Washington - The US economy shrank by 6.2 per cent in the final quarter of 2008, far worse than initially estimated and the worst fourth-quarter showing by the country since the recession of 1982, the US Commerce Department said Friday.

The annualized figure was revised from an earlier estimate of an only 3.8-per-cent drop and underscored the severity of the recession in the US economy. Most economists are expecting a similar contraction in the first three months of 2009.

Madrid  - Spanish police Friday detained 13 people in connection with a corruption scandal affecting Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero's socialists two days before regional elections in Galicia and the Basque region.

The socialists governing the village of Alcaucin north-east of Malaga on the southern Costa del Sol were suspected of accepting bribes in exchange for granting illegal building permits in the area.

The detainees included mayor Jose Manuel Martin Alba, his family members, entrepreneurs and architects.

Dhaka  - Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina Wazed Friday appointed a high-powered committee to launch an investigation into a mutiny at the border guard headquarters in central Dhaka which ended Thursday, officials have confirmed.

Authorities have also appointed Brigadier General Moinul Hossain as new chief of the country's paramilitary Bangladesh Rifles(BDR) force on Friday, as its former director general remains missing, presumably killed, following a mutiny two days ago.

Kandi (Hyderabad), Feb 27: UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi today said that science and technology must act as powerful force against narrow-minded bigotry and intolerance.

Addressing a gathering of students and delegates after laying the foundation stone of a new IIT at Kandi village in Medak district of Andhra Pradesh, Sonia said, "Education should impart the values of a modern liberal society that derive strength by respecting and celebrating it''s many diversities."

Sonia also said that given time and adequate resources, IIT Medak would also make its own impact.

The peace deal with the Taliban in the Swat valley spells doom for the world

There is widespread cynicism in Pakistan in regard to the government’s deal with the Taliban in Swat. They have ravaged the scenic northern valley for over a decade, unleashing a reign of terror. In last year’s election, the people of Swat had rejected all extremism by voting into power the Awami National Party, known for its Pakhtun nationalist and left-of-the-centre, secular politics.

Not with army, says Antony; 'white lie' says SGPC

Even 25 years after Operation Bluestar, the controversy over missing Sikh manuscripts from the Golden Temple's Sikh Reference Library refuses to die down.

Punjab chief minister Parkash Singh Badal on Thursday asked the Centre to come clean and treat the issue with respect as Sikh sentiments were involved.

The Shiromani Gurdwara Prabandak Committee (SGPC) is up in arms ever since defence minister AK Anthony told Rajya Sabha last week that the army did not possess the documents.