Iceland PM asks prez to dissolve parliament, president refuses

Iceland's prime minister today asked the president for permission to dissolve parliament as his government reeled from a political crisis over the so-called Panama Papers, but the president refused.

President Olafur Ragnar Grimsson, who cut short a visit to the US to return to Reykjavik earlier today to deal with the crisis, told a televised press conference he wanted to consult the government's junior coalition member before making a decision.