Boston December comes in as warmest on record

A balloon artist tied up a bunch of flowers on a Christmas day that felt more like Spring as he sat on a bench on the Boston Common wearing a t-shirt in Boston.

Jessica Rinaldi/Globe Staff

The region has not had a day when temperatures were colder than normal since the first of the month.

//c.o0bg.com/rf/image_90x90/Boston/2011-2020/2015/12/31/BostonGlobe.com/Metro/Images/Capture-9572.JPG Temperatures to be in 30s as ball drops for Boston New Year

Sunny skies and dry conditions will greet the last day of 2015, forecasters said.

Fewer students disciplined in Mass. schools

The decline follows a change in the way school districts are required to approach punishment.

A Boko Haram blast on Christmas in 2011 killed 46 at a Catholic Church in Madalla, Nigeria.

Afolabi Sotunde /Reuters

The new Christian martyrs

A faith on the rise and under attack in Africa

Africa is also widely considered the most dynamic corner of the Christian map.

//c.o0bg.com/rf/image_90x90/Boston/2011-2020/2015/12/30/BostonGlobe.com/Foreign/Images/0c310236813049b9bc832922cc17bce1-0c310236813049b9bc832922cc17bce1-0.jpg Consent amid wine, pills to be a key question in Cosby case

Entertainer Bill Cosby has long maintained that his extramarital conquests over the years were all consensual.

//c.o0bg.com/rf/image_90x90/Boston/2011-2020/2015/12/31/BostonGlobe.com/Business/Images/20ac30bb70e5442f9f69bc65d2e334fd-d04710cf9d9d41e486e75c23f009dd9c-0.jpg Target?s turnaround gets shoppers back into stores

Target?s efforts to draw shoppers back into its stores are paying off.

11names - Maria Stephanos. (handout)

Fox 25?s news ratings drop under new owner

Cox Media Group took over the station in October 2014 and made changes, and results are starting to come in.

Police swiftly handle bomb scare near Copley Square

It determined that there were no explosives in the briefcase. Streets were reopened, Commissioner Evans said.

//c.o0bg.com/rf/image_90x90/Boston/2011-2020/2015/12/31/BostonGlobe.com/Business/Images/AFP_6S4CL.jpg Amazon investors emboldened by 3 million new Prime members

The company?s shares have more than doubled this year and are closing in on $700.

Fireworks at the Boston Common on December 31, 2010 .

Essdras M Suarez/ Globe Staff/file

First Night celebration to begin at noon

The celebrations, which will be free and open to all, will be focused in Copley square and on Boston Common.

//c.o0bg.com/rf/image_90x90/Boston/2011-2020/2015/12/31/BostonGlobe.com/Lifestyle/Images/NewYearsFinal2-4604.jpg Where to ring in the new year in Greater Boston

Between ?Star Wars,? the Beehive Ball, the Boston Ballet, a wild zoo celebration, and more, you have plenty of options.

By the Glass

Toast the new year with a trio of Loire Valley sparklers

Artisan sparkling wines from the Loire Valley, all family run, are a fine way to bring in the New Year.

//c.o0bg.com/rf/image_90x90/Boston/2011-2020/2014/08/29/BostonGlobe.com/Lifestyle/Images/Lee_dumplings2_g.jpg New Year?s Eve Chinese food options in Greater Boston

If you?re hoping to enjoy some dumplings or lo mein as you ring in 2016, here?s a sampling of tasty Boston-area restaurants.

//c.o0bg.com/rf/image_90x90/Boston/2011-2020/2015/12/31/BostonGlobe.com/Arts/Images/obama3.jpeg ?Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee? with Obama airs

President Barack Obama said being able to call a nuclear submarine from his car is a cool feature, plus it has seat warmers.

