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With new, affordable supplies of natural gas coming to market, renewable forms of energy are having difficulty competing. Electricity prices are down, which means it now takes longer for people who installed solar panels to recover their investment.

Standard and Poor's has downgraded the credit ratings of nine eurozone countries, including France. S&P has had 15 eurozone countries on a "negative credit watch" for weeks, so the announcement Friday wasn't much of a surprise. Analysts, though, are concerned about possible ripple effects. Audie Cornish talks with NPR's John Ydstie for more.

Volkswagen has come a long way since it tried to market cars to Americans with the "Fahrvergnugen" slogan. The company has adapted to the U.S. market with bigger, less quirky cars. It seems to have paid off, as sales rose last year in the U.S. — but the company is set on becoming No. 1 worldwide.

The veteran broadcaster returns to public television with a new public affairs program. Critic David Bianculli says it might be hard to find, but it's important to watch.

The system eliminates the need for primary and runoff elections, but some say it is too complicated. In the mayoral race in San Francisco — where 16 candidates are on the ballot — voters will soon find out if the system works.

Revenge attacks are alarming those hoping for a swift transition to peace in Libya. Some villages where loyalists to overthrown dictator Moammar Gadhafi used to live are now abandoned, and locals hope they stay away. As well, militias still have their weapons, and regional rivalries are at play.

After keeping a nervous world waiting for days, the squabbling politicians of debt-ridden Greece finally announced a new interim government Thursday. It will be headed by a former European Central banker, Lucas Papademos, whose main task will be to ensure that Greece meets the conditions set by its European partners to receive new loan money and avoid default. That means showing that Greece will enforce austerity measures.

Nearly 75 years ago, a sit-down strike at the facility in Flint, Mich., helped the UAW win recognition from General Motors. Now the former auto body plant and GM design center is home to a company that sells prescription drugs used to treat serious illnesses like cancer, multiple sclerosis and HIV/AIDS.

There was a time when Greeks were proud of being Greek, of being a people known for dancing, being happy without material wealth, enjoying life. Now, Greeks are known for being deeply in debt, accused by some of living the high life on other people's money, of dragging Europe's economy to the brink of disaster.

Obviously, we can't know now how this will all play out. There's evidence some conservatives are rallying around him, seeing the revelation as a dirty trick by liberals. Some see similarities to sexual harassment bomb that went off during the Senate confirmation hearings for Justice Clarence ThomasBut there's also the suspicion that Cain is on the receiving end of oppo research by one of his rival Republican candidates.