U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said on Friday that there is no evidence that top leaders in the Pakistani government knew where al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden was hiding.

Clinton's surprise visit to Islamabad came amid high tensions between the U.S. and Pakistan following the discovery of bin Laden close to the city's capital. It is the first high-level visit to Pakistan since the U.S. killing of bin Laden.

She said U.S. and Pakistani relations have "reached a turning point" but said there was more work to be done in the fight against terrorist group al-Qaida. more >>

Leading Ecumenicals from around the world have asked for forgiveness for Christianity’s history of being complicit in violence, injustice, racism and discrimination.

At the conclusion of the International Ecumenical Peace Convocation (IEPC) nearly 1,000 delegates pledged to work closer with other faiths to establish peace in global communities.

Delegates expressed their regret at the complicity of Christians in violence: “We realise that Christians have often been complicit in systems of violence, injustice, militarism, racism, casteism, intolerance and discrimination,” they said. “We ask God to forgive us our sins, and to transform us as agents of righteousness and advocates of just peace.” more >>

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addressed a joint session of Congress for almost an hour today, calling for a fully demilitarized Palestinian state. Netanyahu was interrupted by applause 56 times from the bipartisan body, 26 of which were standing ovations.

Netanyahu began his speech by saying, “Israel has no better friend than America. And America has no better friend than Israel.” Every U.S. President since Richard Nixon has tried to reach a peace agreement with Palestine and Israel, all with little or no lasting results.

The address was in large part in response to President Obama’s comment last week suggesting the borders between Israel and Palestine revert back to the 1967 borders, which Netanyahu called, “indefensible” in his remarks. The Israeli prime minister was in obvious disagreement with Obama over terms for a future Palestinian state. more >>

President Barack Obama repeated on Sunday his proposal for Israel’s 1967 borders to be the starting point for peace talks between Israel and Palestine.

The 1967 lines refer to Israel's borders before it made territorial gains in the Six-Day War.

After first making the call on Thursday, Obama has been accused of shifting the U.S. away from its pro-Israel stance for “a credible peace process.” more >>

Dr. Richard Mouw, president of Fuller Theological Seminary, spoke for the first time this week on the death of Osama bin Laden, saying he believes bin Laden is in hell for being one of the "unrepentant wicked."

His comments were delivered Wednesday during a discussion on Christian responses to bin Laden's death at the seminary's Pasadena campus. Mouw called the event an "important time for communal discernment and pastoral theological reflection."

Speaking about the issue of heaven and hell as it relates to the al-Qaida leader’s death, Mouw said he couldn't avoid the "Rob Bell discussion." In March, the Fuller president had written a commentary defending Bell's view on hell, saying he didn't think the Love Wins author to be a universalist. more >>

Evangelist Franklin Graham is echoing the earlier charge made by a former president that the U.S. government is withholding food aid to North Korea for political reasons.

Speaking recently with Greta Van Susteren, host of the Fox News Channel’s On The Record, Graham highlighted the catastrophic food shortage currently facing the isolated nation and the appropriate response needed from the United States.

“You have around 24 million people. About six million are going to be affected with this food shortage,” the renowned preacher told Susteren. “If we don’t do something soon you will see hundreds of thousands that can possibly perish in this famine.” more >>