On Sunday, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who publicly criticised the Pope and called for a clearer rejection of Holocaust deniers, spoke by telephone to the pontiff.

BBC: Seminary sacks 'Holocaust bishop'

When the Lib Dem leader spoke angrily last night about what he called "a show trial of innuendo, half truths and slurs" I am told that he was reacting to the suggestion that he knew about serious allegations of abuse and covered them up.

BBC: Sex claims - who knew what?

Meanwhile, Pope Francis called Sunday for prayers for "beloved Syria" as he spoke to a crowd in St.

NPR: Hezbollah, Syrian Rebels In Worst Clash In Lebanon

The hedge fund manager, presented as a man who made his first billion shorting subprime, also spoke of a new project, not yet public, called LightSquared.

FORBES: Hedge Fund Billionaire Falcone Likes Crosstex Energy And MLPs

For an hour and a half they spoke about how to solve what Icelandic President Grimsson called, "the most fundamental question of the 21st century": energy and whether there will ever be enough alternative sources of power to satisfy global demand if, and only if, the world manages to shake its addiction to oil and other fossil fuels.

CNN: Doha - round table highlights

Petraeus spoke about the Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr, who had called a series of ceasefires against U.S. troops during 2007 and 2008.

NEWYORKER: The General��s Dilemma

We spoke with Francis about the idea for a new TEDMED initiative to be called LAB-TV.

FORBES: Jay Walker and TEDMED: A View From Center Stage