At least 10 people died in a deadly accident on Ahvaz-Khorramshahr highway in Iran's southwestern Khuzestan province on Saturday.

The incident took place when multiple heavy and light vehicles collided with each other, according to local authorities.

Reza Dolatshahi, the provincial traffic police chief, told state TV that the accident was reported at around 7 a.m. local time when a chain of five vehicles, including a minibus carrying workers of a local oil firm, a truck loaded with livestock and three light vehicles collided.

Among those killed are workers of the Yadavaran oil field, one of the largest oilfields in the country located near Iran's border with Iraq, 60 km south-west of Ahvaz city.

Dolatshahi said the cause of the accident, which also injured more than a dozen people, is being investigated.

The highway between Ahvaz and Khorramshahr is prone to deadly mishaps, with many such tragic incidents reported over the years.

Morteza Azhand, a journalist based in Khuzestan, said the roads in Khuzestan province are the "silent killers" of people who mourn death of their families "every morning."

According to Dolatshahi, a total of 442 people had lost their lives in road accidents in the province in first eight months of this year.

He said the fatalities on Ahvaz-Khorramshahr highway had surged by 300 percent this year, blaming it mainly on lack of safety precautions, narrow roads, two-way traffic and lack of guardrails./aa

As the deadly COVID-19 pandemic moved into 2021, climate protests and environmental campaigns continued to be held both physically and virtually, along with a large number of demonstrations protesting political and economic policies across the world.

Protests and strikes were held both in streets and on social media across the globe, calling on world leaders to address and take urgent actions on climate change and to keep their promises on limiting global warming to below 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit).

The Fridays for Future movement was leading the global climate and environmental demonstrations during 2021 while the 350.org and Sunrise movements, Greenpeace, and the Extinction Rebellion group were also involved in many actions over climate-related activities.

The following are the major global climate change protests, strikes and events in 2021 compiled by Anadolu Agency:

JANUARY

Jan. 1

- With the importance of global cooperation in the fight against climate change stressed, Fridays for Future Scotland says "Let's make 2021 the year for climate justice!"

Jan. 8

- Leah Namugerwa, a 16-year-old Ugandan activist, completes her 100th "school strike 4 climate" in the second Friday's strike of the year.

Jan. 13

- Fridays for Future calls on climate protesters and concerned citizens worldwide to join the global climate strike, the first one of the year, on March 19. "We say #NoMoreEmptyPromises! Immediate action NOW!"

Jan. 20

- Twelve youth climate activists worldwide write an open letter to US President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, demanding that they take action against "fossil fuel polluters."

FEBRUARY

Feb. 4

- Indian police lodge a complaint against Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg over her tweets on the then farmer protests in India.

"I still #StandWithFarmers and support their peaceful protest. No amount of hate, threats or violations of human rights will ever change that. #FarmersProtest," Thunberg says on Twitter in response.

Feb. 12

- A group of activists in Jamalpur, Bangladesh stage a climate strike while observing social distancing and holding signs saying "No more excuse."

Feb. 19

- Turkish climate activist Deniz Cevikus completes her 100th week of climate strike.

"When I started striking 100 weeks ago, I never thought I would go on doing this for so long, but I did. I'm very proud to be doing my part in this journey to save our future," she says on Twitter.

MARCH

March 2

- Youth Advocates for Climate Action Philippines calls on Standard Chartered and Industrial and Commercial Bank of China to keep their promises on divesting from fossil fuels, saying: "It's time to #RaiseYourStandards!"

March 15

- Belgian environmentalists gather at 100 different locations in several cities in simultaneous demonstrations to draw attention to climate change.

March 19

- Climate activists and environmental protesters worldwide hold demonstrations and various campaigns to raise awareness about fossil fuels as part of the "global climate strike.”

- As part of the global climate strike, many activists online or physically attend action in over 1,000 places in 68 countries, Thunberg says on Twitter, adding: "Soon we'll be back on the streets again."

APRIL

April 2

- Police arrest environment activists who staged a demonstration in front of Singha Durbar in Nepal's capital Kathmandu while demanding that the government implement a "climate, health emergency."

April 10

- The Rise up movement shows solidarity with East African people who are protesting against the construction of a crude oil pipeline that will possibly leave as many as 14,000 households displaced.

April 20

- Climate activists and environmental protesters criticize the Leaders' Summit on Climate, which is held virtually by US President Joe Biden with the attendance of 40 world leaders for "not taking real action needed for climate justice."

