Baghdad - President Massoud al-Barzani of Iraq's autonomous Kurdistan region will lead a high-ranking delegation to the United States at the end of the week to discuss Baghdad's long-term security agreement with Washington.

The visit comes at the request of the US Department of State and will take a few days, the head of the region's presidential office, Fouad Hussein, told the Voices of Iraq (VOI) news agency on Sunday.

Hussein did not disclose the names of the delegation members, but said that they would meet with senior US officials.

Jerusalem - Israel Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni postponed by several hours a scheduled meeting with President Shimon Peres Sunday, fueling speculation of last minute negotiations to resolve an impasse which had prevented the formation of a new coalition government.

Livni, who had been scheduled to arrive at Peres' Jerusalem residence at 2 pm, (1200 GMT) received a telephone call from Knesset Speaker Dalia Itzik asking her to wait a few hours, according to media reports because Peres had decided to mediate between Livni and her prospective coalition partners.

Livni had been expected to recommend that Peres call for new elections as she had failed to form a new governing coalition. She was now slated to meet Peres at 1500 GMT.

Amritsar, Oct.26: A group of 370 Sikh pilgrims from Pakistan and some foreign countries crossed over to India on Saturday at Attari border in a religious procession to attend the Guru Ta Gaddi Diwas celebrations at Nanded in Maharashtra.

The group arrived to mark the tercentenary of Guru Granth Sahib at Takht Hazoor Sahib at Nanded. The holy book of Sikhs is revered as living Guru in Sikhism.

Five Sikh Priests as per the Sikh tenets led the religious procession.

Guwahati, Oct.26: A visit to the Umananda Temple at Peacock Island near Guwahati offers a chance to see the endangered Golden langurs (Trachypithecus Geei), a rare species of primates. They have taken shelter in the compound here.
 
Built by an Ahom king in 1594, the temple is devoted to Lord Shiva. It is today visited by scores of such tourists who come here particularly for these rare monkeys and enjoy spending time with them.

At this temple, the Hindu gods and goddesses are engraved on the rock walls. These sculptures represent the craftsmanship of the Assamese artisans.