2 GOP senators call for fiscal cliff deal

By Jonathan Weisman

Two Republican senators implored leaders to reach an agreement with the president when Congress returns Thursday.

NRA unwavering in opposition to new gun limits

By Eric Lichtblau

NRA leaders vowed to fight any gun restrictions introduced in Congress and said they did not want to be part of President Obama’s effort to reduce gun violence.

The EPA conducted a handful of tests right after the storm, but could not provide details or locations of any recent testing when asked this week.

Syrian airstrike kills scores in rebel-held town

By Ben Hubbard

A government airstrike on a bakery in a rebel-held town in Syria killed more than 60 people on Sunday, activists said.

Interim Prime Minister Mario Monti ruled out running in February elections but said he would consider leading the next government if political forces sharing his agenda requested it.

South Korea said it found evidence suggesting a rocket launched earlier this month had military purposes and technological ties with Iran.

john e. sununu

A Senate built on trust

By John E. Sununu

Senators Daniel Inouye and Warren Rudman shared a friendship that was the type of bond that used to be quite common among US senators.

JULIETTE KAYYEM

By Juliette Kayyem

A year in pictures may be compelling and beautiful, but the year in numbers gives a strong hint of what to anticipate in the year ahead.

james carroll

By James Carroll

After the events in Newtown, the story of a vulnerable baby born in a manger has rarely resonated more powerfully than this Christmas Eve.

Menino goes not quite home after hospitalization

By Travis Andersen

After nearly eight weeks in two hospitals, Mayor Menino was taken to an elevator-equipped house on Beacon Hill.

By Brian Ballou

Police have arrested 222 people since the drug-related murder of a grandmother last April.

From the shadows, a dream and a book emerge

By David Filipov

The publication of the children’s book “Rhoda’s Ocean” was the epilogue to a romance that lasted more than 60 years.

Gold particles could deliver cancer drugs

By Karen Weintraub

Cancer drugs would be carried into the body on tiny gold particles under a therapy being developed by the Waltham oncology unit of AstraZeneca­ and a Maryland company.

Brigham doctor turns to animals for ideas

By Karen Weintraub

Animal life is a big source of inspiration for Dr. Jeffrey Karp and his colleagues at the center on regenerative therapeutics at Brigham and Women’s Hospital.

By Michael B. Farrell

The digital downloads might also be recording and selling your personal data, tracking your every step, and potentially sending spam to your contacts.

Nellie C. Yarborough, 87, pillar of her church, community

By Sarah N. Mattero

Bishop Nellie C. Yarborough nurtured by nature, her colleagues and family said, treating those she encountered as her own children.

Richard Adams, trailblazer for gay marriage rights; at 65

By Andrew Dalton

Mr. Adams, who used both the altar and the courtroom to help begin the push for gay marriage four decades before it reached the center of the national consciousness, has died.

Ryan Freel, major leaguer plagued by head injuries

By Jennifer Kay

Mr. Freel, a former baseball player known for his fearless play but whose career was cut short by head and other injuries, was found dead in Jacksonville, Fla. He was 36.

Patriots 23, Jaguars 16

Patriots barely able to beat lowly Jaguars

By Shalise Manza Young

After New England’s ugly win, Patriots QB Tom Brady unleashed an expletive-filled tirade on his teammates and was visibly frustrated at his press conference.

Christopher L. Gasper

Tom Brady knows time is running out for Patriots

By Christopher L. Gasper

The QB’s postgame diatribe was a plea to his teammates not to squander a great opportunity, to play with more urgency and less lethargy.

on football

Despite problems, Patriots offense has time to rebound

By Greg A. Bedard

The Patriots’ offense will get some deserved heat after Sunday’s sloppy win, but it also deserves some space to get things clicking again.

G Cover

Weighing the hepatitis C risk for baby boomers

By Chelsea Conaboy

Millions may not know they are infected with the disease, but widespread testing is up for debate.

Book Review

‘The Holy or the Broken’ by Alan Light

By Eric Liebetrau

Light deconstructs Leonard Cohen’s song “Hallelujah” and its mushrooming popularity.

2012’s best overlooked albums

By James Reed, Sarah Rodman and Michael Andor Brodeur

Try as we might, we simply can’t tell you about every single record that catches our ears each year.