At least 18 people were killed and thousands injured in the holy city and pilgrimage site of Kerbala in Iraq, in one of the deadliest single attacks on protesters since anti-government demonstrations erupted earlier this month. Unidentified masked gunmen fired live rounds and teargas at protesters.

Protests that have gripped the country since 1 October were nflamed in the past week as university and high-school students joined demonstrators in Baghdad