DAN SHAUGHNESSY

//c.o0bg.com/rf/image_90x90/Boston/2011-2020/2015/12/30/BostonGlobe.com/Sports/Images/04c84846e209400ea0f724ce6fe8fcf6-04c84846e209400ea0f724ce6fe8fcf6-0-8640.jpg Twist of fate kept Dave Henderson from being immortalized here

The humble, likable outfielder could have had a statue in Boston but instead will go down as a wonderful footnote.

//c.o0bg.com/rf/image_90x90/Boston/2011-2020/2015/12/31/BostonGlobe.com/Sports/Images/3a0c4c8ade1d4f8ba606208e4bec1c71-3a0c4c8ade1d4f8ba606208e4bec1c71-0.jpg Bill Belichick ?disappointed? Eagles fired Chip Kelly

The Patriots? coach also gave candid answers on the topics of former Eagles players, his 2001 team, and his own job security.

Randall Hill/REUTERS | Mike Segar/REUTERS

Bill Clinton, Donald Trump to make dueling appearances next week

Clinton will campaign for his wife in Nashua on Monday, and Trump will be just across the state line in Lowell.

CHRISTOPHER L. GASPER

//c.o0bg.com/rf/image_90x90/Boston/2011-2020/2015/12/30/BostonGlobe.com/Sports/Images/Gasper1-8642.jpg Peyton Manning doesn?t have history on his side

The five-time MVP quarterback has vehemently denied HGH allegations, but it?s a story high-profile athletes have told before.

STAT

//c.o0bg.com/rf/image_90x90/Boston/2011-2020/2015/12/31/BostonGlobe.com/HealthScience/Images/VioletteRoberts_16-1024x576.jpg To keep seniors independent, sensors track home habits

Technological surveillance could help the elderly maintain their independence for longer, while also reducing health care costs.

Boston Police commissioner William Evans (left) and superintendent William Gross at a shooting scene in Mattapan on Tuesday.

Homicides down sharply in Boston, year-end report finds

Forty homicides were committed in Boston in 2015, down from 54 in 2014, officials said Wednesday afternoon.

Note to subscribers

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Ground Game

Ground Game

//c.o0bg.com/rf/image_90x90/Boston/2011-2020/2015/12/29/BostonGlobe.com/Politics/Images/499351058.jpg A campaign fundraising deadline that matters little

This time the difference between a pretty good and a pretty bad fundraising report isn?t much. If a candidate gets an extra million, it means virtually nothing.

Globe Santa

//c.o0bg.com/rf/image_90x90/Boston/2011-2020/2015/11/25/BostonGlobe.com/Special/Images/santa_logo[1]-U80342642589InF--90x90@BostonGlobe.com.jpg Donate to Globe Santa

Globe Santa delivers holiday gifts to local children in need.

Globe investigations

//c.o0bg.com/rf/image_90x90/Boston/2011-2020/2015/11/18/BostonGlobe.com/Metro/Images/spotlight150x150-165.jpg Globe investigations and Spotlight reports

A look at high-impact investigations from The Boston Globe, including the Pulitzer Prize-winning report on abuse in the Catholic Church.

The Big Picture

Pensioners try to get a number to enter inside a bank in Athens, on July 1. About 1,000 bank branches around the country were ordered by the government to reopen to help desperate pensioners without ATM cards cash up to 120 euros ($134) from their retirement checks.

Daniel Ochoa de Olza/Associated Press

Pensioners try to get a number to enter inside a bank in Athens, on July 1. About 1,000 bank branches around the country were ordered by the government to reopen to help desperate pensioners without ATM cards cash up to 120 euros ($134) from their retirement checks.

FIFA president Sepp Blatter looks on as fake dollar notes fly around him, thrown by a British comedian during a press conference at the FIFA world-body headquarter's on July 20 in Zurich. The 79-year-old Swiss official looked shaken as the notes thrown by Simon Brodkin, stagename Lee Nelson, fluttered around him in a conference hall at the FIFA headquarters. Brodkin was taken away in a Swiss police car after the stunt.

