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Iran, Ukraine Begin Plane Crash Investigation

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Iranian and Ukrainian officials have begun investigating the crash of a Ukrainian airliner near Tehran, Iran’s Aviation Authority said on Friday, amid mounting claims the jet was shot down.

All 176 people on board the Ukrainian International Airlines (UIA) Boeing 737 airliner died when it crashed in a field shortly after take-off on Wednesday morning.

Iran maintains that the plane went down due to a technical problem, while Western allies, led by the U.

S. and Canada have said Iran likely shot downed the plan, possibly by accident.

The incident occurred hours after Iran fired missiles at U.S. bases in neighbouring Iraq in retaliation for the killing of a top Iranian general in a U.

S. airstrike.

Most of the victims were Iranian and Canadian citizens.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has said that evidence suggests the airliner was downed by an Iranian surface-to-air missile.

Iran’s top aviation official said an investigation would determine what caused the crash, but that he was certain a missile was not the cause.

“We can state it with certainty that no missile has hit this aeroplane,’’ Ali Abedzadeh said at a press conference in Tehran, according to Iran’s Press TV.

“The plane was flying for over one-and-a-half minutes while it was on fire and the crash site shows the pilot had decided to return to the airport,’’ Abedzadeh said.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has remained cautious, saying the missile scenario has not been ruled out.

“We call on all our international partners, especially the U.S., Canada and Britain to present any evidence pertaining to the catastrophe,’’ Zelensky said in a statement.

U.S. Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo, said on Friday it is “likely that that plane was shot down by an Iranian missile’’.

“We’re going to let the investigation play out before we make a final determination,’’ Pompeo said during a press conference.

He added: “When we get results of that investigation, I am confident we and the world will take appropriate actions in response’’.

NATO Secretary-General, Jens Stoltenberg, said the military alliance trusted the assessment of member countries who say Iranian missiles downed the plane.

The European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) advised airlines in the meantime to avoid flights through Iraqi and Iranian airspace.

Ukrainian state media initially reported that the most likely cause was an engine fire.

Investigators are concentrating on the damaged black-box flight recorders recovered from the crash site.

Abedzadeh said Iran will try to download the data but, if unsuccessful, will turn to other countries for help.

Iranian government spokesman, Ali Rabiei, said representatives from U.S. aerospace giant, Boeing, are also welcome to participate in the probe.

Ukrainian investigators have been considering several possible scenarios, including that the plane could have been hit by a Russian-made Tor missile.

Some of those investigators were involved in determining that an anti-aircraft missile shot down Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17 over eastern Ukraine in 2014.

The European Commission refused to speculate about a possible cause of Wednesday’s crash, saying it would await the findings of the official investigation.

A spokesman for the EU executive called for an “independent and credible” civil aviation investigation.

While the commission remained tight-lipped, several EU foreign ministers pointed the finger at Iran on their way into EU top diplomat crisis talks in Brussels.

“It is indeed very likely that the plane has been shot down by Iranian missiles,’’ Dutch Foreign Minister, Stef Blok, said.

“It’s clear that it was an accident,’’ but “176 lives have been wantonly destroyed,’’ Luxembourg’s top diplomat, Jean Asselborn, said.

Trudeau on Thursday cited “intelligence from multiple sources” suggesting that the plane was shot down.

“This may well have been unintentional,’’ he said.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson echoed Trudeau, saying, in a statement, that “a body of information” pointed to an Iranian surface-to-air missile hitting the plane, perhaps in error.

French Foreign Minister, Jean-Yves Le Drian, called for the “fullest transparency” on the circumstances of the disaster, amid reports that the plane’s engines could have been produced at least partially in France.

“If we are asked, we could provide our expertise,’’ he told RTL radio.

“For the moment, we have not been asked.’’

Sweden’s top diplomat said that 17 people with ties to Sweden, including seven people with Swedish citizenship and 10 others with residency in the Scandinavian country, were killed in Wednesday’s plane crash.

“They were all someone’s child, classmate, friend or colleague.

“My thoughts are with the families,’’ Swedish Foreign Minister, Ann Linde, said. (dpa/NAN)

Aviation

Passengers Stranded as NLC Locks Down Abuja Airport

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By Idris Umar Feta Abuja

Many air travellers were left stranded following the closure of the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, by officials of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) on Thursday.

