In marking their annual visit to Rome, Pope Benedict XVI, leader of the world's 1.2 billion Catholics, has told the diplomatic corps accredited to the Vatican that peace is an integral way of life, not merely the absence of conflict.

A report from United States intelligence agencies has undermined those close to the White House who have been arguing for unilateral military action against Iran by saying that Tehran halted its nuclear weapons programme in 2003.

Transformational diplomacy is not about entrenching Western interests in Palestine-Israel, says Michael Marten. It is about encouraging advice from regional experts, engaging with ‘the enemy’, treating Occupier and Occupied as such and working towards a just resolution.

Amid continued speculation about how they will get on, and their differences on religion and other issues, the announcement was made today that new UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown will meet US President George W. Bush.

Both the Easter story and recent political dramas in the Middle East highlight deep questions about power, says Colin Morris. They show that the power of life is about persuasion.

While diplomatic and military rhetoric in the exchanges between the United States and Iranian senior politicians remains heated, thirteen Christian leaders from the USA are preparing for a visit to Iran next week (17-25 February 2007) ‚Ä' with the aim of building bridges rather than stoking conflict.