A daily pick of news events that happened on this day in history from the pages of Gulf News dated October 29, 1978.
Crackdown on labour smugglers
Dubai Police are to take a tougher line with illegal immigrants caught re-entering the Emirate after being deported and the people who try to smuggle them back in.
Click here to view a Gulf News page on October 29, 1978(pdf)
Immigration officials are worried about the large sums of money the Emirate spends every year repatriating people who find jobs with no sponsor or work permit. The Immigration Department believes the answer lies in stiffer sentences for people who employ and bring the illegal workers into the country.
The problem is that some people have been deported three or four times. In cases like that we are spending large amounts of money on just one person. No sooner have they been put out of the country than they turn up again a few weeks later.
UAE revalues the dirham
The UAE revalued the dirham, by half a percentage point against the US dollar.
A spokesman for the United Arab Emirates Currency Board said the step was taken to combat the shrinking value of the dollar. Following the revaluation the US dollar will now sell for 3.840 dirhams as against 3.860. The buying rate will be 3.836 (as against 3.856).
Nine executed by firing squad
Nine army officers have been executed in Sanaa by firing squad for their part in an abortive coup against North Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh, two weeks ago.
The nine, who included a major, were convicted by a military court of high treason. They were said to have received money and arms smuggled into the country in diplomatic bags.
Al Yousuf win Chevvy and Buick deal
A formal agreement making Al Yousuf Automobiles the authorised dealer for General Motors' Buick and Chevrolet vehicles in Dubai was signed.
It was signed by the company's chairman, Yousuf Habib Al Yousuf and General Motors' Middle East Manager Gordon Lea, and successfully ended a 12-month probationary period for the local company. Passenger and commercial vehicles in the Buick and Chevrolet range are covered by the agreement.
Al Yousuf company, probably the largest distributors of General Motors products, sold 900 vehicles in the last 12 months and expect to increase this to 1,200 in 1979.