A combined team of NLC and Trade Union Congress (TUC) blocked both the entry and exit ways of the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport.

The protest was part of the series of actions that the two labour unions say they would zero in on Imo, following the attack on the NLC president, Joe Ajaero.

The NLC and TUC had on Tuesday, declared a nationwide strike, which will commence on Tuesday, November 14, due to the face-off with the Imo State Government.

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Soludo Names Airport After  Achebe

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Anambra State Governor, Professor Charles Soludo has renamed the state’s International Passenger and Cargo Airport after the late Chinua Achebe, a novelist, to immortalise him for making an indelible mark on the history of human civilisation.

Achebe a native of Ogidi in Idemili North Local Government Area of the state, died on March 21, 2013, at age 82, in Boston, Massachusetts.

Soludo said this on Sunday in Awka at the Independence Day parade, to mark Nigeria’s 63rd anniversary, describing Achebe as an example of Africa’s unsung hero.

“Achebe, a Nigerian novelist, poet, and critic, gave the African literature an identity and a voice and he rightly reconstructed and refined the identify of the people,” he said.

The governor said that Achebe was not just an Anambra hero nor a Nigerian hero, but an African and global hero and yet largely unsung at home.

He said that henceforth, the state shall be deliberate in fishing out and celebrating its largely unsung heroes as motivation to children and youths.

“Unfortunately, some people wrongly think of legacies in terms of brick and mortar. Legacy is about impact on human life and human civilisation.

“Achebe was not a president or governor or military. He did not build bridges or roads or airports but he will outlive most presidents, governors and ministers in our minds.

“Achebe rejected Nigeria’s national honours twice in protest against what he perceived as injustice to his home state Anambra. Today, Anambra will finally honour him.

“After wide consultations, there is a broad consensus that no one is more deserving to be named after the first airport in Anambra than Anambra’s all-time greatest literary gift to the world, Chinua Achebe.

“Consequently, we will rename the Anambra International Cargo and Passenger Airport, Umueri, to Chinua Achebe International Airport, Umueri.

“Yes, it has to be an international airport, and we hope to work with the Federal Government to give full effect to its international status,” he said.

Soludo urged Nigerians to be intentional about making the project Nigeria work and believe in the potential greatness of the country.

“We have muddled through the past 63 years with squandered opportunities and yet with the promise of potential greatness

“No country or nation is a perfect. Every nation continues to struggle in its match to a more perfect union. The path to stability, growth and sustainability will be challenging as there are no quick fixes.

“But all of us must collectively think and work Nigeria out of the current challenges. We have no other country but Nigeria, and we must make it to work for everyone, “he said.

The governor said his administration was founded on the true progressive agenda and would continue to create the enabling environment for residents to thrive and survive.

The police, paramilitary organisations and students from different schools took part in the parade. (NAN)

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Abiodun flags off Aviation Village construction

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Abiodun flags off Aviation Village construction

Gov. Dapo Abiodun of Ogun on Tuesday flagged off the construction of 200 units of two-bedroom expanded bungalows, at the Gateway Aviation Village, Iperu in Ikenne Local Government Area of the state.

The governor, represented by his Special Adviser on Housing, Jagunmolu Omoniyi, said the project would herald the creation of a new city in the town and serve the entire Remo cluster and the state in general.

He said the project was divided into two phases, with the first 100 units to be ready in six months.

According to the governor, the siting of the housing scheme would serve institutions and people who will make use of the Gateway Agro-Cargo Airport.

Abiodun noted that government agencies like the Customs, the Nigerian Air Force and other corporate bodies had already indicated interest in the airport.

He said that the project would create jobs for about 5,000 artisans of various skills in the course of execution.

“This is the people’s project. This housing scheme will complement the airport and serve those who will work in this town.

“I can assure you that within two years, the story of this town will change. We will not engage outsiders to work in this estate, but the people of this town.

“We have done similar projects at Kemta, Idi-Aba and Kobape. The siting of similar housing estate has changed the landscape of Kobape, which was a village before, to a lively city,” he said.

The governor called on prospective buyers to start the process by obtaining their forms, charging the people to support and take ownership of the project for the development of the town.

In his remarks, the Chairman of Ikenne Local Government Area, Mr Segun Ogunleye, expressed gratitude to the governor, saying with the siting of the housing estate and the cargo airport, the development of the town was assured.(NAN)

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