April 26

- 101 Nobel Laureates issue a written statement, urging world leaders to keep fossil fuels in the ground.

MAY

May 1

- Climate activists and environmental protesters around the world hold "StandWithWorkers" social media campaign to show solidarity with workers on International Workers Day, "as they are on the frontlines of climate change."

May 4

- Fridays For Future reminds that at least 20 journalists died as a result of reporting on environmental destruction over the past decade and it shares solidarity with journalists who are being persecuted for their work on World Press Freedom Day.

May 12

- Campaigners from "Paid to pollute" takes the UK government to court to pull plug on public payments for "big polluters."

"The government has wasted billions of pounds of public money propping up the oil and gas industry," they say.

May 21

- Workers and students, led by the Strike for Future movement, hold streets in Switzerland, demanding social and climate justice.

JUNE

June 5

- Environmental groups show solidarity with indigenous communities around the globe following tragic reports of missing and murdered indigenous women and girls in Canada.

June 12

- Climate activists gather at Cornwall to protest a G7 meeting and call on world leaders to act against climate change.

June 18

- Fourteen-year-old Turkish climate and environmental activist Yagmur Ocak completes her 100th week of climate striking. "Now is the time to unite and to continue fighting for our future together with all climate activists," she writes on Twitter.

June 19

- Four Extinction Rebellion activists enter the Royal Ascot race track in the UK with a banner reading "Racing to extinction" and calling on Queen Elizabeth II to "act now" in the face of biodiversity loss and climate emergency.

JULY

July 2

- This year's global climate strike will be held on Sept. 24, Fridays for Future announced: "We will strike to demand intersectional climate justice! Our fight must be a fight for the present and the future, alongside the most impacted sectors of society. Join us!"

July 13

- Young climate and environmental activists gather in front of UN headquarters in New York amid the High-Level Political Forum 2021, to demand "those in power must stop the same".

July 19

- Twelve activists "occupy" the UK government building in Edinburg by staging a sit-in, calling on officials to end the Cambo oil field project.

July 27

- "Climate crisis is pushing Africa's indigenous people in Kenya to extinction," Fridays for Future Uganda says on Twitter, adding that those people rely on Lake Turkana for food but the lake shrank in the past few years due to climate crisis.

AUGUST

Aug. 6

- A group of climate activists hold demonstrations to demand action against climate change in the Estonian capital Tallinn and the second largest city Tartu, carrying banners that read "Climate crisis can't hear your empty promises."

Aug. 9

- Environmentalists and climate activists say the latest Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report "does not say anything new" as Swedish teenage activist Greta Thunberg also says on Twitter that it contains no real surprises and confirms what people already know.

Aug. 19

- Environmentalists protest the German government's climate policies in Berlin as the Extinction Rebellion group block roads leading to the Ministry of Food and Agriculture building.

Aug. 25

- Hundreds of environmentalist protesters descend on central London on a third day of mass protests planned across the British capital.

SEPTEMBER

Sept. 10

- Climate and environment activists in New Zealand complete their 106th week of a climate strike in front of parliament.

Sept. 14

- German activists enter day 16 of a hunger strike in front of the chancellery in Berlin to draw attention to the impact of climate change.

Sept. 21

- Four activists from Youth for Green Communities hold a climate strike, marching for 25 kilometers (16 miles) in Uganda to raise awareness on investing in clean energy, as well as demanding the government pass a climate bill.

Sept. 24

- Tens of thousands of climate activists around the world demonstrate as part of the global climate strike.

Sept. 28

- Activists, including Greta Thunberg, attend pre-COP meetings in Milan, Italy. She censures global leaders over their promises to address the climate emergency, saying their action amounted "blah, blah, blah."

OCTOBER

Oct. 1

- Climate activists in Milan hold protests amid the pre-COP26 meeting in the Italian city.

Oct. 4

- Greenpeace activists block Shell refinery in the Rotterdam port, the Netherlands, to protest the media and sponsorships of oil and gas companies.

Oct. 10

- Thousands of people march in Brussels to raise awareness on climate change prior to the UN COP26 conference in Glasgow.

Oct. 16

- Masses gather at Trafalgar Square and march to the British prime minister's office to protest the killing of hundreds of dolphins on Denmark's Faroe Islands as activists also call for sanctions on the islands.

Oct. 27

- Supporters of the Animal Rebellion movement climb UK's Defra (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs) and the Home Office building in London, demanding support for a plant-based food system at COP26.

