GOP prods a hesitant Scott Brown to run

Washington Republicans have begun a “full court press’’ to persuade the increasingly reluctant Brown to run for John Kerry’s seat.

Globally bound, Kerry retraces roots

As he heads for the world stage as secretary of state, John Kerry reflected on his start in Massachusetts politics in an exclusive interview with the Globe.

Latest news

Religious groups to get opt-out for birth control

The Obama administration is announcing a broader opt-out for religious nonprofits that object to providing health insurance that covers birth control.

US gains 157,000 jobs, but jobless rate rises

Hiring was stronger at the end of last year than previously thought, but the unemployment rate rose to 7.9 percent in January.

As the size the of average television is growing, the prices are plummeting.

Debee Tlumacki for the Boston Globe

Convincing spouse can be key to a huge TV

Being able to talk one’s spouse into buying a monster-screen television, as many a married person has learned, is sometimes the biggest hurdle to the purchase.

Super Bowl a high-stakes game for ad makers

Spots cost $3.8 million for 30 seconds and rival the game itself, ratcheting up pressure on agencies to make clients happy.

Red Sox season-ticket renewals down 10%

Could the sellout streak be in jeopardy? The renewal lapse is seen as a sign that even hardcore fans are cooling in their enthusiasm after a joyless 2012 season.

Dan Shaughnessy

Super Bowl a part of New Orleans recovery

The NFL’s showcase event is back in New Orleans for the first time since the Patriots’ win in 2002, and much was changed by Hurricane Katrina.

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From the Archives | Photo gallery

The (Mystic) Tobin Bridge

The Mystic Bridge opened for traffic on Feb. 26, 1950, and was renamed in honor of former Boston mayor and Massachusetts governor Maurice J. Tobin in 1967.

Globe exclusives

Scene & Heard

Music-obsessed find a trove of wonders at Weirdo Records

Christopher L. Gasper

Sorry Patriots fans, the Ravens will win

The Boston Cello Quartet, whose members also play in the Boston Symphony Orchestra, has a repertoire that ranges from Bach and Dvorak to Chick Corea and Astor Piazzolla. The group is celebrating the release of its first CD, “Pictures,” with a sold-out performance Friday night at the Revere Hotel.

Friday preview

BSO cellists break out with new quartet, fresh approach

With hit singles and Grammy nods, Fun. is having a ball

Cissy Houston (left) recalls daughter Whitney (right) as funny and smart, but also stubborn and emotionally remote.

Book Review

‘Remembering Whitney’ by Cissy Houston

The cast of the commedia dell’arte classic turned each scene into a steadily escalating spiral of absurdity.

Stage Review

Hijinks are on the menu with ‘The Servant of Two Masters’

Abby Larson is married to her job, in a good way

The “1,000 Cranes of Hope” installation at Millennium Pharmaceuticals, which is searching for cancer cures.

13 Massachusetts companies make best-workplaces list

BlackBerry’s Z10 is expected help reverse a slide in sales.

Tech Lab

BlackBerry poised to win affection anew

Governor Deval Patrick (left) tapped William

news analysis

Patrick confident in choosing confidant

San Francisco quarterback Colin Kaepernick was a three-sport star in high school and he was drafted by the Chicago Cubs.

Dan Shaughnessy

Kaepernick looks like future of NFL

A BU student was stabbed and robbed at the intersection of Browne and Pleasant streets Tuesday.

Spate of armed robberies leaves many at BU on edge

Sports

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Shawn Thornton left the game after this fight with Buffalo’s John Scott on Thursday.

Shawn Thornton out with concussion

Thornton left Thursday’s game after a first-period fight with John Scott, and will miss 7-10 days, the Bruins said.

Metro

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Mark Sargent (right) and Jeanmarie Louis in court Thursday.

Man held, is called suspect in 24 fires

A Middleborough man and his stepson were charged with arson, an arrest authorities believe will solve a string of mysterious fires across the region.

Columnists

Bill Weld was governor of Massachusetts from 1991 to ’97.

SCOT LEHIGH

The search for a big senator

CARLO ROTELLA

Off the grid in Boston

Kevin Cullen

The virtues of inexperience

The Superdome is hosting the Super Bowl for the first time since 2002.

Dan Shaughnessy

Super Bowl a part of New Orleans recovery

Christopher L. Gasper

Sorry Patriots fans, the Ravens will win

Yvonne Abraham

Where is our state’s official groundhog?

Boston Mayor Thomas M. Menino arrives for his annual State of the City address at Faneuil Hall Tuesday.

JOAN VENNOCHI

Menino, the king incumbent

JULIETTE KAYYEM

Immigration commission brings border states to table

SCOT LEHIGH

Cowan isn’t the best option

William ‘Mo’ Cowan

Yvonne Abraham

Cowan pick is 100 percent Patrick

Opinion | NICHOLAS BURNS

Kerry must engage China

San Francisco quarterback Colin Kaepernick was a three-sport star in high school and he was drafted by the Chicago Cubs.

Dan Shaughnessy

Kaepernick looks like future of NFL

Nation & World

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Emergency personnel worked in front of a side entrance of the US Embassy in the Turkish capital, Ankara, after a suspected suicide bomber detonated an explosive device Friday.

Two dead in Turkey embassy bombing

A suicide bomber detonated an explosive at the entrance of the US embassy, killing himself and one other.

Politics

Chuck Hagel also said that the Iraq war was the ‘‘most fundamentally bad, dangerous decision since Vietnam.’’

Hagel grilled during confirmation hearing

Chuck Hagel, President Barack Obama’s nominee as defense secretary, confronted withering criticism during a marathon confirmation hearing Thursday.

Business

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Attorney General Coakley cited a serious violation of state law.

Robo-signing firm agrees to pay $1.6 million to Mass.

The settlement will resolve allegations a foreclosure processing company engaged in “robo-signing.” Attorney General Martha Coakley said.

Arts

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Names

Actress Marion Cotillard (with Renee Rober, left, and Ben Moss) waves during the Hasty Pudding parade.

Marion Cotillard honored by Hasty Pudding

Cotillard looked entirely at ease while being honored Thursday as the troupe’s 2013 Woman of the Year.

Movies

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Movie Review

From left: Christopher Walken, Alan Arkin, and Al Pacino in a scene from “Stand Up Guys.”

Al Pacino, Christopher Walken can’t lift ‘Stand Up Guys’

Fisher Stevens’s tone-deaf direction and a creepily misogynistic script push the movie right over a cliff.

Magazine

The cover for the January 27 2013 issue

Jan 27, 2013

New England traditional, with a twist

The cover for the January 20 2013 issue

Jan 20, 2013

My friend Tito

The cover for the January 13 2013 issue

Jan 13, 2013

Alfresco fabulous

The cover for the January 6 2013 issue

Jan 6, 2013

Best Boston Globe photos of the year, 2012

Opinion

Ideas