Jalal Talabani, Iraq's president, has rejected a law that would have paved the way for provincial elections later this year, despite it being passed by parliament on Tuesday. Wednesday's move, which comes after protests by Kurdish and some Shia MPs, is likely to delay the elections, which have been encouraged by US officials. A statement from Talabani's office on Wednesday said: "The president does not accept a law like this - a law that 127 deputies voted on and which does not represent even half of the parliament."