NOVEMBER

Nov. 1

- A "COP26 Hot Air Band" involving Oxfam activists dressed in Scottish kilts and carrying bagpipes and drums, and wearing masks of presidents and prime ministers takes part in a protest in Royal Exchange Square during the COP26 UN Climate Summit in Glasgow.

Nov. 5

- The COP26 summit being held in Glasgow has failed, and it is no secret, says Swedish climate change activist Greta Thunberg.

Nov. 6

- Tens of thousands of people march through the streets of Glasgow, Scotland to protest against the negative effects of climate change and for Scottish independence.

Nov. 10

- Members of the environmental group Greenpeace stage action against climate change by sending 1,000 postcards to Indonesian President Joko Widodo.

Nov. 14

- Fridays for Future releases a statement after the end of COP26 that defines the results as "disappointing."


DECEMBER

Dec. 4

- Environmental activists in South Africa stage protest outside the Shell station in Cape Town's Newlands district to protest against seismic survey activities planned by the oil company.


Dec. 7

- Climate activists hold demonstration to protest climate change impact amid flooding in the Muara Angke Port area in Jakarta, Indonesia.

Dec. 10

- On the occasion of International Human Rights Day, environmentalists raise awareness on social media, remembering environmental defenders and activists who are under threats.

Dec. 17

- Every Acham, young Ugandan environmental activist, holds protest to raise awareness on Congo Rainforest on her weekly climate strike./aa

Asuicide bombing attack in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo city of Beni on Saturday killed at least three people.

Narcisse Muteba, the colonel running the city during the state of emergency in the east of the country, said the bomb had gone off in the city center. He called on residents to return to their homes for their own safety.

Although Muteba did not give a toll for the explosion, an Agence France-Presse (AFP) correspondent saw the remains of three bodies.

"Loss of human life has been reported. The security services have already been deployed and the first measures have been taken," Congolese government spokesperson Patrick Muyaya said on Twitter, without saying how many had died. He said the blast in the city of Beni had been caused by a suicide bomber.

There were no immediate claims of responsibility.

Congo and neighboring Uganda launched a military campaign in the area at the end of November against the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), a group aligned with Daesh terrorist group. Officials have previously blamed the group for bombings in the region.

Beni's Mayor Narcisse Muteba Kashale earlier told local radio that a bomb had exploded in the city center. "For safety, I'm asking the population to stay home," the mayor said.

A Reuters journalist nearby said he heard an explosion around 7 p.m., just after the afternoon Catholic mass, near the city's main road, followed by gunshots.

Images shared on social media showed dozens of green chairs scattered across a road, some melted or smoldering. Three bodies could be seen among the wreckage. Reuters could not immediately verify the authenticity of the images.

The joint Congolese and Ugandan campaign, launched on Nov. 30, had planned to target four ADF camps, including two in the Beni area, a Ugandan general had said earlier this month.

Beni was rocked by two explosions in June at a Catholic church and at a busy intersection. No one was killed in either blast apart from the suspected bomber, who was killed by the second explosion./DS

'Omicron accounts more than 10% of new COVID-19 cases in Turkey'

The omicron variant of the coronavirus now accounts for more than 10% of all new COVID-19 positive cases, Health Minister Fahrettin Koca said Saturday, urging citizens to take their booster shots.

In his statement, Koca said that the fast-spreading omicron variant is especially taking hold of Turkey's populous cities.

The health minister said that ongoing measures deployed during the pandemic, which are wearing face masks, social distancing and vaccines, will again be the norm for the omicron variant, in addition to avoiding crowded and poorly ventilated environments.

"Important data already suggests us common sense: We have seen that this new variant does not significantly increase hospitalization and intensive care, although its share is apparent in the total number of cases," Koca said.

"This development is one that we need to be more careful and have our missing vaccines. The importance of the booster dose in the new situation has increased," he said, adding that those who had their last shots three months before or earlier should have their booster shots.

Turkish health authorities have recently decreased the booster shot waiting period from six months to three months in a bid to prevent a so-called fifth wave of infections, this time by the omicron variant.

The country reported 20,470 positive cases on Saturday, slightly higher than 18,910 reported on Friday, with daily number of deaths standing at 145.

The omicron variant, first detected in South Africa, spread quickly in Europe and United States./DS

Russian authorities on Saturday blocked the website of a prominent monitoring group that tracks political arrests and provides legal aid to detainees, the latest move in a monthslong crackdown on independent media and human rights organizations.