Fabrice Coffrini/AFP/Getty Images

FIFA president Sepp Blatter looks on as fake dollar notes fly around him, thrown by a British comedian during a press conference at the FIFA world-body headquarter's on July 20 in Zurich. The 79-year-old Swiss official looked shaken as the notes thrown by Simon Brodkin, stagename Lee Nelson, fluttered around him in a conference hall at the FIFA headquarters. Brodkin was taken away in a Swiss police car after the stunt.

The US Women's National Team celebrates with the trophy after they beat Japan 5-2 in the FIFA Women's World Cup soccer championship in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, on July 5.

Elaine Thompson/Associated Press

The US Women's National Team celebrates with the trophy after they beat Japan 5-2 in the FIFA Women's World Cup soccer championship in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, on July 5.

Revelers enjoy the atmosphere during the opening day or 'Chupinazo' of the San Fermin Running of the Bulls fiesta on July 6 in Pamplona, Spain. The annual Fiesta de San Fermin, made famous by the 1926 novel of US writer Ernest Hemmingway entitled 'The Sun Also Rises', involves the daily running of the bulls through the historic heart of Pamplona to the bull ring.

David Ramos/Getty Images

Revelers enjoy the atmosphere during the opening day or 'Chupinazo' of the San Fermin Running of the Bulls fiesta on July 6 in Pamplona, Spain. The annual Fiesta de San Fermin, made famous by the 1926 novel of US writer Ernest Hemmingway entitled 'The Sun Also Rises', involves the daily running of the bulls through the historic heart of Pamplona to the bull ring.

A beluga whale sprays water towards visitors during a summer attraction at the Hakkeijima Sea Paradise aquarium in Yokohama, suburban Tokyo on July 20. Tokyo's temperature climbed over 34 degree Celsius on July 20, one day after the end of the rainy season.

Toshifumi Kitamura/Getty Images

A beluga whale sprays water towards visitors during a summer attraction at the Hakkeijima Sea Paradise aquarium in Yokohama, suburban Tokyo on July 20.

This picture taken on July 8 shows 13-year-old jockey Purevsurengiin Togtokhsuren playing basketball after taking care of the horses in Khui Doloon Khudag, some 50 kms west of Ulan Bator. Despite being only 13 years old, Togtokhsuren is riding for the fifth time in the national races for Mongolia's summer festival, known as Naadam, lining up against some 170 other child jockeys.

Johannes Eisele/AFP/Getty Images

Purevsurengiin Togtokhsuren played basketball after taking care of horses in Khui Doloon Khudag, some 50 kms west of Ulan Bator on July 8. Despite being only 13 years old, Togtokhsuren is riding for the fifth time in the national races for Mongolia's summer festival, known as Naadam, lining up against some 170 other child jockeys.

Javier Yanez looks out from his balcony where he hung a US and a Cuban national flag, to celebrate the restored full diplomatic relations between Cuba and the Unites States, in Old Havana, on July 20. The new era began with little fanfare when an agreement between the two nations to resume normal ties on July 20 came into force just after midnight Sunday and the diplomatic missions of each country were upgraded from interests sections to embassies. 
)

Ramon Espinosa/Associated Press

Javier Yanez looks out from his balcony where he hung a Unites States and a Cuban national flag, to celebrate the restored full diplomatic relations between Cuba and the Unites States, in Old Havana, on July 20. The new era began with little fanfare when an agreement between the two nations to resume normal ties on July 20 came into force just after midnight Sunday and the diplomatic missions of each country were upgraded from interests sections to embassies.

 USA's Justin Gatlin, USA's Tyson Gay, Jamaica's Usain Bolt, USA's Mike Rodgers and USA's Trayvon Bromell compete in the final of the men's 100 metres athletics event at the 2015 IAAF World Championships at the

Antonon Thuillier/AFP/Getty Images

USA's Justin Gatlin, USA's Tyson Gay, Jamaica's Usain Bolt, USA's Mike Rodgers and USA's Trayvon Bromell compete in the final of the men's 100 metres athletics event at the 2015 IAAF World Championships at the "Bird's Nest" National Stadium in Beijing on Aug. 23.

