NEWS OF THE DAY
_1 Historic pact: Macedonia and neighboring Bulgaria signed a historic friendship agreement designed to dampen a historic rivalry in their region that is still at odds over old ethnic and territorial disputes. The deal, in which both countries renounced territorial claims against each other and Bulgaria commits to backing its smaller neighbor’s bids to join the European Union and NATO, was warmly hailed by EU and German officials. Macedonia’s Prime Minister Zoran Zaev and Bulgaria’s Boiko Borisov signed the agreement Tuesday in the Macedonian capital, Skopje. It says neither country will engage in or back hostile acts against the other.
_2 Human-wildlife conflict: A deadly conflict is under way between India’s growing masses and its wildlife, confined to ever-shrinking forests and grasslands, with data showing that around one person has been killed every day for the past three years by roaming tigers or rampaging elephants. Statistics released this week by India’s Environment Ministry count a total 1,144 people killed between April 2014 and May of this year. That breaks down to 426 human deaths in fiscal 2014-15, and 446 killed the following year. The ministry released only a partial count for 2016-17 of 259 killed by elephants up to February of this year, along with 27 killed by tigers through May.
_3 Courthouse shooting: Russian officials say three people have been killed and four injured in a shootout at a courthouse in a Moscow suburb. Russia’s Investigative Committee, the country’s chief investigative body, said in a statement on Tuesday that the incident took place when five handcuffed defendants tried to escape as they were escorted by two guards. The body said one of the defendants tried to strangle one of the guards, and the defendants managed to escape and seized the guards’ weapons. A shootout with the court’s guards ensued, and three of the defendants were killed. Two guards were injured.
_4 Syria payouts: The United Nations paid at least $18 million last year to companies with close ties to Bashar Assad, some of them run by cronies of the Syrian president who are on U.S. and European Union blacklists. Contracts for telecommunications and security were awarded to government insiders including Rami Makhlouf, Assad’s cousin. U.N. staff ran up a $9.5 million bill at the Four Seasons hotel in Damascus, co-owned by Syria’s tourism ministry. Some U.N. money even went to a charity set up by the president’s wife. The United Nations has its own global blacklist and isn’t bound by sanctions imposed by member states or regional blocs such as the EU. Still, the distribution of funds to Assad allies will further fuel criticism that the world body has failed badly over Syria, where more than six years of civil war has left at least 400,000 people dead.
_5 Ukraine arms: The Pentagon and State Department have proposed to the White House a plan to supply Ukraine with antitank missiles and other arms, according to Defense Department officials. The proposed transfer — which also would include antiaircraft arms that would be defined as defensive weaponry — comes as fighting between Ukrainian troops and Russian-backed separatists has increased in recent days, and the United States is taking steps to deter aggressive military actions by Moscow. The plan by the Pentagon and State Department has been presented to the White House, but no decision has been made, said a Defense Department official.