The growth rate of the Russian economy increased last year, while inflation remained low, the World Bank said in its 2019 World Economic Outlook. “Although economic sanctions tightened, Russia experienced relatively low and stable inflation and increased oil production. [...]

Huawei has laid off around 70 percent of staff at its Futurewei Technologies research arm in the US. Despite recent signals that Washington was easing pressure on the Chinese tech giant, the ban is still in force. [...]

Iranian secret services uncovered a 17-member spy ring working against the country, according to state-affiliated media. Some of the agents have been given capital punishment. [...]

A Venezuelan Su-30 fighter “aggressively shadowed” an American spy plane over the Caribbean Sea, the US military said, claiming the jet was at an “unsafe distance” and blaming Russia for its “irresponsible” support for Caracas. [...]

The US has punished Turkey for buying Russian air defense systems by cutting it from the F-35 program. The rationale behind the move is speculative, and Ankara’s example may prompt other US allies to buy Russian, experts told RT. [...]

The nosedive comes against the background of the ongoing trade row between Beijing and Washington, which, however, showed signs of nearing a resolution late last month when President Trump announced that he will not impose new tariffs on China. [...]

The leader of the world’s container port rankings, Yangshan Port, works around the clock to secure its top position and boost China’s trade connections. RTD’s new film offers a glimpse inside the massive facility. [...]

The US continues to “strangle” Iran’s economy by imposing sanctions on Tehran as well as other countries that attempt to trade with Iran, Medea Benjamin, co-founder of the peace group Code Pink, told Radio Sputnik’s Loud & Clear Friday. [...]

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Russian President Vladimir Putin congratulated Syrian President Bashar Assad on Sunday on the occasion of the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries and pledged to defeat terrorism in Syria by joint efforts. [...]

Huawei is spearheading the quantum communication technology in a bid to build "unhackable" networks. Cyber security experts have discussed whether the tech giant's efforts would make US eavesdropping techniques, once described by Edward Snowden, obsolete. [...]

Russian planes carrying components for Ankara’s recently-purchased S-400 air defence system began touching down in Turkey a week ago, with the White House announcing on Wednesday that the deliveries made the country’s continued involvement in the F-35 programme “impossible”. [...]

Earlier, the territory's head stated that Gibraltar police and customs agencies detained a vessel suspected of transporting oil to Syria in violation of EU sanctions. [...]

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) - US President Donald Trump discussed the investigation into the MH17 air crash with visiting Netherlands Prime Minister Mark Rutte, the White House said in a statement. [...]

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif previously noted that the EU mechanism for bilateral transactions with Tehran bypassing US sanctions could include other interested countries, such as Russia and Turkey. [...]

MOSCOW (Sputnik) – Russia's Sukhoi Su-57 (also known as the PAK FA and the T-50) fifth-generation jet fighter now has an export permit, and the Russian government is reportedly reviewing documents to officially rename the aircraft from its T-50 internal designation to Su-57, according to a source in the Russian aviation industry. [...]

The furious reaction in Washington to Turkey’s receipt of the Russian S-400 air defence system is motivated by several factors – all of which spell a heavy blow to US strategic interests. After two years of American bullying and threats, Turkey has finally gone ahead and taken delivery of the S-400 system this week. [...]

The trade volume between Russia and China is expected to continue to accelerate and reach new heights, doubling the current record level of $108 billion, the Russian economy ministry says. [...]

Chinese telecom giant Huawei has secured more than 50 commercial contracts for 5G across the world, according to the company’s board member and Senior Vice President Catherine Chen, who was cited by news agency Xinhua. [...]

Police in Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh arrested a cleric who allegedly raped a nine-year-old girl on mosque premises while the local imam was away on leave. The cleric later publicly admitted his guilt. [...]

Turkey has blasted the US decision to kick it out of the F-35 fighter jet program, in response to Ankara buying Russian S-400 air defense systems, as a mistake that will cause permanent damage to the US-Turkish relations. [...]

In a report detailing NATO’s deterrence policy, a Canadian senator for the Defence and Security Committee of the alliance’s Parliamentary Assembly accidentally revealed several sites the US uses to store its weapons of mass destruction in Europe. The list includes bases in Turkey, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, and Belgium. [...]

Italy’s Deputy PM Matteo Salvini has said that an investigation into a “Ukrainian group’s” plot to kill him was what led to a major seizure of weapons, including an air-to-air missile and neo-Nazi memorabilia, by police this week. [...]