Briefly

CANADA

Iran pledges to hand over downed jet's black boxes

Iran pledged on Wednesday at a meeting of the UN civil aviation agency to hand over black boxes from downed Flight 752 to Ukraine or France for analysis－a move welcomed by Canada and Ukraine. Iran's representative at the International Civil Aviation Organization in Montreal, Farhad Parvaresh, said the devices would be sent to Kiev, sources confirmed. They are expected to contain information about the last moments before the Ukraine International Airlines jetliner was struck by a missile and crashed shortly after taking off from the Teheran airport on Jan 8. In Ottawa, Canadian Foreign Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne "welcomed" Iran's commitment to finally share the black boxes, saying this was "a step in the right direction by Iran".

BELARUS

Moscow, Kiev mull prisoner exchange

A Kremlin envoy to the talks on the conflict in eastern Ukraine said on Wednesday that another exchange of prisoners is being negotiated. Dmitry Kozak, Russian President Vladimir Putin's aide on Ukraine, said the lists of prisoners to be exchanged by Ukrainian authorities and Russia-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine would be verified by March 18. He added that "there is a hope" that the deal will be made later this month. Speaking after a round of talks with the Ukrainian president's chief of staff Andriy Yermak in Minsk, Belarus, Kozak said they also discussed ways to ensure a political settlement of the conflict in eastern Ukraine, which flared up in April 2014. The fighting has killed more than 14,000. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who was elected in April, made the conflict settlement his top priority.

UNITED STATES

Sanders vows to remain in White House race

A resolute Bernie Sanders said on Wednesday that he would stay in the Democratic presidential race despite a series of big losses to front-runner Joe Biden, promising to keep up the public pressure for his sweeping economic and social justice proposals. Sanders acknowledged falling behind the former vice-president in the count of delegates needed to win the nomination, but said he remained committed to the overarching goal of defeating Republican President Donald Trump in November. Biden, 77, and Sanders, 78, will debate in Phoenix on Sunday ahead of nominating contests next Tuesday in Arizona, Florida, Illinois and Ohio.

MEXICO

Subway trains collision kills 1, injures 41

A two-train subway collision in Mexico City killed a male passenger, injured 41 people and disrupted service on Wednesday on the bustling metro system serving the megalopolis of more than 20 million people. Mayor Claudia Sheinbaum said via Twitter that one of the trains apparently reversed into the other by accident the previous night, shortly before midnight. Twenty-five of the injured were treated at the scene, and the other 16 were taken to hospitals, Sheinbaum said. All the injuries were "light to medium" and not life-threatening. The cause of the crash was under investigation.

Agencies - Xinhua