Iraq's parliament breaks deadlock to elect new speaker
Al-Huriya News Agency - Iraq's parliament has elected Salim al-Jabouri as speaker, breaking weeks of political deadlock amid a jihadist-led Sunni rebellion in the north and west.
The main Sunni Arab bloc in the Council of Representatives had nominated the moderate Islamist for the position.
Despite the progress, it is not clear that politicians will be able to move speedily to the next steps of selecting a president and a prime minister.
Earlier, government forces launched an offensive to retake the city of Tikrit.
The defence ministry said troops had begun their assault at dawn against militants led by the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (Isis).
The initial fighting focused around the southern Shishin district of Saddam Hussein's home city, officers told the Reuters news agency.
