Strauss-Kahn, hotel housekeeper settle civil suit

By Russ Buettner

Former French politician Dominique Strauss-Kahn reached a secret settlement with the New York hotel housekeeper who accused him of sexual assault last year.

Attorneys for James Holmes called the University of Colorado four days after the attack and asked the school to return a package Holmes sent his psychiatrist.

Washington man gets life for 1957 slaying of Illinois girl

Jack McCullough, 73, was convicted in September in one of the oldest unsolved crimes in American history to make it to trial.

Syrian rebels capture part of massive army base

By Bassem Mroue

The rebels captured part of a military base near the northern city of Aleppo, strengthening their hold near the Turkish border.

North Korea on Monday extended the launch period for a controversial long-range rocket by another week until Dec. 29, citing technical problems.

Overall violence declined just slightly in the past year and widespread corruption continues, according to a Pentagon report.

Farah Stockman

Food aid fattens up lobbyists

By Farah Stockman

Each year, the United States spends more than $1.5 billion feeding starving people overseas, but our charity comes with a catch: The food has to be bought in America.

Joanna Weiss

By Joanna Weiss

Children can be resilient, but for worried parents in a world of potential dangers and fears, such a notion may not offer solace.

Paul McMorrow

By Paul McMorrow

Two development plans in the city hinge on giving incentives to desirable developments, and on converting stagnant parking lots into active buildings that advance broader benefits.

Mass. pupils near the top in math and science

By James Vaznis

Eighth-graders outperformed most countries on a highly regarded international math and science exam, according to results being released Tuesday.

Justice in the shadows | Part 3 — Secret courts

Courts inside prisons, far from public view

By Maria Sacchetti and Milton J. Valencia

Thousands of immigrants find themselves at the mercy of a legal system that, for many, amounts to an assembly line toward deportation.

Mattapan killings juror sent home; work starts anew

By Brian Ballou

The man was dismissed from the jury after other jurors told court officials that he revealed to them that he had researched ballistics information online.

Loss of mortgage deduction would be hard hit in Mass.

By Jenifer B. McKim

The mortgage-interest tax deduction that homeowners have long enjoyed could be diminished or eliminated as part of efforts to reduce the federal deficit.

Bank of America gets low customer ratings in survey

By Todd Wallack

The bank’s customer satisfaction level fell to its lowest in more than a decade.

A123 Systems sale still a raw deal to some

By Erin Ailworth

Congressional Republicans criticized a Chinese firm’s purchase of the bankrupt Waltham battery-maker that received millions in taxpayer dollars under President Obama.

By Sarah N. Mattero

Dr. Lang, 68, exchanged a medical career for one in law simply because he had run out of things to learn about.

Jon Kest, 57; organized low-wage workers in New York

By Margalit Fox

Mr. Kest, a founder of the Working Families Party and a longtime community advocate in New York, organized the recent strike by the city’s fast-food workers.

By Paul Vitello

Mr. Lescher epitomized a kind of Old World ideal of an author’s agent — courtly, literary, and invisible.

Christopher L. Gasper

Dominant Patriots defense earned the spotlight

By Christopher L. Gasper

The Patriots’ defensive improvement is not a figment of fertile imaginations. It’s real.

Dan Shaughnessy

Patriots look like they’re heading to Super Bowl

By Dan Shaughnessy

The statement made in the romp over the Texans was that nobody in the AFC can beat the Patriots in the playoffs.

Once again, Tom Brady looks like an MVP

By Michael Whitmer

Brady’s four-touchdown performance against the Texans has triggered many to say he’s poised to collect another MVP award.

G Cover

Buying gifts for the hard-to-please

By Beth Teitell

Forget the Grinch or Scrooge, the most-dreaded characters this time of year are the Hard to Buy For.

Tips to solve all your holiday shopping problems

By Beth Teitell

Tips on shopping for the Hard to Buy For include: buy small but extravagant items; personalize gift cards; and go practical.

Frame By Frame

Poking fun at the powerful — in an artful way

By Sebastian Smee

Jean-Leon Gerome’s “L’Eminence Grise” has been in the collection of the MFA for more than a century.