Military spokesman Brig. Udaya Nanayakkara accused the Tamil rebels of setting off the blast on a busy street in the heart of Colombo.

“They are desperate because of defeats along the northern front lines and are targeting civilians,” Nanayakkara said.

The small bomb exploded in a commercial area shortly after noon, tearing through a crowd of weekend shoppers.

“There was big sound, and people screamed and ran in all directions. I saw several people covered with blood lying on the ground,” said Shantha Ratnayake, who was passing the area when blast occurred.

Fighting in Sri Lanka’s civil war has escalated in recent months, with the military capturing a series of rebel bases and large chunks of territory. Officials have reiterated a pledge to crush the guerrillas by the end of the year.

The Tamil Tiger rebels have fought for an independent state in the north and east of the Indian ocean island since 1983, following decades of marginalization of ethnic Tamils by governments dominated by the Sinhalese majority.

More than 70,000 people have been killed in the conflict.

Hospital spokesman Dr. Anil Jasinghe said 45 people were receiving treatment for injuries received in the blast.

“Most of them have suffered minor injuries,” he said, adding that no deaths were reported.

Rebel spokesman Rasiah Ilanthirayan did not answer calls from The Associated Press for comment, but the Tamil Tigers routinely deny responsibility for such attacks.

If carried out by the rebels, the attack would show their ability to strike deep inside government territory despite a maze of security checkpoints around the capital and its suburbs.

Saturday’s bombing was the first in the capital since May 16, when a suicide bomb attack blamed on rebels killed 12 people, including eight policemen, and wounded 85 others. On June 6, another bomb hit a crowded passenger bus just outside the capital, killing 21 people.

The rebels, blamed for scores of suicide bombings and other attacks on civilians, are listed as a terrorist group by the United States, the European Union and India.

Meanwhile, fighting continued Friday along the front lines that separate government-held territory and the rebels’ de facto state in the north, the Defense Ministry said in a statement.

In the worst battle, soldiers killed eight rebels in two separate clashes in the Kilinochchi district. Two soldiers also were killed, it said.

Other fighting in Vavuniya, Welioya and Jaffna killed 10 guerrillas and one soldier, while eight soldiers were wounded, it said.

On Saturday, a clash killed three soldiers and a rebel in Anuradhapura district, Nanayakkara said.

Meanwhile, the rebels said in a statement that a shell fired by government forces Saturday hit a shelter for civilians displaced by fighting in Kilinochchi, killing five people and wounding three others.

There was no immediate comment from the military.

Both sides often give conflicting reports on violence. Independent verification of the claims is not possible because most journalists are barred from the war zone.
Amid escalating violence, the government is urging civilians living in rebel-held areas to flee to government-controlled territory, saying it would ensure their safety. Government helicopters dropped leaflets Thursday in rebel-held areas urging villagers to leave.

The Mountain View, California-based company took the unusual step of announcing its latest product on the Labor Day holiday after it prematurely sent out a comic book drawn up to herald the new browser’s arrival.

The free browser, called “Chrome,” is supposed to be available for downloading Tuesday in more than 100 countries for computers running on Microsoft’s Windows operating system. Google said it’s still working on versions compatible with Apple Inc.’s Mac computer and the Linux operating system.

Google’s browser is expected to hit the market a week after Microsoft’s unveiling of a test version of its latest browser update, Internet Explorer 8. The tweaks include more tools for Web surfers to cloak their on-line preferences, creating a shield that could make it more difficult for Google and other marketing networks to figure out which ads are most likely to appeal to which individuals.

Two million people fled Gustav’s advance under mandatory evacuation orders and with memories still fresh of Katrina, which flooded New Orleans and killed more than 1,800 people in 2005.

New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin told evacuees on Tuesday morning to “hold tight for today.”

“We have over 50 percent of our citizens without power. Our sewer system is damaged and not operational. And our hospitals are still with skeletal crews. So we’ll repair most of that today and tomorrow and start the process for re-entry thereafter,” Nagin told CNN’s “American Morning.”

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has issued another warning to the West over Georgia.

The Associated Press quoted Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman Andrei Nesterenko as saying that a “partnership” with the EU “should not be a hostage to the conflict” over Georgia.

Vladimir Chizhov, Russia’s envoy to the EU, added that he was not surprised that the European Union stopped short of imposing sanctions on Russia, AP said.

He told reporters in Moscow that both sides are “too interdependent,” adding that “Russia and the European Union are bound by destiny to be close partners.”

French President Nicolas Sarkozy said Monday that the EU would have to re-examine its partnership with Russia if Moscow does not respect a cease-fire agreement.

Sarkozy, whose country holds the six-month rotating EU presidency, also confirmed that he will visit Moscow next week.

“We will be asking Russia to ensure the full and scrupulous respect of the (cease-fire) plan,” he said. “The EU would welcome a real partnership with Russia that is in the interests of all, but it takes two to tango. You have to be two to have a partnership.