Protests in Iraq continue and the death toll has increased…

Now, nearly 500 have been killed and 27,000 wounded.

The Independent High Commission for Human Rights of Iraq reported 485 deaths on Sunday.

Protests erupted over unemployment, government corruption and the lack of basic services.

Activists are calling for the government to step down and hold early elections under direct supervision of the United Nations.

The scale of the protests is believed to be the biggest since the fall of former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein in 2003