A Thai veterinarian takes a picture of a 2-year-old orangutan during a health examination at Kao Pratubchang Conservation Centre in Ratchaburi, Thailand, on Aug. 27.

Athit Perawongmetha/Reuters

A Thai veterinarian takes a picture of a 2-year-old orangutan during a health examination at Kao Pratubchang Conservation Centre in Ratchaburi, Thailand, on Aug. 27.

A rescuer walks past damaged cars at the site of the explosions in Tianjin on Aug. 14. Enormous explosions in a major Chinese port city killed at least 44 people and injured more than 500, state media reported on Aug. 13, leaving a devastated industrial landscape of incinerated cars, toppled shipping containers and burnt-out buildings.

AFP/Getty Images

A rescuer walks past damaged cars at the site of the explosions in Tianjin on Aug. 14. Enormous explosions in a major Chinese port city killed at least 44 people and injured more than 500, state media reported on Aug. 13, leaving a devastated industrial landscape of incinerated cars, toppled shipping containers and burnt-out buildings.

Inigo Munoz Elorza of Spain and Stefan Dobrovolny of Austria (right) take stone samples during a simulated Mars mission on Tyrolean glaciers in Kaunertal, Austria, on Aug. 7.

Dominic Ebenbichler/Reuters

Inigo Munoz Elorza of Spain and Stefan Dobrovolny of Austria (right) take stone samples during a simulated Mars mission on Tyrolean glaciers in Kaunertal, Austria, on Aug. 7.

A Turkish police officer carries a migrant child's dead body off the shores in Bodrum, southern Turkey, on Sept. 2  after a boat carrying refugees sank while reaching the Greek island of Kos. Thousands of refugees and migrants arrived in Athens as Greek ministers held talks on the crisis, with Europe struggling to cope with the huge influx fleeing war and repression in the Middle East and Africa.

AFP/Getty Images

A Turkish police officer carries a refugee child's dead body off the shores in Bodrum, southern Turkey, on Sept. 2 after a boat carrying refugees sank while reaching the Greek island of Kos. Thousands of refugees and migrants arrived in Athens as Greek ministers held talks on the crisis, with Europe struggling to cope with the huge influx fleeing war and repression in the Middle East and Africa.

Hungarian policemen stand by the family of migrants as they want to run away at the railway station in the town of Bicske, Hungary, on Sept. 3.

Laszlo Balogh/Reuters

Hungarian policemen stand by the family of migrants and refugees as they want to run away at the railway station in the town of Bicske, Hungary, on Sept. 3.

A woman looks at a damaged vehicle on Sept. 15 swept away during a flash flood in Hildale, Utah. A violent flash flood tore through the polygamous towns of Colorado City, Arizona, and Hildale, Utah, in September, sweeping away a van and SUV carrying three women and 13 children. Only three of the occupants survived as the vehicles were engulfed by floodwaters and carried down an embankment.

Rick Bowmer/Associated Press

A woman looks at a damaged vehicle on Sept. 15 swept away during a flash flood in Hildale, Utah. A violent flash flood tore through the polygamous towns of Colorado City, Arizona, and Hildale, Utah, in September, sweeping away a van and SUV carrying three women and 13 children. Only three of the occupants survived as the vehicles were engulfed by floodwaters and carried down an embankment.

The supermoon rises behind Glastonbury Tor on Sept 27  in Glastonbury, England. Tonight's supermoon, so called because it is the closest full moon to the Earth this year, is particularly rare as it coincides with a lunar eclipse, a combination that has not happened since 1982 and won't happen again until 2033.

Matt Cardy/Getty Images

The supermoon rises behind Glastonbury Tor on Sept. 27 in Glastonbury, England. Tonight's supermoon, so called because it is the closest full moon to the Earth this year, is particularly rare as it coincides with a lunar eclipse, a combination that has not happened since 1982 and won't happen again until 2033.

