Ronahî: On Wednesday, severe floods and landslides struck along the border between China’s Tibet Autonomous Region and Nepal. At least one hundred sixty-five people lost their lives.

Ronahî: And the toll may rise further, as more than one thousand three hundred people are still missing. Search-and-rescue work continues across a wide area.

Kamîran: One thousand three hundred missing — that is far higher than the death count. So the scale of the disaster is still unclear.

Ronahî: Exactly. The floods devastated a broad region, making access to many areas difficult. Therefore, in the coming days it will become clearer how many of the missing will add to the death toll.

Kamîran: Moving from the disaster to Syria — there is a notable decision on the Kurdish language.

Ronahî: Yes. The Ministry of Education of Syria’s transitional government decided that Kurdish will be taught in public and private schools. The move is presented as part of protecting cultural and linguistic rights.

Ronahî: On the other hand, intellectuals note that even if the step succeeds, it is not enough. In their view, Kurdish must receive official status in Syria’s future constitution — what they call the key to citizens’ equality.

Kamîran: So there is a difference between teaching the language in school and giving it official status in the constitution.

Ronahî: Precisely. A member of the Union of Intellectuals, Abdulwahab Pirani, stresses that teaching is an initial step, but real protection depends on constitutional status.

Ronahî: In the same vein, the General Command of the Women’s Protection Units, YPJ, issued a statement about the meetings in Damascus. According to the statement, on the twenty-sixth of August, YPJ representatives met with Interior Minister Anas Khattab, and the talks were positive and constructive.

Kamîran: And what is the goal of these talks?

Ronahî: Completing the integration process. The YPJ says it will continue its meetings so the process reaches a conclusion. According to private sources, the meeting ended around quarter past midnight, and it is said that the YPJ’s autonomy will be taken into account.

Ronahî: But it must be noted that so far we have only heard the YPJ side and the sources — there is no substantial official statement from the ministry.

Kamîran: Syria was also on the agenda at the United Nations.

Ronahî: Yes, during the Security Council session, officials stated that conditions in Syria are improving more rapidly, and they called for support for stability and reconstruction.

Kamîran: At the same time, there was also discussion of the air strikes.

Ronahî: Indeed. Turkey’s National Defense Ministry called for an immediate halt to Israeli strikes on Syrian territory. Turkey says it is watching developments closely, while the United States is trying to establish a mechanism to prevent clashes between Israel, Turkey, and Syria.

Kamîran: From the Middle East to Europe — Germany’s summer brought a grim record.

Ronahî: According to estimates by the Robert Koch Institute, up to the sixteenth of August this summer, fifteen thousand eight hundred people lost their lives because of the extreme heat.

Ronahî: And this is a record — the previous figure was announced only last week, so in a very short time the number has risen even higher.

Ronahî: In Iran, thirty-three-year-old Leyla Abolhassani, a mother of two, was sentenced to death on the charge of ‘enmity against God’. She had been arrested for filming inside a shop.

Kamîran: Simply for filming — and the outcome is a death sentence.

Ronahî: According to reports, she is one of many citizens facing harsh court verdicts. At the same time, two Kurdish sisters in Urmia were detained two months ago and no information about them has been received so far.

Kamîran: And we close with a report from the sea.

Ronahî: Britain’s Maritime Trade Operations Authority reported that last night an oil tanker was targeted in the Strait of Hormuz. The vessel caught fire, but the blaze was later extinguished.

Kamîran: And do we know who targeted it, or whose ship it was?

Ronahî: No, that is also unclear. The statement says that so far neither the identity of the vessel nor its intended destination has been clarified.