No change in name PRESIDENT Hosni Mubarak has dismissed rumours that had suggested an official intention to change the name of Ramses Square to Mubarak Square. "This is nonsense," Mubarak said in press statements. "All speculation related to this issue is mere rumour." Mubarak said it was achievements that made a leader remembered by a nation. He said he had made it clear to all concerned that any attempt to change the name of Ramses Square to Mubarak Square would be immediately dismissed by the head of the state. New SIS chair AYMAN El-Qaffas has been appointed chairman of the State Information Service (SIS). El-Qaffas succeeds Nasser Kamel who takes over as Egypt's ambassador to Paris. El-Qaffas is a career diplomat, having served in Egypt's embassies in Washington and London. He also served under former foreign ministers Esmat Abdel-Meguid, Amr Moussa and Ahmed Maher. Al-Salam 98 case shelved A COURT hearing on Al-Salam 98, which sank in February, killing over 1,000 passengers, has been postponed until 6 November due to the absence of Mamdouh Ismail, the ferry's owner. Ismail fled the country after the ferry sank while carrying pilgrims returning from Saudi Arabia. Ismail's departure caused wide scale public anger and has slowed down the litigation process. Road deaths A BUS carrying pilgrims overturned in Al-Zaafarana, eastern Cairo yesterday, killing eight people and injuring 42 others, police sources said. The bus, carrying 50 pilgrims and heading to Saudi Arabia through the eastern port of Suez, overturned because of speeding, a police official said, speaking on condition of anonymity. The accident occurred in the town of Zaafarana, 130 kilometres east of Cairo. The official said that another bus carrying Pakistani tourists, some with British passports, crashed east of Cairo on the same road when the front tire blew. One British national of Pakistani origin was killed and two Pakistanis suffered injuries. The injured were taken to nearby hospitals. Driver goes to jail A BUS driver responsible for a road accident that killed 10 Arab- Israeli tourists last month was sentenced this week to a year in prison. The sentence can be appealed. Ahmed Hanafi Abul-Ela had been on trial for involuntary manslaughter and bodily harm, as well as reckless driving while driving a bus that overturned between Nuweiba and Taba on the Sinai Peninsula. Each year, more than 6,000 people are killed and 35,000 are injured in road accidents in Egypt. The Ministry of Transport says road accidents are the second highest cause of death in the country. Experts say the accidents cause annual losses of up to $350 million. Professors threaten strike PROFESSORS from 16 universities have threatened to go on strike to protest against low salaries. The threat, made just days before the beginning of the academic year, came after what some university professors qualify as government indifference to their repeated requests for a raise in salary. Hussein Oweida, a professor at Al-Azhar University, said the strike was coordinated with several other universities, adding that the professors had already made a formal appeal for presidential intervention in the issue. Death postpones game A FRIENDLY soccer game between Egypt and Lebanon to raise money for Lebanon's reconstruction plans was postponed to 3 October. It was to have been held in Cairo on 5 September but was postponed by the National Sports Council in the wake of the death of Egyptian national team player Mohamed Abdel-Wahab. The game is being called "Lebanon as it was". Halt in Canal THE SUEZ Canal Authority reopened the water passageway for international navigation after it was temporarily halted on Sunday when a British container went adrift while passing through the canal. The stoppage forced a temporary change of course for 19 containers. Suez Canal authorities said the container drifted out in the waters after its engines broke down as it was navigating through the canal's passageway. Internal flights promoted EGYPTAIR, the national air carrier, has started selling tickets for its domestic flights in instalments, Safwat Messallam, head of the commercial sector of the company, said. Messallam said that other promotions presented by EgyptAir will include a five per cent discount on all purchases bought at the duty free shop for local and international flights. Flood waters stored MINISTER of Irrigation Mahmoud Abu Zeid has instructed that excess flood water be stored in the High Dam, in Lake Nasser, until the end of November. The decision was taken after the water level in Lake Nasser reached an unexpectedly high 172,11 metres. This week, the amount of water in the artificial reservoir reached 106.917 billion cubic metres. Reaching out to Lebanon EGYPT is planning to send a team of engineers and technicians to re-start the Lebanese power grid damaged during the Israeli war on Lebanon. Minister of Electricity Hassan Yunis said Egypt was also planning to help repair the damage sustained by the electrical grid in Gaza following Israeli air raids. Compiled by Enjy El-Naggar
