Second worst fire

Fire gutted the entire southern end of the DNATA building, one of Dubai's showpiece projects was due to open in two months time. The blaze, described as the second worst fire in the history of the Emirate, raged for nearly four hours aided by a strong wind and required the combined fire fighting units of the Civil Defence Force.

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Dead Sea trapped to grow more food

The "Salt Sea" of the Bible, where God is said to have destroyed the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah with fire and brimstone, is now reverberating to the sound of space-age technology. American and Jordanian engineers are battling flash flood, sand storms and searing heat to extract life giving fertilizer from the Dead Sea, the lowest and one of the most desolate spots on Earth. The ambitious 425 million dollar project, due to be completed in 1982, is aimed at recovering 1.2 million tons of the fertilizer ingredient every year.

Second phased withdrawal of Israeli troops

Israeli troops lowered their flag in Bir Nasseb and marched out of a stretch of the Siani desert in their latest withdrawal under the peace treaty with Egypt. After a brief ceremony in this desert oasis, the Israelis evacuated 2,500 square miles of desert along the Gulf of Suez, handing the area back to Egyptian troops after 12 years of Israeli occupation.

Life jail for ex-Iran Minister

A doctor who served the toppled Shah as Health Minister was jailed for life by an Islamic court and ordered to give free treatment to fellow prisoners. Shojaoddin Sheikhol Islamadeh was the first Minister of the ousted regime to be tried in public and escape with his life.