Gulf News Reports Published: December 28, 2007, 00:32
A daily pick of news events that happened on this day in history from the pages of Gulf News dated December 14, 1978.
Algerian President dies after six weeks in coma The Arab world is in mourning following the death of Algerian President Houari Boumedienne, the Muslim Socialist strongman who ruled Algeria almost unchallenged for more than 13 years.
He died after spending the last six weeks in a coma. After his death had been announced tributes began to flow into the Algerian capital of Algiers from Arab leaders. The government declared 40 official days of mourning and named Rabah Bitat, Chairman of the Popular National Assembly, as interim President for a period of up to 45 days.
President elected Socialist Party Secretary General Abdel-Fattah Ismail was elected President of South Yemen by the country's first Parliament, the Supreme People's Council. An official announcement said Ismail will be Chairman of a 10-member Presidential Council which will replace a five-man team which has held supreme power in South Yemen under President Ali Nasser Mohammed.
Rhodesian Minister quits A white Rhodesian Cabinet Minister resigned from the Biracial Government, charging that peace efforts had failed. He called on Britain to take over the administration. Rollo Hayman, co-Minister of internal affairs in a transition Government steering the country to black majority rule by April 20, 1979, issued a statement expressing doubts about the "viability" of a constitutional agreement signed between white Prime Minister Ian D. Smith and three moderate black leaders last March.
