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Despite UK vote, France pledges to back US in Syria

After Britain’s parliament rejected military action, France’s president reiterated the need for ‘‘proportional and firm action’’ in response to chemical attacks.

FILE - AUGUST 31: Irish Poet Seamus Heaney Has Died At The Age Of 74 HAY-ON-WYE, UNITED KINGDOM - MAY 29: Poet Seamus Heaney reads from his new book of poetry, District and Circle, at the Guardian Hay Festival on May 29, 2006 in Hay-On-Wye, England. (Photo by Chris Jackson/Getty Images)

Kevin Cullen

Walking on air against his better judgment

Despite his international stature as a Nobel Prize winner, Seamus Heaney the person was, like his poetry, remarkably accessible.

The Middlesex Fells Reservation has more than 100 miles of hiking trails — and many, many insects.

Science in Mind

Looking for bugs from a bench in Middlesex Fells

In a series of web videos, naturalist Noah Charney delights in the creepy-crawly things that other people like to avoid.

//c.o0bg.com/rf/image_90x90/Boston/2011-2020/2013/08/29/BostonGlobe.com/Metro/Images/Brittany%20N%20Flannigan%20from%20Pinkerton%20Academy%202012%20yearbook--90x90.JPG A vibrant life, a nightclub trip, a sudden end

Brittany Flannigan’s family mourned in private Thursday after the 19-year-old’s death at Boston’s House of Blues.

Mayor Thomas M. Menino spoke at a press conference in July announcing land gift from Gillette to Artists for Humanity to help expand the nonprofit's facility and increase job opportunities for teens.

Aynsley Floy/Invision for Gillette, via AP

Shirley Leung

Menino bet big on summer jobs

Jobs don’t just put cash in kids’ pockets; they’re also a social investment that keeps teenagers off the streets and out of trouble when school ends.

Mayor Thomas M. Menino (left) in 2007, touring student-heavy apartment blocks along Commonwealth Avenue in Allston with the Inspectional Services Department.

Menino promises crackdown on problem properties

With thousands of college students returning, Mayor Thomas M. Menino said the city will crack down on properties in unsafe conditions.

on football

//c.o0bg.com/rf/image_90x90/Boston/2011-2020/2013/08/30/BostonGlobe.com/Sports/Images/davis_neny7C_spts.jpg Was this Tim Tebow’s final NFL ride?

If Tebow doesn’t make the cut in Foxborough, it’s likely that his pro career is over, after three-plus years in the NFL.

The Red Sox have added seats to the Green Monster, but lots of issues remain with Fenway Park.

on baseball

Red Sox fans sound off on why they skip Fenway

Fans say the age and lack of comforts at Fenway Park are among the problems. It seems the $300 million in recent improvements doesn’t cut it anymore.

Opinion

opinion | leland cheung

//c.o0bg.com/rf/image_90x90/Boston/2011-2020/2013/08/30/BostonGlobe.com/EditorialOpinion/Images/boston-cambridge0830-2054--90x90.jpg Boston will pick mayor of region

Though the candidates are vying only for the votes of Bostonians, their actions will impact citizens beyond the city’s boundaries.

Nation & World

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Police Chief Mark Kessler (center) with members of his Constitutional Security Force.

Police chief in Pa. won’t back down on guns

Police Chief Mark Kessler expects to be fired for posting videos in which he ranted about the Second Amendment and liberals while spraying machine-gun fire with borough-owned weapons.

Business

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Several fast food restaurants were picketed on American Legion Highway in Roslindale Thursday in a push for better wages.

Boston fast food workers strike for higher wages

Thousands of fast food workers were joined by sympathizers at rallies in some 50 US cities, the biggest effort to bring the wages of behind-the-counter employees up to $15 an hour.

Movies

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MOVIE REVIEW

Selena Gomez and Ethan Hawke — and a custom Ford Shelby GT500 Super Snake — costar in “Getaway.”

‘Getaway’ moves fast, but has no place to go

The relentlessly paced movie, with Ethan Hawke and Selena Gomez, shoots to be like “Speed” but turns out to be as repetitive as watching a NASCAR highlight.