Top Iraqi cleric backs new premier, calls for unity

By Raheem Salman and Michael Georgy BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Iraq's most influential cleric, Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, threw his weight on Friday behind the new prime minister, calling for national unity to contain sectarian bloodshed and an offensive by Islamic State militants that threatens Baghdad. Speaking after Nuri al-Maliki finally stepped down as prime minister under heavy pressure from ...