OVD-Info reported that Russia's internet and communications watchdog, Roskomnadzor, blocked the group's website. The organization said in a tweet that it wasn't formally notified about the decision and doesn't know the reason for the action beyond that it was ordered by a court outside Moscow on Monday.

OVD-Info gained prominence for its meticulous tracking and counting of arrests during street protests in Russia. Activists first started the practice during mass protests triggered by a 2011 Russian parliamentary election tainted by numerous reports of voter fraud and then formed a group that has continued the work since.

The data has been indispensable to news outlets over the years as Russian authorities largely kept quiet or underplayed the scale of mass arrests at protests and demonstrations.

OVD-Info operates as a legal aid group as well, dispatching lawyers to help detained protesters at police stations and in courts. In September, a Sweden-based international human rights organization awarded OVD-Info its Civil Rights Defender of the Year award.

That same month Russian authorities designated the group as a "foreign agent” – a label that comes with excessive government scrutiny and strong pejorative connotations that can discredit recipients. OVD-Info's founders vowed to continue the organization's work despite the designation.

Russian authorities have mounted pressure on rights groups, media outlets and individual journalists in recent months, naming dozens as foreign agents. Some were declared as "undesirable” – a label that outlaws organizations in Russia – or accused of links to "undesirable” groups.

On Friday, Russia's Justice Ministry added two more rights groups to the registry of foreign agents: Coming Out and Revers, which advocate for LGBT rights and provide assistance to Russia's embattled LGBT community.

Russian law mandates a non-governmental organization, a media outlet, an informal movement or an individual to be listed as a foreign agent for having received foreign funding – even a small donation from a foreign national counts – and engaging in loosely defined political activity.

OVD-Info, together with other rights groups, launched a campaign in September to abolish the "foreign agents” law. As of late December, more than 240 organizations and over 260,000 individuals had signed a petition that describes the law as "discriminatory and unlawful.”/DS

Turkey's Financial Crimes Investigation Board (MASAK) slapped cryptocurrency exchange Biance with a fine of the maximum amount of 8 million Turkish lira ($750,000) for running afoul of the country's new regulations.

According to a report by Anadolu Agency (AA) Saturday, this fine is considered the first of its kind.

Turkey had earlier this year put a new set of laws into action regarding cryptocurrency platforms.

These state that the platforms need to track user information among other details, considered a move linked to tax regulations of digital currencies and to prevent money laundering.

The financial crimes board ordered this fine after Binance reportedly failed to come forward with the requested information and for therefore not abiding with the law./DS

Turkish police detained at least nine foreign nationals over their links to the Daesh terrorist group in Istanbul, security sources said Saturday.

Anti-terror police squads launched an operation to nab the suspects, believed to be a part of groups planning attacks on behalf of Daesh, said the sources, who requested anonymity due to restrictions on speaking to the media.

Police carried out simultaneous raids at 13 locations in five different districts of Istanbul.

A large number of digital materials and organizational documents were also seized during the raids.

Three of the suspects remain in police custody and six have been released on prosecutor's orders.

Police squads have been carrying out similar operations ahead of New Year's Day, as the terrorist group had previously targeted people celebrating the holiday.

At least 39 people, including a police officer, were killed when Daesh terrorist Masharipov, armed with an AK-47, opened fire on New Year's Eve revelers at the Reina nightclub in Istanbul's Ortaköy district in the early hours of Jan. 1, 2017.

The fatalities included 27 foreigners, and 79 people were wounded.

Turkey was one of the first countries to declare Daesh a terror group.

The country has since been attacked by Daesh terrorists multiple times. The group has carried out at least 10 suicide bombings, seven bomb attacks, and four armed attacks, killing 315 people and injuring hundreds more.

In response, Turkey launched anti-terror operations at home and abroad to prevent further attacks./DS

Muazzez Ilmiye Cig, 108, who has made world-renowned scientific studies in Sumerology, said choosing to work in a museum instead of being an academic was a huge turning point in her life.

She told Anadolu Agency that the work she did there brought her to the present day.

AA: How did you decide to study at Ankara University, Faculty of Language, History and Geography?

Cig: I am extremely happy that I chose Sumerology. It gave me a whole new world. Moreover, I am very happy to have unearthed something Ataturk desired. I was a teacher in Eskisehir. The Faculty of Language, History and Geography was opened in Ankara. When it was opened, the teachers asked for a one-time admission to the faculty. My father said, ‘Faculty is open, do you want to go?.’ My late father was very curious. We were immigrants then. I was giving my salary to my family. Back in our time, the children were giving their salaries to their families as soon as they received them. I thought, my father is just a teacher, what could happen to him if I go to university. I couldn’t decide because his salary was too low. My friend Hatice Kizilyay told me that teachers were going to Ankara and register just in case, and she encouraged me to do the same. If I can find a place to live, I’ll consider going.

