Here is a recap:

- Spontaneous gatherings -

On October 1, more than 1,000 people take to the streets in Baghdad and cities in southern Iraq to protest corruption, unemployment and poor public services.

Heeding calls on social media, demonstrators gather in the capital's iconic Tahrir (Liberation) Square in what seems to be a spontaneous movement.

Riot police disperse crowds with water cannons, tear gas and rubber bullets. They fire live ammunition when protesters regroup.

The first deaths are reported.

- Unrest spreads -

On October 2, protests multiply across southern Iraq and riot police in Baghdad fire live rounds and tear gas at crowds.

Protesters try to reach Tahrir Square but it is sealed off. They set fire to tyres and block main roads, while security forces seal off the Green Zone where government offices and foreign embassies are located.

Riot police also fire live rounds during demonstrations in the southern cities of Najaf and Nasiriyah.

Firebrand Shiite cleric Moqtada Sadr, an influential politician whose bloc is the biggest in parliament, announces support for "peaceful protests and a general strike".

Authorities impose a curfew in Baghdad and other cities.

- Battles in Baghdad -

On October 3, major clashes break out as thousands defy the curfew to march in Baghdad and across the south.

In the capital, riot police and soldiers fire live rounds into the air and at the ground.

Crowds block streets and burn tyres in front of government offices in other cities, including Missan, Najaf, Basra, Wasit and Babylon.

Internet is cut for about 75 percent of the country. Amnesty International condemns security force "brutality".

In his first public address since the protests began, Prime Minister Adel Abdel Mahdi goes on television to defend his year-old government and ask for more time to implement reforms.

- Sadr calls for polls -

On October 4, clashes intensify in Baghdad as large numbers of security forces try to enforce the curfew and block access to Tahrir Square.

Several protesters are struck by bullets, some in the head and the stomach. Iraqi security forces blame "unidentified snipers".

Iraq's revered Shiite spiritual leader, Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani, endorses the demonstrations, calling on the government to heed protestors "before it's too late".

Parliament speaker Mohammed Halbusi tells protesters "your voice is being heard".

In the evening, Sadr calls on the government to resign and for early elections under UN supervision.

- Death toll nears 100 -

On October 5, the curfew in the capital is lifted from 5:00 am (0200 GMT), but the internet blackout remains in force.

Protesters gather outside the oil ministry in Baghdad, again facing live fire.

The Iraqi Human Rights Commission says the death toll since October 1 has reached 99, with nearly 4,000 people wounded.

The UN urges an end to violence saying "this must stop".

- Reforms announced -

On October 6, after an overnight session, the cabinet announces a series of reforms, including land distribution, boosted social welfare and the ousting of corrupt officials.

But the violence continues, with deadly clashes erupting in Baghdad's impoverished Sadr City, a bastion of Moqtada Sadr.

Protesters burn tyres and launch fireworks towards the police amassed there.

The interior ministry says that 104 people have been killed, including eight members of the security forces, and more than 6,000 wounded since the protests began.

- Army admission -

On October 7, Iraq's military admits for the first time that "excessive force" had been used and says commanding officers responsible would be held accountable.

The powerful Hashed al-Shaabi network of majority-Shiite, pro-Iran paramilitary units mostly integrated with the state announces it is ready to back the government to prevent "a coup d'etat or a rebellion".