OTHER NEWS Ferial passed the area minutes before Bomb kills 11 civilians Bomb blast in Ampara. Sri Lanka Dozens reported dead as Sri Lankan army pushes into rebel areas    Advertisement Print Version | Email to friend Sri Lanka President Mahinda Rajapaksa paid his last respect to LankaEverything News Desk 20-03-2008 Sri Lanka President Mahinda Rajapaksa paid his last respect to late Sir Arthur C Clarke at his residence in Colombo. Picture by Sudath Silva Sci-fi guru Arthur C. Clarke will be buried at a private funeral in Sri Lanka's capital on Saturday, a close aide to the late writer said. Clarke, who captured the world's imagination with his best-known book "2001: A Space Odyssey" and visions of extra-terrestrial civilisations, died at Colombo's private Apollo hospital on Wednesday at the age of 90. Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapakse described Clarke's death as a loss to the island, the author's adopted home since 1956. Clarke will be buried at Colombo's General Cemetery on Saturday at 3:30 pm (1000 GMT). He wanted a strictly secular ceremony without the pomp of a state funeral, said his spokesman, Nalaka Gunawardene. "Sir Arthur's 85-year-old brother Fred and his daughter will arrive from Britain today (Thursday), while members of his adopted family have begun to arrive (from abroad)," Gunawardene said. "He wanted us to celebrate, not mourn his passage. He left behind an imaginative, yet plausible and sometimes daring vision for the future -- and now it's up to his fans, admirers and the rest of us to create that future." Clarke left instructions for his personal letters to remain unopened for 50 years after his death, but his scientific papers, literary efforts and other unpublished works will be available to the public, Gunawardene said. The author had been largely confined to a wheelchair as a result of post-polio syndrome for several decades. Print Version | Email to friend

Ferial passed the area minutes before Fri, 09-05-2008 18:00:00 Minister Ferial Ashraff had just passed through the area where an explosion had occurred in Ampara. The Minister was safe. ... |FULL STORY|

Bomb kills 11 civilians Fri, 09-05-2008 18:00:00 Defense sources confirmed that LTTE exploded a bomb inside the "New City Cafe" in Ampara town around 5.45 p.m today. Military spokesperson Brigadier Udaya Nanyakkara confirmed 11 death and 29 persons wounded. According to reports the bomb was a parcel bomb, which was kept in the café in Ampara town near the main bus stand. This is another cowardly attempt of the LTTE terrorists to disrupt the normalcy in the area as the government scheduled to head the provincial council electio... |FULL STORY|

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Bomb blast in Ampara. Fri, 09-05-2008 14:00:00 A powerful bomb blast occured in the Ampara town around 5.40 pm. Wait for details.... |FULL STORY|

Sri Lanka Dozens reported dead as Sri Lankan army pushes into rebel areas afp Fri, 09-05-2008 14:00:00 Helicopter gunships provided air cover Friday for ground troops advancing into rebel areas of northern Sri Lanka where at least 30 rebel guerrillas were killed, the defence ministry said. Airforce Mi-24 helicopters flew support as soldiers moved on Alankulam, in Mannar district, killing 15 rebels and injuring 20, a ministry statement said. The military said three soldiers died and five were wounded in the pre-dawn attack. However, the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE)... |FULL STORY|

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