39 killed in Russia jet crash
• GENEVA: A Russian military transport plane crashed in Syria on Tuesday, killing all 39 people on board, Russian news agencies quoted the defence ministry as saying, sharply raising the death toll from the Kremlin's intervention in the Syrian war. The defence ministry was cited as saying that the plane, a Soviet-designed An-26, crashed at Russia's Hmeymim air base in Latakia province and that initial information suggested the incident may have been caused by a technical fault. "According to the latest updates, the An-26 transport aircraft, which crashed while landing at Hmeymim airbase, was carrying 33 passengers and six crew. All of them were members of the Russian Armed Forces," Interfax news agency quoted the defence ministry as saying. "The crew and the passengers were killed." Russian state TV cited military officials as saying the aircraft had not been brought down by enemy fire. Reuters
Saudi execution
• DUBAI: A Pakistani national was on Tuesday executed in Saudi Arabia's Mecca region for smuggling a quantity of narcotic heroin, the Saudi interior ministry said. PTI
Florida gun reform
• PARKLAND, FLORIDA: Florida's Republican-controlled Senate approved sweeping reforms to the state's gun law on Monday that raise the minimum purchase age. Reuters
EU tax havens
• BRUSSELS: European Union finance ministers are set to remove Bahrain, the Marshall Islands and Saint Lucia from an EU list of tax havens next week, bringing down the number of listed jurisdictions to six, according to an EU document . Reuters
Malaysia election
• KUALA LUMPUR: The leader of Malaysia's biggest pro-democracy group said on Tuesday she will stand for parliament in a general election under the banner of an Opposition alliance aiming to throw Prime Minister Najib Razak out of office. Reuters
Catalonia House
• MADRID: Catalonia's parliament will convene next Monday to vote on the region's new leader, assembly speaker Roger Torrent said on Tuesday. Reuters
Indonesia Tumblr
• JAKARTA: Indonesia has blocked microblogging site Tumblr after complaints about pornographic content on hundreds of accounts, the communications ministry said on Tuesday. Reuters
Lebanese reserves
• BEIRUT: The Lebanese central bank's dollar reserves climbed by $1.4 billion in the first two months of the year and its total assets in dollars exceeded $43 billion. Reuters
Norway fund
• OSLO: Norway's $1-trillion sovereign wealth fund, the world's largest, has earned less money because of divestments it has made over the past twelve years due to ethical considerations. Reuters
