Washington, Nov. 9: The Indian Government has reportedly expressed concern over US Central Command (CENTCOM) chief General David Petraeus seeking advise from two Pakistani security consultants - Ahmed Rashid and Shuja Nawaz.

According to the Daily Times, Rashid is an acknowledged authority on the Taliban and Afghanistan, while Shuja Nawaz is the author of a book on the Pakistan Army.

Both have been named ‘consultants’ at the classified review starting in Florida this weekend. The aim is to review the war plans in Afghanistan and Iraq as the Barack Obama administration considers the wisdom of a troop surge in Afghanistan.

Patna, Nov 9 : A court in Patna has fixed November 14 for the hearing of a petition seeking initiation of criminal proceedings against Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray for instigating party activists to assault north-Indian aspirants for railway jobs in Mumbai.

The matter was listed for November 8, but could not be taken up. The Chief Judicial Magistrate (CJM) Patna then decided that it would be heard on November 14.

Jakarta, Nov. 9 : A firing squad has executed the three Islamists who were involved in the bombings in the Indonesian resort town of Bali that killed 202 people.

The Bali bombers -- Amrozi, 47, his brother Mukhlas, 48, and ringleader Imam Samudra, 38, were executed in an orange grove near their prison on the Nusakambangan island off southern Java at midnight on Saturday.

They all shouted “Allahu Akbar” as they were escorted out of their isolation cells by paramilitary police.

The attorney general’s office in Jakarta is expected to confirm the execution today.

Indian currency gained 3.66% against the US dollar for the week ended Nov 7, 2008, as against the last week’s figure of Rs 49.46.

The Indian rupee surged marginally at the opening of the week, afterward, in the mid week it bounced back from its early losses. While, at the end of the week, it ended on a flat note as compared to its last close on Thursday, Nov 6, 2008.

London, Nov 9: Foreplay – the ‘naughty’ things done before getting on to sex –is overrated, finds a new study based on 2,300 women.

According to the survey, when it comes to the likelihood of having an orgasm, foreplay has little or no significance.

On an average, the duration of intercourse is 16.2 minutes on average, and it is the clincher.

The research’s findings suggest that sex therapists, who emphasize the value of foreplay, may have that been getting it wrong.

Washington, Nov. 9 : A terrorism expert has said that the Bush Administration has begun a classified review of its policy in Afghanistan, where the situation is said to be quite grim.

According to Peter Bergen, a terrorism expert with CNN, the review has been on since September 20 and is being monitored by Lt. General Douglas E Lute, a senior National Security Council official, who is responsible for Afghanistan and Iraq.

Though no definitive conclusions have been reached by representatives of the 24 government agencies involved on matters pertaining to Afghanistan, they are in unanimous agreement that a “dire situation” in that country exists, reports the Daily Times.