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In 2011, savers earned almost no interest in savings accounts. That was painful because consumer prices were rising by nearly 3.5 percent. Investors also found it tough going. Most stocks declined, with prices falling by roughly 5 percent across the board. But there were some bright spots: gold and bonds.

The same laid-back attitude and openness to outsiders that draws tourists to the peaceful country has also attracted Mexican cartels and their Colombia cocaine suppliers. Costa Rican President Laura Chinchilla says it tests Costa Rica's view of itself as a peaceful country in a violent region.

AIDS researchers dealt the disease a major blow in 2011 by showing that antiviral drugs not only save the lives of infected people, they also stop them from spreading the virus.

Indonesia can boast a strong economy and a recent credit upgrade. But its crumbling infrastructure is not keeping up with the needs of the rapidly growing country.

Children should never live in a house with lead paint, according to a federal advisory committee charged with trying to reduce children's exposure to the toxic metal. The panel recommended lowering the threshold for lead exposure to reflect growing evidence that even slight exposure can harm.

At the close of trading, the Dow Jones industrial average was down 391.01 points, or 3.5 percent, at 10,733.83. At one point, the Dow fell 527 points. The Standard & Poor's 500 and Nasdaq composite each closed down more than 3 percent.

Analysts say manufacturer First Solar needs federal support to keep its competitive edge and to drive down the cost to produce solar panels, a key factor to industry success. But the kind of federal loan guarantees given to failed energy company Solyndra are increasingly unpopular in Washington.

An Italian panel has granted Amanda Knox's appeal of her murder conviction, for which the American had been serving a 26-year prison sentence. Knox, who came to Perugia, Italy, as an exchange student, had been found guilty in the November 2007 murder of British student Meredith Kercher.

A week before baseball's regular season ended, Florida Marlins pitcher Leo Nunez made a stunning admission: For the past 10 years, he lied about both his age and his name. Details about why he assumed someone else's identity are only now coming out.

The once-rare possibility of a federal government shutdown reared its head again this week. This time it was over House Republicans' desire to pay for disaster relief costs with money for other, unrelated projects. NPR's David Welna explains the Capitol Hill machinations ahead of the Sept. 30 deadline.