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Lt. Gen. David Petraeus, President Bush's choice for top U.S. military commander in Iraq, meets with the Senate Armed Services Committee. But Tuesday's confirmation hearing mostly gave senators a chance to voice their own opinions on the conflict.

The United States has so far publicly committed $86 million dollars to help train and equip President Mahmoud Abbas's presidential guard, along with up to $42 million to promote alternatives to Hamas. The funds, which haven't been approved by Congress, are central to American efforts to bolster Palestinian moderates to counter the Islamists. Hamas calls it coup money.

Assistant Secretary of State Christopher Hill met secretly with his North Korean counterpart this week for three days of talks in Berlin. Hill said the Bush administration would be willing to sit down with North Korea in an effort to normalize relations, but only if Pyongyang gives up its nuclear program.

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is in Berlin as efforts continue to sell allies on President Bush's new Iraq strategy, and to revive the Israeli-Palestinian peace process. Her trip to the Middle East appears to have yielded mixed results.

As President Bush pushes forward with his revised strategy for Iraq, including a boost in U.S. forces, his ambassador to Baghdad acknowledges that patience is running out among Americans.

United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon says the international body faces many challenges, but that he anticipates progress in Sudan and North Korea. He shares his thoughts on these conflicts, Iran and Iraq.

As part of its new strategy for Iraq, the White House is embracing people and policies it once ignored. Last week, one diplomat retapped was Timothy Carney, who resigned after two months — angry and outspoken about mismanagement in Iraq. Carney will now manage the reconstruction in Iraq.

Last week, President Bush vowed to crack down on Iran, which he accused of giving weapons and support to Iraqi militants. As he made the threat on TV, U.S. forces captured five Iranians in a liaison office in the Kurdish-controlled city of Erbil, Iraq. The move infuriated the Kurds, who have traditionally been America's closest allies in Iraq.

Last week, New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson visited Sudan's Darfur region. Richardson says he brokered a cease-fire agreement between rebel groups and the Sudanese government, although some rebels are now denying this. He also tells Debbie Elliott that the Sudanese government seems to be easing some repressive measures.

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, Secretary of Defense Robert Gates and Gen. Peter Pace, chairman of the Joing Chiefs of Staff, spoke with the media Thursday morning about the administration's new strategy for Iraq.