Iraq PM meets UK and French ambassadors

Iraq's caretaker prime minister, Adel Abdul-Mahdi, on Sunday received the British and French ambassadors to his country.

During the meeting in the Iraqi capital, the officials discussed efforts to calm the situation in the region and prevent further escalation after the US killing of Iran's top general in Baghdad, according to the prime minister's office.

Also on the agenda were the biggest protests the country has faced in decades.

Hundreds of thousands are protesting in Iraq since October.

The leaderless, economically-driven protests are targeting Iraq's entire political class and calling for the overhaul of the sectarian system established after the 2003 US-led invasion.

More than 500 people were killed, and thousands wounded in an intensifying crackdown by authorities, but protesters were remaining defiant.