After a building boom, solar energy's prospects cloudy Mark Boster / Los Angeles Times By Julie Cart The pace of solar development has slowed to a crawl, with a number of companies going out of business and major projects canceled. Iran reaches terms with U.S., others to carry out nuclear deal By Paul Richter The first-phase nuclear deal signals the fragile effort to curb Tehran's nuclear ambitions remains on track. Pope Francis looks past Europe, U.S., for new cardinals By Tom Kington The 19 chosen reflect the pope's desire to give the church a more global outlook as well as a greater focus on the poor. The switch to self-employment has mortgage implications By Lew Sichelman Despite excellent credit, it's still possible to be turned down for a mortgage due to new rules on verifying that borrowers have the ability to pay. California farms lead the way in almond production By David Pierson Higher prices have spurred farmers to abandon crops such as cotton in favor of almond trees. California produces 82% of the world's almonds.

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