Vladimir Putin said he does not foresee any military action in Syria’s Idlib in the near future, stressing that peace –not fighting– is the ultimate goal. Putin spoke at a briefing with Austria’s Sebastian Kurz in St Petersburg. [...]

The US is withdrawing from the "optional protocol" in the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, John Bolton has confirmed. He said it follows a case brought by Palestine, challenging the US embassy's move to Jerusalem. [...]

Follow RT to get the latest news and updates from Austria, including politics, culture, sport and weather. Austria is a country in Europe, the capital of which is Vienna. It has a border with, and is historically close to, Germany. Austria is one of the largest economies and world’s richest state by per capita in GDP terms. Find news on the economy, finance and market in Austria. [...]

The practice of using "unwritten" rules has been in existence for years in China, making the entry into the country's market more difficult for foreign firms. With the unfolding trade between Beijing and Washington these rules may be weaponized, warns a think tank. [...]

With the trade war between two world’s largest economies gaining momentum, there is a genuine risk that all Chinese goods imported by the US will be slammed with new tariffs, being a part of “administration-wide” broadside against China. [...]

China denied a request from the US Navy’s USS Wasp F-35 carrier to make a port call in Hong Kong amid trade tensions between the superpowers and Beijing’s recent decision to recall an admiral from participating in the International Seapower Symposium in Rhode Island. [...]

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) - The Securities and Exchanges Commission (SEC) has filed charges against an Austria-based securities dealer and CEO for allegedly violating US laws linked to security-based swaps funded with bitcoins, the agency said in a press release. [...]

A photo of a MiG-31 interceptor jet carrying a huge missile has sparked speculation that Russia has revived an old project involving an air-launched anti-satellite weapon system. MiG-31 is a superfast Mach-3 fighter jet which recently acquired fame as the platform for the hypersonic Kinzhal missile. [...]

A fiery speech by an Iranian representative, responding to Saudi accusations at the UN General Assembly, blamed terrorist activity around the globe on Riyadh – and even quoted Hillary Clinton to back that up. Accusing Iran of supporting terrorism was a “strange and outlandish claim” by Saudi Foreign Minister Adel Jubeir the Iranian representative said. [...]

In the conflict-torn Donbass region, medical evacuation teams play a vital role in saving the lives of those wounded by shelling. On alert 24/7, and responding to calls in the most dangerous areas, the doctors risk everything to save people’s lives regardless of what side of the conflict they are on. RT Doc film crew joins one of the teams to witness what they deal with on a daily basis and hear [...]

The United States has no right to tell European companies who they can trade and develop economic relations with, according to the Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel. “We cannot accept that the US decided the regions with which European companies can or cannot do business,” Michel said in an interview with Belgian French-language broadcaster RTBF shortly after meeting with Iranian President [...]

A hypersonic anti-aircraft missile with a range of over 300km will be part of the arsenal of the Su-57, Russia’s most-advanced multipurpose fighter jet. The weapon is meant to take out high-value targets with impunity. The Su-57 is Russia’s first 5th-generation aircraft, designed to be a formidable threat to major air powers such as the US. [...]

The media have been quick to label the departure of German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s ally Volker Kauder as the latest in a series of “blows” to the chancellor. But Merkel shows no signs of being blown away just yet. [...]

In a speech to the United Nations Security Council, President Trump blamed China for meddling in US elections. On Twitter, the #resistance is furious he didn’t name the old boogeyman: Russia. [...]

The Pentagon will remove four batteries of PAC-3 Patriot missiles from three Middle-Eastern countries, according to the Wall Street Journal. The report said the missiles are needed elsewhere to counter China and Russia. [...]

Over the weekend, the UK Office for National Statistics (ONS) published a report highlighting the most popular first names for baby boys and girls in England and Wales in 2017 using birth registration data. According to the UK Office for National Statistics, Muhammad became one of the top-10 most popular names for baby boys in London and several other large British cities last year. [...]

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Russia may supply Syria with other defense equipment in addition to the S-300 air defense system to ensure the safety of its troops following the downing of a Russian Il-20 plane last week, Viktor Bondarev, the chairman of the Russian parliament's upper house Defense and Security Committee, said on Monday. [...]

MOSCOW - Russia may take steps to prevent further incidents involving the Israeli Air Force jets and has all the capabilities to close Syrian airspace to Israeli military aircraft if it becomes necessary, a member of the Russian parliament's upper house's defense committee, Frants Klintsevich, told Sputnik on Sunday. [...]

Data captured by Russia’s S-400 system in Syria proves Israeli jets were responsible for the downing the Russian plane, the Defense Ministry said, adding that the Syrian missile changed its course shortly before hitting the Il-20. Data captured by Russia’s S-400 system in Syria proves Israeli jets were responsible for the downing the Russian plane, the Defense Ministry said, adding that the Sy [...]

On the heels of an Israeli air raid on Syria, which saw the downing of a Russian plane, Moscow will now deliver S-300 anti-aircraft systems to Damascus. Here’s a quick guide to the sophisticated weapon and its capabilities. The Syrian Army has long sought to procure the S-300 from Russia, but talks which began in mid-2000 were interrupted by the civil war in 2011. [...]

Russia’s decision to boost Syrian air defenses in response to the downing of an Il-20 plane amid an Israeli raid is meant to sting, but not pose a serious threat to Israel’s national security, experts told RT. Last week, a Russian Il-20 electronic warfare plane with 15 crew on board was shot down off Syria’s coast by a Syrian anti-air missile fired in response to an Israeli air raid. [...]

Washington is fiercely fighting for Germany’s energy market, trying to sell more of its liquefied natural gas (LNG) to the country, and to wrestle one of the biggest energy consumers away from Russian energy giant Gazprom. Germany currently gets around 60 of its natural gas imports from Russia. [...]