State of the Union

Obama calls for aid to middle class

By Matt Viser

In his State of the Union address, the president urged Congress to approve policies to strengthen the economy, overhaul the immigration system, and tighten gun laws.

Leader sorry for Newtown pastor’s reprimand

By Jim Salter

The president of a conservative Lutheran denomination reprimanded a Newtown, Conn., pastor for participating in an interfaith prayer vigil.

By Randall Chase

Officials said a 68-year-old man whose son was engaged in a custody battle opened fire in a courthouse lobby, killing his former daughter-in-law and another woman.

By David E. Sanger and Choe Sang-Hun

The country’s third, long-threatened nuclear test elicited pledges of more punitive action from UN Security Council members.

By Kathy Lally

Russia’s lower house of Parliament passed a bill Tuesday prohibiting smoking in public places.

Syrian rebels capture warplanes at airfield

By Hwaida Saad and Rick Gladstone

Insurgents seized control of a northern military airfield and captured usable warplanes for the first time in the nearly two-year-old conflict.

james carroll

Pope’s resignation was his most important act

By James Carroll

Benedict’s decision showed that the church is in, not above, a world where we all live equally as mortals, his holiness included.

Opinion | JEFF JACOBY

Abolition, word by word

By Jeff Jacoby

A new anthology traces 175 years of abolitionist writing in America and shows how slavery became the central moral issue in American life.

Derrick Z. Jackson

By Derrick Z. Jackson

If bipartisanship ever emerges in the national fight against climate change, the guiding light will likely come from the Northeast. But even here, it is a glimmer.

Blizzard blasts away parts of beaches, dunes, cliffs

By Beth Daley

The weekend storm savaged the Mass. coastline, with many Cape Cod communities reporting that 15 to 20 feet of beach disappeared.

No-school days test the patience of parents

By Billy Baker

After five days at home with their children because of the snowstorm, many parents were more than ready for the return to school.

By Frank Phillips

Massachusetts candidates have rarely faced more major hurdles to get on a ballot than they do in the special US Senate race.

Boston Scientific seeks ways to grow

By Robert Weisman

The medical device maker outlined a strategy for outpacing rivals in slow-growing markets while increasing business in adjacent areas.

Restaurateurs getting a taste for suburbia

By Kathleen Pierce

A crowded urban dining landscape is prompting established stars and newcomers to seek fortune beyond the bright lights.

By Michael B. Farrell

Business is falling for defense contractors, with American Science and Engineering of Billerica the latest to suffer from cuts.

Nevin Scrimshaw, 95; founded nutrition center

By Bryan Marquard

Dr. Scrimshaw, who founded MIT’s department of nutrition and food science and was awarded the World Food Prize in 1991, died Friday.

Mr. Rubin was a champion bridge player and an innovative theorist who was nicknamed the Beast because of the emotional intensity of his play.

Rangers 4, Bruins 3

Bruins rally in the third, falter in shootout

By Fluto Shinzawa

Down 3-0, the Bruins stormed back for three third-period strikes, but couldn’t finish the job against the Rangers.

Christopher L. Gasper

Bruins make loss feel like a win

By Christopher L. Gasper

The Bruins didn’t deserve success but they did just enough to sample it anyway, and they made this loss feel like a win.

Dustin Pedroia turns the page on tough season

By Peter Abraham

Having never played on a losing team before 2012, the Red Sox second baseman is determined to get the team back into contention.

Two cooks is not too many with these chef couples

By Lisa Zwirn

These four chef-couples share home kitchen tasks with relative ease.

Recipe for sticky toffee pudding

Recipe for sticky toffee pudding

Recipe for braised red cabbage

Recipe for braised red cabbage