Ronahî: According to a human rights organisation, Iranian authorities carried out executions at the central prison of Zanjan on three prisoners: Fateh Shafii, aged thirty three, Hasan Mehdi Pour, aged thirty, and Arif Dorosti, aged fifty one. The same organisation confirmed the execution of a woman at the central prison of Dastgerd in Isfahan.

Ronahî: On another front, the Revolutionary Court in Tehran has handed down death sentences to three young Kurds from Kermanshah. Two of them are Khosrow Mohammadi Nia and Masoud Toshmalani, while the third is a twenty two year old. All three were detained by security forces during the recent protests in Tehran.

Kamîran: So on the same day both executions took place and new death sentences were issued. This is happening despite international reaction, is it not?

Ronahî: Yes. A report published in October states that thirty six countries issued a joint statement condemning the high rate of executions in Iran and calling for an immediate halt. The statement was read by the representative of Liechtenstein at the sixty third session of the Human Rights Council.

Ronahî: It should be noted that all information about the executions and sentences comes from human rights organisations. No statement from Iranian authorities appears in the reports.

Kamîran: We move to Syria. The reactions we mentioned yesterday from Jazira have now reached the schools of Til Marouf as well.

Ronahî: The interim government's decision to limit Kurdish lessons to three hours a week has sparked a new wave of protests across northern and eastern Syria. Students in Til Marouf, near Tell Abyad, sharply criticised the restriction and said they stand by their demand for education in their mother tongue.

Ronahî: The director of the Academy for Educational Research, Zelikha Abdi, also said that Kurdish language rights must be protected in Syria's constitution and criticised the continued marginalisation of Kurds in the country.

Kamîran: How great is the need for these lessons?

Ronahî: According to initial figures, more than one hundred eighty five thousand students across the provinces of Hasaka, Aleppo, Damascus and Hama have registered to learn Kurdish. So the three hour limit falls on this large number.

Kamîran: When education is discussed, another door has opened in Damascus, this time for universities.

Ronahî: Mazloum Abdi, adviser to the Syrian Presidency, met in Damascus with a delegation and the Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research, Marwan al Halabi. Ilham Ahmed and the minister's assistants were also present.

Ronahî: They discussed ways to integrate universities of northern and eastern Syria, such as the University of Rojava and the University of Kobani, into the ministry system and to recognise diplomas. They also discussed evaluating staff so that they may enter the ministry cadres according to their abilities and diplomas.

Kamîran: So while there is disagreement over the Kurdish language in schools, negotiations over universities continue.

Ronahî: The interim government's decision to raise fuel prices in Girke Lege has also increased the prices of food, vegetables and fruit. Residents say they cannot meet basic needs before winter.

Ronahî: Abdulwahab Ali said that prices of materials linked to diesel have raised the cost of living, and the price of sand he uses for his commercial project has also risen.

Kamîran: So an increase in one price spreads from the household table to construction work.

Ronahî: The Lebanese army announced that one of its units seized a truck loaded with explosives on Thursday on the north-eastern border with Syria. According to the statement, the truck contained two hundred forty five kilograms of TNT and bombs.

Kamîran: And those transporting it?

Ronahî: According to the army, the smugglers who tried to bring the truck from Syria into Lebanon fled. The statement does not say for whom the explosives were intended.

Ronahî: A series of explosions occurred around the military airport of Taftanaz in Idlib. According to local sources, after a strong explosion two more explosions were heard and smoke and dust rose over the airport area.

Kamîran: But the cause of the explosions is still unclear.

Ronahî: Yes, neither the cause nor the extent of damage nor any human losses have been reported. In Aleppo, since Thursday evening rain has caused flooding; water entered homes and shops in the neighbourhoods of Salah al Din, Sayf al Dawla, Fayd and Karam al Jazmati and Al Afrah Street, and vehicle traffic was obstructed.