A sign hangs above an entryway to a home destroyed by fire in Middletown, Calif., on Sept. 13. Gov. Jerry Brown's administration estimates it will cost at least $243 million to clean up and remove debris left in the wake of two major Northern California wildfires this fall.

Eric Risberg/Associated Press

A sign hangs above an entryway to a home destroyed by fire in Middletown, Calif., on Sept. 13. Gov. Jerry Brown's administration estimates it will cost at least $243 million to clean up and remove debris left in the wake of two major Northern California wildfires this fall.

US President Barack Obama stands with Pope Francis during an arrival ceremony for the pope at the White House in Washington on Sept. 23.

Jonathan Ernst/Reuters

US President Barack Obama stands with Pope Francis during an arrival ceremony for the pope at the White House in Washington on Sept. 23.

Director in charge of human resources of Air France long-haul flights, Pierre Plissonnier, nearly shirtless, is helped by security and police officers to climb over a fence, after several hundred employees stormed into the offices of Air France, interrupting the meeting of the Central Committee (CCE) in Roissy-en-France, on Oct. 5. Air France-KLM unveiled a revamped restructuring plan that could lead to 2,900 job losses after pilots for the struggling airline refused to accept a proposal to work longer hours.

Kenzo Tribouillard/AFP/Getty Images

Director in charge of human resources of Air France long-haul flights, Pierre Plissonnier, nearly shirtless, is helped by security and police officers to climb over a fence, after several hundred employees stormed into the offices of Air France, interrupting the meeting of the Central Committee (CCE) in Roissy-en-France, on Oct. 5. Air France-KLM unveiled a revamped restructuring plan that could lead to 2,900 job losses after pilots for the struggling airline refused to accept a proposal to work longer hours.

A model presents a creation by Portuguese designer Valentim Quaresma during the Lisbon Fashion Week, in Lisbon, Portugal, on Oct. 10.

Miguel A. Lopes/EPA

A model presents a creation by Portuguese designer Valentim Quaresma during the Lisbon Fashion Week, in Lisbon, Portugal, on Oct. 10.

Malaysian youths cool off in a river as schools remain closed due to hazy conditions in Hulu Langat on Oct. 6. Malaysia, Singapore and large expanses of Indonesia have suffered for weeks from acrid smoke billowing from fires on Indonesian plantations and peatlands that are being illegally cleared by burning. The regional environmental crisis has caused flights and major events to be cancelled, and forced tens of thousands of people in the region to seek medical treatment for respiratory problems.

Mohd Rasfan/AFP/Getty Images

Malaysian youths cool off in a river as schools remain closed due to hazy conditions in Hulu Langat on Oct. 6. Malaysia, Singapore and large expanses of Indonesia have suffered for weeks from acrid smoke billowing from fires on Indonesian plantations and peatlands that are being illegally cleared by burning. The regional environmental crisis has caused flights and major events to be cancelled, and forced tens of thousands of people in the region to seek medical treatment for respiratory problems.

A mounted policeman leads a group of migrants near Dobova, Slovenia on Oct. 20.

Srdjan Zivulovic/Reuters

A mounted policeman leads a group of migrants and refugees near Dobova, Slovenia on Oct. 20.

Refugees and migrants spend the night in a field outside of the Moria Hot Spot, on the Greek island of Lesbos on Nov. 9. More than 3,000 refugees and migrants have drowned among the nearly 800,000 who have reached Europe this year. However, EU states have bickered for months over a joint solution, particularly over plans to relocate a total of 160,000 asylum seekers from frontline countries to other parts of the EU bloc.

Aris Messinis/AFP/Getty Images

Refugees and migrants spend the night in a field outside of the Moria Hot Spot, on the Greek island of Lesbos on Nov. 9. More than 3,000 refugees and migrants have drowned among the nearly 800,000 who have reached Europe this year. However, EU states have bickered for months over a joint solution, particularly over plans to relocate a total of 160,000 asylum seekers from frontline countries to other parts of the EU bloc.

