Obama launches gun control effort

By Matt Viser and Brian MacQuarrie

President Obama outlined a proposal to prevent more mass shootings and attempted to rally support.

By Stephen Ohlemacher

Charities and nonprofits are worried new limits on tax deductions for high earners will hurt donations just as charitable giving is starting to rebound.

Rescuers free woman wedged between 2 buildings for about four hours

By NIGEL DUARA

Portland firefighters cut a hole through concrete and used an air bag and a soapy lubricant to free an Oregon woman stuck between two buildings.

Attackers seize gas field, hostages in Algeria

By Adam Nossiterand ADAM NOSSITER

The French military assault on Islamist extremists in Mali escalated into a potentially much broader North African conflict Wednesday.

By Hamza Hendawi

An eight-story apartment building collapsed in the port city of Alexandria, killing at least 25 people in the second deadly accident to hit the country in as many days.

Germany’s central bank is hauling home tens of thousands of gold bars currently stored in the United States and France, in a high-security operation.

joan vennochi

Swartz case is sad, but not an overreach

By Joan Vennochi

The reason why computer prodigy Aaron Swartz was prosecuted does not seem mysterious.

JULIETTE KAYYEM

Walmart’s veterans program is temporary relief

By Juliette Kayyem

Walmart promised to hire 100,000 recent veterans, but its plan won’t give them sustained support and training that connect skills learned in the military with economic opportunities.

nicholas burns

The promise of India

By Nicholas Burns

India is a country of contradictions, and of potential, and should remain a priority for the US.

State of the Commonwealth

Patrick pushes for income tax hike

By Michael Levenson and Frank Phillips

Governor Patrick called on legislators to raise the state ­income tax from 5.25 percent to 6.25 percent while cutting the sales tax from 6.25 percent to 4.5 percent.

Yvonne Abraham

Pressure is on to fix transit

By Yvonne Abraham

A $1 billion tax increase, which will cost each household $400 a year on average, will be a tough sell, and will require some serious push on Beacon Hill and beyond.

Armstrong case reflects lesson about human behavior

By Joseph P. Kahn

For the millions expected to watch cyclist Lance Armstrong admit he cheated, there is one nagging question: How can someone live with such a lie?

Citing fire risk, FAA grounds Dreamliners

By Katie Johnston

The Federal Aviation Administration has grounded the Boeing 787 Dreamliner because of a potential battery fire risk.

TD Garden owners propose towers with retail, apartments

By Casey Ross

The Garden’s owners are resurrecting development plans that would include a pair of 400-foot towers.

Tech Lab

New gadgets bring over-the-air TV to mobile devices

By Hiawatha Bray

Mobile DTV lets viewers receive over-the-air television broadcasts on their mobile devices. It works pretty well, but for now it is much too limited to catch on.

Vilma Hunt; pioneered research into smoking, worksites

By J.M. Lawrence

Dr. Hunt, 86, studied workplace environmental hazards for women and was an Environmental Protection Agency administrator during the Carter administration.

Conrad Bain, father in ‘Diff’rent Strokes’

By Frazier Moore

Mr. Bain, 89, was a veteran stage and film actor who became a star as the kindly adoptive father of two young African-American brothers in the sitcom “Diff’rent Strokes.”

Dr. Holland, 87, was an economist who became the first staff member of the Federal Reserve System to be appointed directly to its board of governors.

Hornets 90, Celtics 78

Celtics’ win streak stopped by Hornets

By Gary Washburn

While Austin Rivers scored 8 points against his father’s team, the most important result for the Celtics was a distasteful loss.

Aqib Talib has had big effect on Patriots

By Shalise Manza Young

Since coming over midseason, Talib has helped solidify a Patriots secondary that had been the team’s Achilles’ heel.

Girlfriend of Notre Dame’s Manti Te’o was a hoax

By Jim McBride

Heisman finalist said his much-reported story about his late girlfriend was false. Te’o said he met the girl online, although a report claims that the woman never existed.

G Cover

Finding beauty in Lebanon’s broken buildings

By Linda Matchan

The Moubaraks aim to sell home furnishings while preserving Lebanon’s cultural and architectural heritage, improving lives, and promoting reconciliation and understanding.

Book Review

‘Going Clear ’ by Lawrence Wright

By Buzzy Jackson

Wright’s insightful, gripping, and ultimately tragic exposé of Scientology grew out of his 2011 New Yorker profile of screenwriter and Scientology defector Paul Haggis.

Television Review

Jim Jefferies’s ‘Legit’: Boys to men

By Matthew Gilbert

The new FX comedy is full of material that relies on giddy vulgarity, political incorrectness, and sexual frankness.

In Somerville, parkour growing by leaps and bounds

By Taryn Plumb

Blake Evitt, 25, has dedicated the last several years to studying the obstacle course-like form of physical training he’s now introducing to his hometown.

LGBT populace keeps Lynn growing

By Steven A. Rosenberg

Lynn has seen a wave of new residents who seem determined to bring an even further sense of tolerance while helping to be part of the downtown’s renaissance.

Parkour including gymnastics, various martial arts, climbing, track and field, and other disciplines.

Remembering Eleanor Norris and the land she loved

By Meg Murphy

Eleanor A. Norris of Norwell donated 99 acres of land, now preserved as a memorial to her husband.

By Katheleen Conti

Although recent state and federal data indicate the worst of the season might be over, some area health agents say they are still seeing a large number of cases.

Facts about the Norris Reservation in Norwell.

‘Annie’ production is autism-friendly

By Kathleen Burge

When the blue curtain opens at Open Door Theater’s Jan. 19 performance of “Annie,” the show will begin, a little differently.

By Jose Martinez

The push to add more solar power to the electrical mix in Massachusetts has been so successful that a key financial incentive has taken a hit in the marketplace.

Weston celebrates 300 in vintage style

By Lisa Kocian

With a ceremony last weekend, Weston embarked on a yearlong 300th anniversary celebration with concerts, a cycling tour, fireworks, even a commemorative postage stamp.