Libya inaugurates new parliament, fighting continues

Tobruk - More than 150 members of Libya's newly elected parliament held their first official meeting in the eastern city of Tobruk as militias continued to battle over the oil-rich nation's largest cities.

The 200-member parliament was elected at the end of June and will take over from the previous assembly which was dominated by Islamist groups including the Muslim Brotherhood.

Monday's session in Tobruk was boycotted by pro-Islamist deputies and 12 seats are vacant because those regions were too unstable for elections.

The parliament's power is in question as militias from the city of Misrata and Zintan fight over Tripoli and in Benghazi, Islamist militias are fighting forces loyal to a renegade general.

The militias have been the main power in the country since they overthrew Dictator Muammar Gaddafi in 2011.