Newly-elected speaker of the UAE Federal National Council (FNC), Amal Al Qubaisi speaks during the inaugural session of the new FNC, in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates on Nov. 18. Amal Al Qubaisi was elected as speaker of the FNC becoming the first woman to assume the post.

Ali Haider/EPA

Newly-elected speaker of the UAE Federal National Council (FNC), Amal Al Qubaisi speaks during the inaugural session of the new FNC, in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates on Nov. 18. Amal Al Qubaisi was elected as speaker of the FNC becoming the first woman to assume the post.

Richard Dowlin (lett), 35, and Cormac Gollogly, 35, are married by registrar Mary Claire Heffernan in the South Clonmel Community Care Centre in County Tipperary, on Nov. 17. Dowlin and Gollogly are the first gay couple to marry in Ireland.

Cathal McNaughton/Reuters

Richard Dowlin (left), 35, and Cormac Gollogly, 35, are married by registrar Mary Claire Heffernan in the South Clonmel Community Care Centre in County Tipperary, on Nov. 17. Dowlin and Gollogly are the first gay couple to marry in Ireland.

Protestors including Lamon Reccord, 16, confront police during a demonstration in response to the fatal shooting of Laquan McDonald in Chicago, Ill., on Nov. 25. Laquan McDonald, 17, was fatally shot by Jason Van Dyke, a Chicago police officer, in October 2014.

Andrew Nelles/Reuters

Protestors including Lamon Reccord, 16, confront police during a demonstration in response to the fatal shooting of Laquan McDonald in Chicago, Ill., on Nov. 25. Laquan McDonald, 17, was fatally shot by Jason Van Dyke, a Chicago police officer in October 2014.

People hike on the Perito Moreno glacier in Los Glaciares National Park, part of the Southern Patagonian Ice Field, on Nov. 30 in Santa Cruz Province, Argentina. The Southern Patagonian Ice Field is the third largest ice field in the world. The majority of the almost 50 large glaciers in Los Glaciares National Park have been retreating during the past fifty years due to warming temperatures, according to the European Space Agency (ESA). The United States Geological Survey (USGS) reports that over 68 percent of the world's freshwater supplies are locked in ice caps and glaciers. The United Nations climate change conference began Nov. 30 in Paris.

Mario Tama/Getty Images

People hike on the Perito Moreno glacier in Los Glaciares National Park, part of the Southern Patagonian Ice Field, on Nov. 30 in Santa Cruz Province, Argentina. The Southern Patagonian Ice Field is the third largest ice field in the world. The majority of the almost 50 large glaciers in Los Glaciares National Park have been retreating during the past fifty years due to warming temperatures, according to the European Space Agency (ESA). The United States Geological Survey (USGS) reports that over 68 percent of the world's freshwater supplies are locked in ice caps and glaciers. The United Nations climate change conference began Nov. 30 in Paris.

A victim of a terrorist attack lies dead outside the Bataclan theater in Paris, Nov. 13.

Jerome Delay/Associated Press

A victim of a terrorist attack lies dead outside the Bataclan theater in Paris, Nov. 13.

A large crowd gathers to lay flowers and candles in front of the Carillon restaurant in Paris, France, on Nov. 15. One-hundred thirty  people were killed and hundreds injured in the terror attacks which targeted the Bataclan concert hall, the Stade de France national sports stadium, and several restaurants and bars in the French capital on  Nov. 13.

Ian Langsdon/EPA

A large crowd gathers to lay flowers and candles in front of the Carillon restaurant in Paris, France, on Nov. 15. One-hundred thirty people were killed and hundreds injured in the terror attacks which targeted the Bataclan concert hall, the Stade de France national sports stadium, and several restaurants and bars in the French capital on Nov. 13.

