Jerusalem - Israel Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni postponed by several hours a scheduled meeting with President Shimon Peres Sunday in which she was expected to recommend new elections as she had failed to form a new governing coalition.

Livni had been slated to meet Peres at 2 pm (1200 GMT) but at the last minute received a phone call from Knesset Speaker Dalia Itzik, who was meeting the president and who asked her to delay her visit to Peres' official residence, Israel Radio reported.

It was unclear whether Peres or Itzik were attempting to intervene and conduct last-minute mediation between Livni and prospective coalition partners who had already refused to join a government headed by her.

Islamabad - The body was discovered Sunday of a brother of local Taliban top commander Baitullah Mehsud in Pakistan's north- west, officials said.

Yahya Mehsud's body was found in the Domail area of Bannu district bordering the restive tribal region where the feared militant commander is believed to be holed up with hundreds of his men.

"Yes, it is confirmed that the body is that of Mehsud's brother," a police officer told Deutsche Presse-Agentur dpa by telephone from Bannu.

Unlike his brother, Yahya was not involved in militant activities, and was believed to have been killed by his rivals or opponents of Baitullah Mehsud."

Reykjavik/Stockholm - An online petition recently launched in Iceland protesting the British government's recent use of anti- terrorist legislation to freeze Icelandic bank assets had Sunday gathered over 50,000 names.

The website also features photos of Icelanders holding signs with texts like "I am not a terrorist Mr Brown" and "Gordon Darling We are not to blame," with references to British Minister Gordon Brown and British Chancellor of the Exchequer Alistair Darling.

The website, www.indefence.is, was set up to protest what was perceived as a "devastating attack" on Iceland after the British government earlier this month used legislation from 2001 to freeze assets in Icelandic banks.

Hamburg - Tokio Hotel will not have its third album available till early next year, the German hit band's manager said Sunday, dashing hopes among teenage fans of a release this year.

The quartet, fronted by soft-faced 19-year-old singer Bill Kaulitz, has sent teen girls into a frenzy in Europe and is currently touring the United States.

The group won best new artist honours at the MTV Video Music Awards last month, and MTV Latin Awards this month.

Manager David Jost said, "There'll be no album release this year. It looks as if the third album will be out in March or April next year, probably simultaneously round the globe."

Manama, Bahrain - A new report about the state of the environment in the Arab world warns of fresh water scarcity, desertification, air quality and marine pollution among the top challenges facing the countries in the region.

The Arab Environment: Future Challenges report, released at the opening of the first Arab Forum for Environmental Development (AFED) in the Bahraini capital Manama on Sunday said that urgent action was needed to prevent such problems from intensifying.

The report, compiled by independent experts, estimated the cost of environmental degradation in the Arab region as a whole at 5 per cent of gross domestic product (GDP).

Hamburg (dpa) - Germany captain Michael Ballack has apologised for a recent critical statement on coach Joachim Loew but Loew said on Sunday that the case was not yet closed.