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Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke says a widening U.S. income gap threatens economic progress. But he urges policymakers to avoid actions that could limit international trade or the flexibility of labor markets.

Defense Secretary Robert Gates and Joint Chiefs of Staff chair Peter Pace talk money with the Senate Armed Services Committee. Democrats pressed both with tough questions about funding requests for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Kurdish authorities are trying to preserve an ancient citadel above Irbil that local historians say has been a site of human habitation for 7,000 years. But in order to preserve it, they've had to relocate its most recent habitants — refugee Kurds.

An approaching African Union summit may feature a showdown with Sudan over the crisis in its Darfur region. New U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon is expected to press Sudan to let the U.N. help the African Union's beleaguered peacekeeping force.

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.

Dreamgirls is nominated for eight Academy Awards, but not for Best Picture. Babel, which is among five nominees for the top film, earns seven nominations.

Gen. David Petraeus — poised to become the top commander in Iraq — has been there before. He is well-regarded by fellow officers and military experts, but he faces immense challenges in his latest assignment.

The House of Representatives approves a bill to cut student loan interest rates in half over the next 5 years. The measure passed with bipartisan support. The Democrats' bill would reduce interest rates on college loans for low- and middle-income students, by stepping them down slowly, from the current 6.8 percent to 3.4 percent in five years.

Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL) forms a presidential exploratory committee and says that he will announce his plans — to run for the top office or not — on Feb. 10. Obama's move allows him to raise money for a presidential candidacy.

President Bush's secretaries of State and Defense spent their days defending his new plan in Iraq, first at a White House news conference and then on Capitol Hill. Secretaries Rice and Gates found only minimal support for a greater troop commitment in Congress.