People observe a minute of silence at the Place de Trocadero in Paris on Nov. 16 to pay tribute to victims of the attacks claimed by Islamic State which killed at least 130 people and left more than 350 injured on Nov. 13.

Kenzo Tribouillard/AFP/Getty Images

People observe a minute of silence at the Place de Trocadero in Paris on Nov. 16 to pay tribute to victims of the attacks claimed by Islamic State which killed at least 130 people and left more than 350 injured on Nov. 13.

Gary Mendoza, and his son Michael pay their respects at a makeshift memorial site honoring Wednesday's shooting victims on Dec. 7 in San Bernardino, Calif. Thousands of employees of San Bernardino County are preparing to return to work Monday, five days after a county restaurant inspector and his wife opened fire on a gathering of his co-workers, killing 14 people and wounding 21.

Jae C. Hong/Associated Press

Gary Mendoza, and his son Michael pay their respects at a makeshift memorial site honoring shooting victims on Dec. 7 in San Bernardino, Calif. Thousands of employees of San Bernardino County are preparing to return to work Monday, five days after a county restaurant inspector and his wife opened fire on a gathering of his co-workers, killing 14 people and wounding 21.

A Chinese paramilitary policeman wears mask to protect against pollution as he guards during heavy pollution day in Tiananmen Square on Dec. 22 in Beijing. Forty cities in north China, including Beijing, have issued alerts for air pollution, according to Beijing air pollution emergency management headquarters. Heavy smog has hit China's Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region on three occasions since late November.

Feng Li/Getty Images

A Chinese paramilitary policeman wears mask to protect against pollution as he guards during heavy pollution day in Tiananmen Square on Dec. 22 in Beijing. Forty cities in north China, including Beijing, have issued alerts for air pollution, according to Beijing air pollution emergency management headquarters. Heavy smog has hit China's Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region on three occasions since late November.

US Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump addresses the crowd during a campaign rally in Grand Rapids, Michigan, on Dec. 21.

Rebecca Cook/Reuters

US Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump addresses the crowd during a campaign rally in Grand Rapids, Michigan, on Dec. 21.

US Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton greets Louie Dixon as she campaigns at the Iowa State Fair in Des Moines, Iowa.

Jim Young/Reuters

US Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton greets Louie Dixon as she campaigns at the Iowa State Fair in Des Moines, Iowa.

An aerial view shows the collapsed factory buildings brought down by the Dec. 20 landslide in Shenzhen, south China's Guangdong province. The search intensified for more than 91 people missing in southern China after a massive landslide buried around three dozen buildings in the city of Shenzhen. The number of rescue workers was boosted by around 1,200 to just over 2,900, the Xinhua news agency reported. Another 78 excavators arrived to help dig through 380,000 square metres of silt up to 10 metres deep, the deputy mayor of Shenzhen, told a press conference on Dec. 21. The landslide occurred when a large, unstable mound of dumped earth and construction rubbish collapsed, the Ministry of Land and Natural Resources said.

EPA

An aerial view shows the collapsed factory buildings brought down by the Dec. 20 landslide in Shenzhen, south China's Guangdong province. The search intensified for more than 91 people missing in southern China after a massive landslide buried around three dozen buildings in the city of Shenzhen. The number of rescue workers was boosted by around 1,200 to just over 2,900, the Xinhua news agency reported. Another 78 excavators arrived to help dig through 380,000 square metres of silt up to 10 metres deep, the deputy mayor of Shenzhen, told a press conference on Dec. 21. The landslide occurred when a large, unstable mound of dumped earth and construction rubbish collapsed, the Ministry of Land and Natural Resources said.

Pam Russell (left) and Linda Hart rescue Pam's cat, Larue, from Russell's house a day after a tornado hit on Delta Drive in Rowlett, Texas, on Dec. 27. At least 11 people died and dozens were injured in apparently strong tornadoes that swept through the Dallas area and caused substantial damage this weekend.

