113th Congress

In Massachusetts delegation, a changing of the guard

By Matt Viser

Elizabeth Warren and Joseph Kennedy III became the newest members of a rapidly transforming Mass. delegation.

By John Schwartz

Transocean, the driller whose floating Deepwater Horizon oil rig blew out in 2010 to cause the nation’s biggest oil spill, has agreed to settle all civil and criminal claims.

By Alicia A. Caldwell

The agency’s director, John Morton, said 123 child victims were identified during the five-week investigation, which ended in early December.

Lebanon urged to help end the conflict in Syria

By Hwaida Saad, Anne Barnard and Christine Hauser

Hassan Nasrallah, the leader of Hezbollah, urged the Lebanese government to take a more active role in finding a political solution to the civil war in neighboring Syria.

By COLLEEN BARRY

Italian Premier Mario Monti criticized his predecessor Silvio Berlusconi for demonstrating ‘‘a certain volatility in judgment.’’

By Frances D’Emilio

It’s ‘‘cash only’’ now for tourists at the Vatican after Italy’s central bank decided to block electronic payments, including credit cards, at the tiny city-state.

Joshua Green

Obama flinches on the fiscal cliff

By Joshua Green

Had Obama been willing to go over the cliff, Republicans would probably not be threatening default.

carlo rotella

A music lesson

By Carlo Rotella

A grandfather’s handwritten sheet music — and the stories behind it — unites generations.

Alan Berger

By Alan Berger

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s barely veiled backing for Mitt Romney means Obama should get involved in their upcoming election.

Transit systems falter in the cold

By Martine Powers

Single-digit temperatures early Thursday sparked a slew of delays around the region.

By James Vaznis

The public school system is projecting that preschool through second grade enrollment will rise sharply for the next school year.

By Carolyn Y. Johnson

People, young and old, routinely underestimate the amount they will change over the next 10 years, according to a study.

Biogen Idec’s ALS drug falls short in trials

By Robert Weisman

The company halted development of an experimental drug to treat the disorder known as Lou Gehrig’s disease.

By John Schwartz

Transocean, the driller whose floating Deepwater Horizon oil rig blew out in 2010 to cause the nation’s biggest oil spill, has agreed to settle all civil and criminal claims.

Some wealthy stand fast—for higher taxes

By Callum Borchers

Some of the loudest applause for the deal that raises federal income and investment tax rates on wealthy Americans is coming from those in the highest income brackets.

Yvonne McGrory, of Weymouth; ‘Every moment was special’

By Bryan Marquard

Mrs. McGrory, 85, lived in Weymouth for many years and “had a special gift for creating friendships,” her daughter, Colleen, said.

John Sheardown; hid Americans in Iran hostage crisis

By Adam Bernstein

Mr. Sheardown, 88, was a ­Canadian diplomat in Tehran during the Iran hostage crisis who helped shelter six Americans until they were secretly shuttled out of the country.

Beate Gordon; put women’s rights in Japan’s constitution

By Margalit Fox

Mrs. Gordon, 89, was the daughter of Russian Jewish parents who at 22 almost single-­handedly wrote women’s rights into the constitution of modern Japan.

Danny Woodhead is Patriots’ go-to guy

By Michael Whitmer

If it seems Woodhead gains yards every single time he carries the ball or catches it, that’s not correct. But it’s not far off.

Christopher L. Gasper

Notre Dame’s Spond the embodiment of ‘comeback’

By Christopher L. Gasper

Danny Spond went from being mysteriously partially paralyzed to a starting linebacker on a team playing for the national title.

Celtics, Rajon Rondo look for a way out of skid

By Julian Benbow

The Celtics have lost four straight games and the toll the losses are taking on Rondo is apparent.

Movie Review

‘Zero Dark Thirty’ a brilliantly crafted drama

By Ty Burr

Kathryn Bigelow’s ground-level procedural about the hunt for Osama bin Laden is not a personal film. Rather, it’s about one person’s critical place in the larger effort.

Movie Review

In ‘The Impossible,’ one family’s tsunami saga

By Ty Burr

A grueling, well-crafted true-life drama that takes one of the worst natural disasters in history and reduces it to a really bad day at Club Med.

Classical Notes

The Bach Institute offers concerts, seminars

By David Weininger

Music of J.S. Bach is an enduring feature of Emmanuel Music, which performs a Bach cantata nearly every weekend at Emmanuel Church.