Moscow: Russia's economy saw year-on-year growth of 1.8 percent in the second quarter benefitting from rising oil prices and despite increasingly harsh US sanctions, the national statistic agency Rosstat said. Russia's economy expanded by 1.3 percent in the first quarter of the year compared to the same period of 2017, after two years of recession in 2015 and 2016. The return to growth seen in 2017 has continued this year despite the announcement in April of new US sanctions over Russia's alleged meddling in 2016 presidential elections won by Donald Trump.–AFP