Iraq parliament session ends in chaos as turmoil deepens

Iraq's new parliament, charged with approving a new government and facing a blistering offensive by Sunni militants, descended into chaos Tuesday, with some lawmakers threatening each other and others walking out.
      
Despite calls from world leaders and senior clerics for Iraq's fractious politicians to unite, deputies failed to fulfil the constitutional requirement of electing a speaker and the first session of the parliament elected in April ended in disarray.
      
Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki's bid for a third term has been battered by the militant offensive which has seen large chunks of five provinces fall out of government control, on top of persistent allegations of sectarianism and consolidation of power.
      
The weeks-long crisis has alarmed world leaders, displaced hundreds of thousands of people and polarised Iraq's Shiite, Sunni and Kurdish populations.
      
The disunity quickly manifested itself in the parliament session, which included walkouts, verbal threats and widespread confusion over the country's constitution.
      
Kurdish lawmaker Najiba Najib initially interrupted efforts to select a new parliament speaker, calling on the central government to "end the blockade" and send withheld budget funds to the autonomous Kurdish region.
                     
Kadhim al-Sayadi, a lawmaker in Maliki's bloc, responded by threatening to "crush the heads" of Iraq's Kurds.
      
Several Sunni MPs also walked out of the chamber when mention was made of the Islamic State (IS) jihadist group, which is spearheading the militant offensive.
      
After a brief recess called to restore order, several lawmakers did not return, leaving...