Interviews

Turkey plans to construct 22 new dams in the South Anatolia region but such a decision has already sparked concern of Iranian authorities, as this construction will lead to the drying up of two major water sources for Iran. Sputnik discussed this issue with an Iranian environmentalist.

More than 40,000 civilians have reportedly perished as a result of the Mosul liberation operation, media reported, citing a Kurdish politician. Given the capabilities of modern precision weapons, this is a very large figure. A Russian military analyst explained why this has happened in an interview with Sputnik Radio.

A long journey starts with a single step. In an attempt to gain footing in the European market, China chose to start with a small country, which opens great opportunities for Beijing. Sputnik explores why.

Recently reports were released suggesting that Daesh may wage an insurgency and resemble an al-Qaeda on “steroids” after its defeat. There is also an ongoing debate about whether Daesh leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi is still alive or not. Sputnik Radio spoke with analyst David Cook about these claims.

In Venezuela, where most of the country's residents voted against the convening of a constituent assembly in a popular referendum, a pattern similar to that of Maidan in Kiev back in 2014 was seen, according to the head of the Russian Institute for Strategic Studies (RISI) Center for Public Relations Igor Pshenichnikov.

France wants to use Brexit to weaken Britain and degrade the City of London, former UK Foreign Office Minister Jeremy Browne said. In a memorandum leaked to the Daily Mail, Browne wrote that the talks he attended in Paris were the worst he had anywhere in the European Union. Sputnik Radio spoke with Peter Holmes on the issue.

Philip Kovacevic, professor of geopolitics at the University of San Francisco in California spoke to Sputnik in an interview about how NATO tried to ignite a Russian-Turkish conflict and its failure.

Sputnik met with a man who witnessed the cruel Donbass war with his own eyes. He explained why the issue of the conflict is scarcely covered in Europe and Italy in particular.

In an interview with correspondents Anastasia Levchenko and Elizaveta Isakova, UN Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura expressed hope for drastic changes on the ground in Syria by the end of the year.

The Japanese company Nomura has designed a new gadget that lets music lovers taste songs. Squeeze Music is a juice maker that blends a glass of juice according to the mood of a song.

NASA intends to test a new type of technology to protect the Earth from asteroids. In a press release, the space agency reported that the technology is called DART and it is based on a kinetic impact on the asteroid.

The masters of Syria’s ancient traditional crafts that are traditional for Syria are returning to Aleppo to reopen their workshops after the city’s liberation from Daesh.

Celalettin Yavuz, a military expert and former adviser to the chairman of the Nationalist Movement Party (PND) for foreign policy and security, spoke to Sputnik Turkey in an interview about the ongoing Astana talks and their importance for determining the future of the Syrian city of Raqqa after it is liberated from Daesh.

A senior representative of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) on condition of anonymity told Sputnik Turkey that the United States continues to actively strengthen its military presence in northern Syria.

The head of the Iraqi federal police said that during the operation to liberate the western part of Mosul, 32.5 metric tons of ammonium nitrate was unearthed; the compound is commonly used as a component for making explosives.

Canada’s University of Western Ontario has launched what it envisions will become the world’s largest sleep study. This study aims to determine how much sleep is sufficient for most people.

Employees of the central military commissariat of Aleppo state that the number of those wishing to join Syrian army units in order to fight terrorists is increasing every month as the liberation of the city has motivated hundreds of former students and school pupils to put on military uniforms.

South Korean President Moon Jae-in completed his first official visit to the United States. There, the leader who promised to establish a dialogue with Pyongyang and who showed signs of making foreign policy decisions which were independent from the US was compelled to toe the line.

The Philippines are getting millions in weaponry from China in a move to fight Daesh. Philippines Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said that Beijing has donated $ 7.35 million in weapons and ammunition to fight the terrorists.

Nuri Mehmud, an official representative of the Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG), said in an interview with Sputnik Turkey that the group will defend its territories if there is an attack on Afrin from Turkey.