Nathan Hunsinger/The Dallas Morning News via Associated Press

Pam Russell (left) and Linda Hart rescue Pam's cat, Larue, from Russell's house a day after a tornado hit on Delta Drive in Rowlett, Texas, on Dec. 27. At least 11 people died and dozens were injured in apparently strong tornadoes that swept through the Dallas area and caused substantial damage this weekend.

Tourists ski on a thin layer of snow towards the resort of Leysin, Swiss Alps, on Dec. 28. In a season traditionally associated with ice-skating, snowball fights and mulled wine in wintry Europe, birds are chirping, flowers blooming and fake snow covering Alpine ski slopes in one of the warmest Decembers on record.

Fabrice Coffrini/AFP/Getty Images

Tourists ski on a thin layer of snow towards the resort of Leysin, Swiss Alps, on Dec. 28. In a season traditionally associated with ice-skating, snowball fights and mulled wine in wintry Europe, birds are chirping, flowers blooming and fake snow covering Alpine ski slopes in one of the warmest Decembers on record.

Workers from a taxi firm enter their premises with a teapot and cups of tea, which they have got from a neighboring wine bar, through the floodwaters from the rivers Foss and Ouse, after they burst their banks in York, northern England, on Dec. 28. British Prime Minister David Cameron visited the flood-hit historic city of York on Monday as cities, towns and villages across northern England battled to get back on their feet following devastating storms. Around 500 properties were flooded in York, one of Britain's top tourist attractions, on Sunday as two rivers burst their banks. Some residential streets became so inundated that cars were covered up to their roofs.

Justin Tallis/AFP/Getty Images

Workers from a taxi firm enter their premises with a teapot and cups of tea, which they got from a neighboring wine bar, through the floodwaters from the rivers Foss and Ouse, after they burst their banks in York, northern England, on Dec. 28. British Prime Minister David Cameron visited the flood-hit historic city of York on Monday as cities, towns and villages across northern England battled to get back on their feet following devastating storms. Around 500 properties were flooded in York, one of Britain's top tourist attractions, on Sunday as two rivers burst their banks. Some residential streets became so inundated that cars were covered up to their roofs.

Peter Best and Mackenzie Kuhl hold hands while walking across the Stone Arch Bridge Dec. 28 in Minneapolis. A winter storm is expected to dump up to a foot of snow in south-central Minnesota before it tracks north and east.

Jeff Wheeler/Star Tribune via Associated Press

Peter Best and Mackenzie Kuhl hold hands while walking across the Stone Arch Bridge on Dec. 28 in Minneapolis. A winter storm is expected to dump up to a foot of snow in south-central Minnesota before it tracks north and east.

2015 Year in Pictures: Part II

Photographs from July - December on a range of topics from arouund the world. ( see Part I )

The story behind 'Spotlight'

//c.o0bg.com/rf/image_90x90/Boston/2011-2020/2015/11/18/BostonGlobe.com/Metro/Images/spotlight-9497.jpg Boston Globe coverage and the movie ?Spotlight?

?Spotlight? is based on the stories and the reporters behind the investigation of sexual abuse in the Catholic Church.

BetaBoston

betaboston | tech lab

//c.o0bg.com/rf/image_90x90/Boston/2011-2020/2015/12/31/BostonGlobe.com/Business/Images/Hiawatha-Bray-5753.jpg Dear FCC: Don?t fight Internet freebies

The FCC is casting a suspicious gaze on some US telecom firms that are handing out free Internet bandwidth to their customers.

Crux

Crux | John L. Allen Jr.

//c.o0bg.com/rf/image_90x90/Boston/2011-2020/2015/12/29/BostonGlobe.com/Foreign/Images/allen-1202.jpg Italy?s smog crisis may embolden Pope Francis on environment

If all politics is, indeed, local, then one probably shouldn?t expect Pope Francis? focus on the environment to diminish anytime soon.