108-year-old Turkish Sumerologist Muazzez Ilmiye Cig

After making the decision, I asked my mother to prepare a bed and a quilt. Then the two girls got up and left. Consider two girls at that time. There is no proper money, Hatice has a widowed mother, her father was a martyr.

AA: When you look at your life spanning over a century, what was your turning point?

Cig: Sometimes I think about the past. There were many important things. But most importantly, I graduated from the Department of Hittitology Sumerology at the Faculty of Language, History and Geography in Ankara. Our German professor wanted us to stay at the university. I didn't want to because I was engaged at the time. I thought ‘what if my fiance can’t make it to stay at the university and become an academician?’

Afterward, they assigned me to the Istanbul Archeology Museum. That was the greatest time of my life. A big turning point for me. The work I did there brought me to today. Those were tremendous times. We started writing an article about what we found there. Foreigners began to come from outside immediately, we worked with them and wrote books.

We wrote eight books there, no one knew about it. The books belonged only to Sumerologists, to those who studied Sumerian science.

AA: Do you continue to work in the field of Sumerology?

Cig: I can't work anymore, but I follow the books that come out. There are books coming, I look at them. There are not many people working on Sumerology either here or abroad.

Sumerology is not known in the world like in our country. There are no books for the public abroad. There is a book called History Begins in Sumer. The whole culture started from Sumer. Europe, the West, found the mother of all its culture in the Greeks.

Today, it turns out that the mother of all cultures is the Sumerians. It is very difficult for them to change, because it has been written for many years. For this reason, there is no one who knows about the Sumerians as much as in our country.

AA: How does it feel to be recognized in the field of Sumerology?

Cig: I don't feel special because I learned, knew and did these things. I am only happy when I see that my books are being read and shown interest.

AA: What is the secret of success for you? If you could give advice to students, what would it be?

Cig: The secret to success is to work without thinking. Work without thinking things like ‘What will happen now? What am I going to do with it.’ I worked hard, really hard. My friend Hatice Kizilyay died early. We were going to write books with her, it didn't happen. She died early, leaving the field to me. Young people should work without thinking and read a lot.

The Sumerians 5,000 years ago said: ‘What's your free time for? What did you spend your free time for? If you know, why don't you teach?’

You will teach what you know. Some people read, but it's all up to them. It has no value. I think it will take that information to the grave. Something needs to be done with that information. You will write a book, an article, you will tell, you will surely scatter what you know. This is really important.

AA: When you compare the period you studied with today, how do you evaluate the position of women?

Cig: Today, we have women who are extremely successful in science, technology, art and all fields and receive awards. We have women who have won awards around the world. Sometimes I was cutting out newspaper clippings where I read them. In 80 years, we made progress that Europe made in the Renaissance in 400 years. The women of Europe became like our women only 400 years later.

We have done it in 80 years, it is very, very important. This should never be forgotten. I hope our women will continue this.

AA: What is the most important aspect of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk for you?

Cig: Atatürk said, ‘I have to teach my beautiful people that they are Turkish and show how high Turkishness is.’

What did he do? He opened Ankara University Faculty of Language, History and Geography. This faculty was to train experts who would research and learn how far the Turkish language, history and culture goes. That was the whole purpose of the faculty. Thus, Atatürk made a very important contribution to culture.

AA: You have decided to leave your home in Istanbul and live in Mersin. Are you satisfied with your decision?

Cig: I liked Mersin very much --- its air and location are beautiful. If we lived in an apartment, I wouldn't come. We came to the cottage for vacation. A few months later, I told my daughter, ‘I'm not leaving here.’ Then she said, ‘Mom, I’m not leaving either.’ So we've been living here for years. I am very happy with my decision.

AA: As someone who grew up with books and published many written works, how did you adapt to technology?

Cig: I am a person accustomed to technology from the very beginning. When I was teaching at the age of 20, I made an electric table to teach children about the kerrat ruler. When they pressed correctly, the lamp would turn on. I did this when I was 20. I also made a telegraph device in the classroom to explain the telegraph to the children.

I have never seen this in teachers. I did these years ago. I am familiar with technology. These were in the years 1933-1934. As soon as the computer came out, I bought a computer typewriter, and we bought a computer. After that, I wrote all my books with a computer./aa