Gulf News Report Published: December 13, 2007, 23:17
A daily pick of news events that happened on this day in history from the pages of Gulf News dated December 14, 1978.
UAE imposes building ban President His Highness Shaikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahayan imposed a moratorium on building in the UAE, other than for use by owners. The banks have been asked to stop financing investments in the construction industry.
The UAE faced a banking crisis as banks poured large sums in the construction sector and the result was many new buildings not finding users. Up to 40 per cent of bank lending has so far been for the construction industry. But many buildings in Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Sharjah are incomplete or empty.
Sharjah’s first passengers Mohammad Al Hajri, Director General of Sharjah Civil Aviation received the first passengers at Sharjah’s new multi-million Dirham airport terminal.
America angry over aid to Palestinians A UN General Assembly committee has approved a resolution on aid to Palestinians which the United States opposed as being designed to boost the standing of the Palestine Liberation Organisation.
In a letter to a number of UN delegations, the US called such a resolution a "totally unacceptable effort to politicise UN assistance" and warned that its adoption could jeopardise American contributions to UN voluntary aid programmes, which this year amounted to 230 million dollars.
Iran buying oil abroad Iran, the world's second largest oil exporter, is trying to buy fuel from overseas because of slumping production in its strike-ridden oilfields.
But industry sources said Iranian authorities were trying to bring in kerosene and diesel oil and might also be seeking small quantities of petrol. Oil production fell to 1.2 million barrels yesterday, about one-fifty of the normal level. Most of Iran's five major refineries were shut by the eight-day-old strike.
Students seize culture centre Iranian students who seized the Iranian cultural centre in New Delhi as a protest against the Shah's rule released an Iranian diplomat and seven Indians held hostage for six hours.
External Affairs Ministry officials said the students agreed to free Iranian cultural attache Reza Alavi and the Indians after assurances that the centre would not be stormed.
