Mortgage plan for jobless falls short

The program was supposed to provide up to $50,000 in two-year, zero-interest loans for qualified homeowners, but critics say delays and overly strict eligibility guidelines rendered it ineffective.

Palestinians buck Obama, press UN for admission

The submission of the bid for membership to the Security Council was the culmination of a monthslong tangle involving President Mahmoud Abbas, Israel, and the United States.

 Mitt Romney has been both taunting Rick Perry as a flip-flopper and daring him to flip again. Lately Romney has tried to tag Perry for seeming to retreat from the views on Social Security he laid out in his book published late last year.

Mark Wilson/Getty Images

Romney stings Perry with familiar tag

In a bit of bold political jujitsu, the oft-accused flip-flopper is both taunting his GOP rival Rick Perry as a flip-flopper -- and daring him to flip again.

PHOTOS BY SUZANNE KREITER/GLOBE STAFF

Boston Arts Academy seeks new home

For nearly a decade, the crowded Boston Arts Academy in the Fenway has been on the hunt for a more ideal setting, only to encounter one road block after another.

FBI paid $2.1m reward to Bulger informants

The FBI confirmed last night that it has paid out the $2.1 million reward for information that led to the arrest of fugitive gangster James “Whitey” Bulger and his girlfriend, Catherine Greig.

Going boldly beyond the grasp of our sun

Astrophysicist Merav Opher’s aims to predict when the two Voyager spacecrafts will become the first manmade objects to pass out of the cocoon of our solar system.

Federal judge rejects DiMasi appeal for bail

Disgraced former House speaker Salvatore F. DiMasi lost his bid for bail yesterday, and must self-report to a federal prison on Nov. 16.

Metro

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Prosecutors say Luigi Manocchio was the leader of the New England Mafia until he stepped down in 2009.

3 charged in alleged R.I. Mafia scheme

Federal prosecutors charged three alleged members of the New England Mafia and three associates with extorting some $2 million from Rhode Island’s adult entertainment industry.

Business

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Preparations are already underway to transfer the Super 88 Market at the South Bay shopping center to Wincent International Inc.

Deal close in grocery dispute

After a two-year legal tussle, the owners of a troubled Asian grocery chain are close to finalizing a deal to sell one of their three stores to a crosstown competitor for $2 million.

Nation

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“With FEMA expected to run out of disaster funding as soon as Monday, the only path to getting assistance into the hands of American families immediately is for the Senate to approve the House bill,” said Speaker John A. Boehner.

Impasse leaves Congress with a week to avoid a shutdown

An impasse between the House and Senate over a bill to keep the government open after Sept. 30 and provide financial aid to natural disaster victims deepened yesterday.

World

As battles rage, president returns to Yemen

After nearly four months in Saudi Arabia, President Ali Abdullah Saleh is seeking to reinsert himself at the center of a slowly fracturing country mired in bloody clashes on the streets of its capital.

Sports

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The weather in New York eliminated on-field warm-ups for Conor Jackson (left) and Josh Reddick, which was just as well since the Red Sox and Yankees were rained out in their series opener, leading to a day-night doubleheader tomorrow.

Management course

Before last night’s game was postponed by rain, Theo Epstein sat in the dugout and spoke to reporters about the Red Sox having lost 14 of their last 18 games and other issues.

Arts

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Lindsey Buckingham

Lindsey Buckingham: Life outside the Mac

Lindsey Buckingham is back with a new solo album, “Seeds We Sow,” and will bring tunes new and old to the Wilbur Theatre on Sept. 25.

Ideas

“It doesn’t make any difference whether you assign more homework in English, science, or history. Students will still do the same.”

Ozkan Eren,   assistant professor of economics at the University of Nevada, on whether homework works