Iraqi MPs approved an agreement that aims to bring all of Iraq's feuding political blocs into a new government led by Shiite prime minister Nouri Maliki.

Iraq’s prime minister Nouri al-Maliki will return to power for another four-year term after MPs working late into the night agreed on a deal to form a new government.

In a rare move, the Iraqi government criticised the state-run television network today for “whipping up emotions” by airing footage from the bombings at a Baghdad bus station and accused a leading Arab satellite station of airing false reports.