A daily pick of news events that happened on this day in history from the pages of Gulf News dated April 23, 1979.
UAE to grow more vegetables
Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries has carried out a study on the marketing of vegetables produced by local farmers, complying with the resolution set out by the Cabinet. This study forecast that the area under vegetables will be 4250 acres in Northern Emirates, producing 36,000 tons of vegetables for the forthcoming season 1979-80. The marketing experiment undertaken in Al Ain, which has brought in Dh18 million, is considered as a model to be applied in other areas.
For nearly one hour, a squadron of Air Force jets flew in formation, dived, somersaulted skimmed just 50 feet over the heads of the people or zoomed straight up into the sky making the spectators gasp in wonder. It was the highlight of another days festivities opposite the Dubai International Trade Centre heralding the marriage of the UAE Defence Minister, Shaikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum.
Trade Centre builder wins Queen's Award
Bernard Sunley and Sons Ltd, the British construction company which built the Dubai International Trade and Exhibition Centre, has won the Queens Award for Export Achievement 1979. This award comes in the wake of Queen Elizabeth's visit to Sunley construction projects in the Gulf during the recent Royal tour of Arabia.
8 die as PLF raid Israeli sea resort
A radical Palestinian commando group said four men were killed in a night raid on the northern Israeli seaside resort of Nahariya. Four Israeli civilians were killed, two of them children. The Marxist Palestine Liberation Front (PLF) said in a statement issued in Damascus that the commandos, using automatic rifles and rocket-propelled grenades, killed and wounded an unknown number of Israeli police and soldiers during a four-hour clash.
Ovey wins the UAE's first Autocross meet
David Ovey, driving a Datsun 260Z won the UAE's motor racing event at the old Al Nasr Stadium. He has also set the fastest time, clocking 2:25.1. Ovey was closely followed by John Micklethwaite in a Honda Civic on a subka surfaced circuit.
