Iraq parliament confirms Maliki as prime minister

Iraq's parliament approved Nuri al-Maliki as prime minister on Tuesday, giving the Shi'ite leader a second term as Iraq tries to cement fragile security gains and build its fledgling democracy.

Iraqis had been waiting for a new government for more than nine months since a March parliamentary election that failed to produce a clear winner and displayed the depth of Iraq's ethnic and sectarian divisions. Months of political squabbling ensued. (Reuters)