WASHINGTON, Oct. 15 (UPI) -- The U.S. government racked up a record $455 billion deficit in fiscal 2008, an even larger shortfall than expected, officials revealed Tuesday.

WASHINGTON, Oct. 9 (UPI) -- U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is expected to appoint seasoned U.S. diplomat and former U.S. Ambassador to Algeria and Syria Christopher Ross as his personal envoy for Western Sahara. This appointment hopefully will continue the momentum of the current negotiations process to end the three-decades-old conflict between Morocco and the Polisario Front, an Algerian-backed rebel movement that has challenged Morocco's historical sovereignty over a Colorado-sized desert territory in North Africa (sometimes known as the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic).

UPI Almanac for Thursday, Oct. 9, 2008.

The Iraqi government and U.S. forces have been trying to track the resistance since 2004 and stop their attacks. While many think the resistance is no longer visible, others disagree.

WASHINGTON, Oct. 7 (UPI) -- U.S. cartoonist Berkeley Breathed has announced plans to end his Sunday-only comic strip "Opus" next month.

LOS ANGELES, Oct. 4 (UPI) -- The vice presidential debate in St. Louis between Democrat Joe Biden and Republican Sarah Palin drew more than 70 million viewers, ratings indicate.

WASHINGTON, Sept. 30 (UPI) -- Sunni tribes' fight against al-Qaida in Iraq in the U.S. counterinsurgency strategy was a matter of allying with the stronger force, an analyst says.

WASHINGTON, Sept. 30 (UPI) -- It took only a few hours for the 133 Republicans and 95 Democrats who voted against the emergency bailout plan Monday to learn the first costs of their actions: $1.2 trillion.

NEW YORK, Sept. 27 (UPI) -- The televised debate between White House hopefuls U.S. Sens. Barack Obama and John McCain drew surprisingly low ratings, Nielsen Media Research said.

WASHINGTON, Sept. 17 (UPI) -- The Bush administration faced another High Noon on Wall Street and backed down again Tuesday: It has bailed out the gigantic American International Group to the tune of $85 billion.