Iraq passes voting bill

This is great news with a bit of not so good news:

BAGHDAD, Sept. 24 -- Iraq's parliament passed a provincial elections law Wednesday that
paves the way for balloting in most parts of the country by Jan. 31 and that
could help bolster efforts at national reconciliation.
But lawmakers decided to postpone debate over one of the most contentious
issues facing Iraq -- the dispute between Arabs, Kurds and Turkmens over power
sharing in the oil-rich city of Kirkuk. The legislators also did not resolve how
to best achieve political representation for Iraq's Christians and other
minorities.