Russian parliament confirmed former president Putin as new prime minister

WASHINGTON, Dec. 3 (UPI) -- Russia announced last week it carried out a successful test launch of a new intercontinental ballistic missile capable of carrying multiple independently targeted re-entry vehicle warheads.

MOSCOW, Dec. 2 (UPI) -- The Russian government signed an agreement to move forward with the design and construction of a second artery of the Baltic Pipeline System, around Belarus.

AUSTIN, Texas, Dec. 2 (UPI) -- "Change" was the English word used most often in the world's media and on the Internet in 2008, and Barack Obama was the top name, U.S. researchers say.

UPI Almanac for Tuesday, Dec. 2, 2008.

WASHINGTON, Dec. 1 (UPI) -- The Arctic Ocean is quickly re-emerging as a strategic area where vital U.S. interests are at stake. The geopolitical and geo-economic importance of the arctic region is rising rapidly, and its mineral wealth will likely transform the region into a booming economic frontier in the 21st century.

MOSCOW, Nov. 28 (UPI) -- A political analyst says global economic turmoil may be speeding up maneuvering in Russia for Vladimir Putin's return to the presidency as early as 2009.

MOSCOW, Nov. 27 (UPI) -- Support for Russia's top politicians and the government has remained strong through the current financial crisis, a state-run poll said.

WASHINGTON, Nov. 26 (UPI) -- Almost two months before President-elect Barack Obama takes office, U.S. and Russian diplomats already have been meeting quietly in Moscow to explore the possibility of a new negotiating process to defuse tensions between the two thermonuclear superpowers over U.S. plans to deploy ballistic missile defense systems in Central Europe.

WASHINGTON, Nov. 25 (UPI) -- The rollercoaster saga of the proposed U.S. ballistic missile defense bases in Central Europe took another downward dip on Friday: The powerful speaker of the Czech Parliament said he was now sure the crucial radar base to be located in his country would never be built.

WASHINGTON, Nov. 24 (UPI) -- The Russian armed forces are prepared to deploy their short-range Iskander missiles in the Kaliningrad province to target the proposed U.S. ballistic missile defense base to be built in Poland, right now, or whenever needed, Russia's top general warned Wednesday.