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April 5
Bhutto hanged
ZULFIKAR ALI Bhutto's execution could unleash a violent reaction throughout Pakistan. He still has a strong following in his Pakistan People's Party. Bhutto, who ruled Pakistan from 1971 to 1977, was hanged before daybreak and later buried quietly near his ancestral home, in Sind Province. President Zia-ul-Haq, the army chief who overthrew Bhutto on July 5, 1977 rejected all appeals for clemency in his murder case.
April 7
Over 20m voted for an Islamic republic
THE IRANIAN Government has announced official results in the nation's two-day referendum, showing 99.3 per cent support for the transformation of the nation into an Islamic republic in place of the 2,500-year-old monarchy. Election director Ahmad Nourbakhsh said a total of 20,147,055 people voted for an Islamic republic and 140,966 voted against it.
Carter says pay more and use less oil
US PRESIDENT Jimmy Carter has warned the energy crisis is serious and becoming worse, and ordered the gradual lifting of price controls on domestically produced oil at the risk of deepening double-digit inflation. "This is a painful step, and I'll give it to you straight, each one of us will have to use less oil and pay more for it," he said.
April 8
Hoveyda executed
AMIR ABBAS Hoveyda, former Iranian prime minister, was executed. An Islamic court in Tehran found the 57-year-old Hoveyda guilty of all charges, of being "a corrupt element on earth, responsible for spreading corruption and treason to Iran."
April 9
New status for Unido
WESTERN, COMMUNIST and Third World countries agreed to transform the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (Unido) into a specialised aid-coordinating agency of the UN. Weary delegates from 82 governments reached final agreement, the end of three years of negotiations on Unido's future. Unido would become the 16th UN specialised agency.
April 10
UAE among the wealthiest
KUWAIT, QATAR and the UAE are the wealthiest nations of the world in terms of individual income, according to the World Bank report. The report quoting the 1976 figures says that the average individual income in the three Gulf countries exceeds 10,000 dollars a year.
War films scoop up awards
TWO FILMS on the Vietnam war scooped up the Oscar. Jane Fonda and Jon Voight were chosen as Best Actress and Best Actor for Coming Home, and The Deer Hunter won the Best Film award. But the biggest ovation was for two 71-year-old stars, Laurence Olivier, who won a special Oscar for his lifetime contribution to films and John Wayne, who looked thinner but was still upright after having his stomach removed because of cancer.
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