North America

PHOENIX (AP) — A 20-year-old student at Arizona State University broke the news that a key State Department official who was involved in talks between President Donald Trump and the Ukrainian government had stepped down from his post.

Andrew Howard, a managing editor of The State Press student newspaper, reported Friday evening that Kurt D. Volker stepped down from his role as the State Department’s special envoy for Ukraine.

“I’m not sure any of us thought it would just be this big scoop,” Howard told The Associated Press. “It’s just incredible.”

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The Middle East. Trade tensions. Iran’s nuclear program. Venezuela’s power struggle. Civil wars in Syria and Yemen. Familiar flash points such as these got plenty of airtime at the U.N. General Assembly’s big annual gathering this week.

But some leaders used their time on the world stage to highlight international conflicts and disputes that don’t usually command the same global attention.

A look at some of the less-discussed controversies trying to be heard:

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NAGORNO-KARABAKH

DALLAS (AP) — The jury deciding the fate of a former Dallas police officer who shot and killed her unarmed black neighbor heard around five minutes of testimony on day six of the trial before being sent home.

Amber Guyger, 31, who is white, is on trial for murder after she fatally shot 26-year-old Botham Jean, an accountant who was alone in his apartment when she came through his front door thinking it was her own.

Houston (AP) —  Sandeep Dhaliwal carried a badge and a gun while devoting his life to a faith that teaches love and peace.

Dhaliwal, who was fatally shot from behind during a traffic stop Friday, was the first Sikh sheriff’s deputy on a force that covers an area including the nation’s fourth largest city of Houston. Four years ago he won an accommodation to wear his turban and a beard while patrolling.

Friends said Dhaliwal, 42, was an example of how love-inspired service to others can tear down walls of distrust and misunderstanding.

WASHINGTON (AP) — As Washington plunges into impeachment, Attorney General William Barr finds himself engulfed in the political firestorm, facing questions about his role in President Donald Trump’s outreach to Ukraine and the administration’s attempts to keep a whistleblower complaint from Congress.

WASHINGTON (AP) — From the moment Donald Trump became a national political figure, he has been shadowed by investigations and controversy.

They have been layered, lengthy and often inconclusive, leaving many Americans scandal-weary and numb to his behavior. And with each charge against him, Trump has perfected the art of deflection, seemingly gaining strength by bullying and belittling those who have dared to take him on.

Now Trump is facing a high-velocity threat like none he’s confronted before.

NEW YORK, Sep 28 (APP): Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir bin Mohamad has, from the podium of United Nations General Assembly, called for settling the Kashmir dispute between India and Pakistan through “peaceful means”.

In his address to the 193-member Assembly on Friday evening, he regretted that despite the UN resolutions on Jammu and Kashmir, it has been invaded and occupied, saying there may be reasons for this action but it is still wrong.

UNITED NATIONS, September 28. /TASS/: UN Special Envoy for Syria Geir Pedersen will announce the date of the first Syrian Constitutional Committee’s meeting after talks with Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Muallem, the UN official told TASS on Saturday.

According to earlier reports, the event is likely to take place in Geneva, on October 29 or 30. When asked to comment on the possible date, Pedersen said the committee would most likely convene on one of these two days.

UNITED NATIONS, September 28. /TASS/: During the meeting with US Secretary of State Michael Pompeo on the sidelines of the UN Genreral Assembly, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told him about Victor Bout, Konstantin Yaroshenko, Maria Butina and other Russians serving jail sentences in the United States.

28 Sep 2019; MEMO: The Iranian ambassador to Baghdad disclosed on Friday that his country is to target US forces in Iraq, if it were to be subjected to any attacks, RT reported.