone from landlords to airline staff whomay demand proof of their status."In the real world, in respect of permanent residence, proof of immigrationstatus is in physical documentation," Jonathan Oates, a member, said.The Lords voted to give EU citizens physical documentation, a change thatmust now be approved by the House of Commons in a vote on Wednesday.IRAN'S FOREIGN MINISTER CANCELS ATTENDANCE AT DAVOS SUMMITIran's top diplomat has cancelled his trip and will not be attending theDavos Forum, the Iranian Foreign Ministry said Monday amid a crisis withWashington and disputes with Europe over Iran's nuclear steps.The summit in the Swiss resort also comes after Iran earlier this month shotdown a Ukrainian passenger plane, killing all 176 people on board. Tensionsalso remain high between Iran and the U.S. after an America drone killedRevolutionary Guard Gen. Qassem Soleimani in Baghdad.Iran's top diplomat, Mohammad Javad Zarif, had been invited and plans hadbeen made for him to attend the annual meeting of the World Economic Forumin Davos, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Abbas Mousavi said.However, according to Mr. Mousavi, officials at the forum changed plansinvolving Mr. Zarif, which led to the diplomat cancelling his trip, thestate-run IRNA news agency reported.SRI LANKA CIVIL WAR: MISSING PERSONS ARE DEAD, SAYS GOTABAYAThousands of persons reported missing since the time of Sri Lanka's civilwar are "actually dead", President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has said.The President made the remark in a recent meeting with the UN ResidentCoordinator, according to a statement from his office. Outlining his plansto address the issue of missing persons, "he explained that these missingpersons are actually dead. Most of them had been taken by the LTTE orforcibly conscripted. The families of the missing attest to it. However,they do not know what has become of them and so claim them to be missing,"the statement said. After the "necessary investigations", steps would betaken to issue death certificates of the missing persons, while theirfamilies would be supported, the official media release said.Families of scores of disappeared persons in Sri Lanka's war-affected northand east have been relentlessly agitating by the roadside, for nearly threeyears now, demanding the whereabouts of their relatives, including many thatfamilies say they saw surrendering to the Army.Family members have refused to accept their relatives' disappearance as"death", without seeing the body. Some are pursuing court action.THREE ROCKETS HIT NEAR U.S. EMBASSY IN BAGHDADThree rockets hit near the U.S. embassy in the Iraqi capital's high-securityGreen Zone, security sources told AFP, with no immediate reports ofcasualties.Sirens could be heard across the zone immediately after the rockets madeimpact.The United States has blamed Iran-backed paramilitary groups for a spate ofsimilar attacks in recent months on the Green Zone, but there has never beena claim of responsibility.HUNDREDS OF US-BOUND MIGRANTS CROSS RIVER TO REACH MEXICOHundreds of migrants have waded into a river on the southern Mexico borderas they try to reach the United States.The migrants, mainly from Honduras, took to the water after being refusedpermission to cross a bridge over the Suchiate river.Mexico has cut off migration routes to the US under pressure from PresidentDonald Trump.Mexican National Guard troops with riot shields tried to stop the migrantsfrom climbing the river bank.But hundreds appear to have breached police lines and entered Mexico.Some reports say police fired tear gas. Some of those trying to reach Mexicothrew stones at the police.Eight representatives of the migrants were allowed into Mexico for talkswith the authorities and to pass a letter on to President Andres ManuelLopez Obrador.They are urging him to let them pass and promise to respect the law.Those crossing the river are part of a 2,000 to 3,500-strong group dubbed"2020 Caravan", evoking previous attempts to cross Mexico en masse to reachthe US border.For its part, Guatemala says several thousand migrants have crossed into itsterritory from Honduras since Wednesday.XI JINPING ORDERS RESOLUTE EFFORTS TO CONTAIN NEW VIRUS AS CHINA REPORTS 3rdDEATHChinese President Xi Jinping on Monday ordered resolute efforts to curb thespread of a new coronavirus that has infected more than 220 people andresulted in the death of three persons in the country as an expert warnedthat the virus is contagious between people.Chinese authorities said a third person died over the weekend fromcoronavirus infection in Wuhan city where the virus was first reported.As public concerns mounted specially ahead of the Chinese New Year festivalstarting from January 24 during which millions travel within and outside thecountry to avail weeklong public holidays, Xi said the government anddepartments at all levels should put the health and safety of the peoplefirst.He said it's "extremely crucial" to take every possible measure to containthe virus, especially during a time when China is experiencing huge mobilityin the Chinese New Year which is also known as the Spring Festival.Xi asked the health officials to take effective measures to stop the spreadof the virus, find out its origins and how it has been spreading, officialmedia reported.So far, a total of 224 cases of pneumonia caused by the novel coronavirushad been reported in China. Of them, 217 had been confirmed and sevenremained suspected, state run news agency Xinhua reported on Monday.Reports say two cases of the virus was identified in Beijing, eight inShanghai and one in Shenzhen.DOZENS OF IRAQI PROTESTERS WOUNDED AS ANTI-GOVERNMENT UNREST RESUMESDozens of Iraqi protesters were wounded in Baghdad and other cities onMonday in clashes with security forces who were trying to clear blockedroads, security and medical sources said, as anti-government unrest resumedafter a lull of several weeks.In Baghdad's Tayaran Square overnight, protesters threw petrol bombs andstones at police who responded with tear gas and stun grenades, Reuterswitnesses said.Elsewhere in southern Iraq, hundreds of protesters burned tyres and blockedmain roads in several cities, including Nassiriya, Kerbala and Amara. Theysay Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi has not fulfilled promises includingnaming a new government acceptable to Iraqis."They (security forces) should stop shooting and aiming, who are they andwho we are? Both sides are Iraqis. So why are you killing your brothers?"said one woman protester in Baghdad who declined to give her name.Baghdad police said its forces had successfully reopened all the roads thatwere closed by "violent gatherings".Mass protests have gripped Iraq since Oct. 1, with mostly young protestersdemanding an overhaul of a political system they see as profoundly corruptand as keeping most Iraqis in poverty. More than 450 people have beenkilled.