Mass. to get more than $300m in foreclosure deal

The $25 billion settlement between 49 states and five major US banks will provide money to help troubled homeowners.

Mass. granted ‘No Child’ waiver

The state - one of 10 awarded the waiver - sees it as a way to give educators the flexibility needed to target improvements at troubled schools.

http://c.o0bg.com/rf/image_90x90/Boston/2011-2020/2012/02/09/BostonGlobe.com/Metro/Images/09sager_photo1--90x90.jpg Sager defends support of Syrian dictator

Philanthropist Bobby Sager said his comments reflected what he saw during a trip to Syria last March, but that he is now “greatly saddened” by what is unfolding there.

Syrian city of Homs sees continued violence

A weeklong government offensive has created a deepening humanitarian crisis in Homs, the epicenter of an 11-month-old uprising that has brought the country closer to civil war.

Kerry Hayes/SMPSP

Exclusive Friday Preview | MOVIE REVIEW

‘The Vow’ whispers sweet nothings

It’s a rare chick flick about brain trauma, but even amnesia can’t dim Channing Tatum and Rachel McAdams.

Exclusive Friday Preview | MOVIE REVIEW

Madonna’s latest drama ‘W.E.’ follows two women, but leads nowhere

As a moviemaker, Madonna is best when she’s not trying so hard, and this movie tries awfully hard.

Exclusive Friday Preview | MOVIE REVIEW

‘Safe House’ plays it a little too ‘Safe’

This CIA thriller shows a cool and calm Denzel Washington, but the charisma is missing.

“We went out and said we have hope.”

Joe O’Donnell,  on raising $250 million for cystic fibrosis research

Globe Insiders

Globe Talks | Feb. 15, 6 p.m.

http://c.o0bg.com/rf/image_90x90/Boston/2011-2020/2012/02/01/BostonGlobe.com/Special/Images/greenhouse_movies2_business[1].jpg Talk movies with Ty and Wesley

Join the Boston Globe’s movie critics, Ty Burr and Wesley Morris, for a conversation about this year’s Academy Awards.

Inside The Boston Globe

The dos and don’ts of date night

Rare bird sighted in Wellfleet

‘Oil Can’ Boyd says he used cocaine with Sox

Singer from Sudbury gets unlikely Grammy nod
Kodak says it will phase out its digital camera product lines in the first half of this year.

Kodak to stop making cameras
Tim Thomas, right, surrendered three goals after relieving Tuukka Rask in last night’s game.

Defiant Tim Thomas won’t defend views

Santorum surge is telling for Romney

On football

Patriots’ offense a failure in Super Bowl
Boston--02/08/12 House Speaker Robert DeLeo goes over his speech in his office prior to speaking to house members on priorites for the next six months. Boston Globe staff photo by John Tlumacki (metro)

DeLeo rejects Patrick’s tax proposals
Roast Beef, a dapper-looking penguin at the New England Aquarium, visited Hannah Duston Health Care Rehabilitation Center in Haverhill today.

A happy visit from a guy in a tuxedo

Missing: 5.4 million workers from labor force

Dining Out

The Blue Room is still strong on hospitality

Columnists

Tech Lab

Epic game, epic endeavor
Mattapan, MA 020412 Jennifer Smith (cq), of Mattapan picks up her son Sammy Aaron, (cq), 6, his Mather School in Dorchester elementary school every day. She doen't let him ride the school bus since he was dropped off at the wrong stop on January 4, 2012.(Essdras M Suarez/ Globe Staff)/MET

Yvonne Abraham

Wrong bus stop, wrong response

Brian McGrory

Joey’s long legacy

Juliette Kayyem

Tweeting with a pile of Saudi money

Gareth Cook

Why scientists are boycotting a publisher
FOR SPORTS. Foxborough, MA 2/6/2012 Gabriel Pelletier (cq) of Lunenberg shows off his Patriots helmet with signatures from the 2007-2008 team. New England Patriots fans gather outside of Gillette Stadium to greet the team the day after their Super Bowl loss to the New York Giants, in Foxborough, MA on Monday, February 6, 2012. (Yoon S. Byun/Globe Staff) Section: SPORTS Slug: superbowlfolo Reporter: Travis Andersen LOID: 5.0.833220238

Tony Massarotti

The true Golden Age of Boston sports

Scot Lehigh

DeLeo’s success with health reform

Derrick Z. Jackson

An environmental chain reaction
Bill Belichick took questions for the final time this season yesterday.

Dan Shaughnessy

As losses go, we’ve seen worse than Patriots’

Jeff Jacoby

Ganging up on Ginsburg — way too quickly

alex beam

Eat free or die

boston capital

Staples sees slow sales in economic recovery

Metro

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Two Mattapan slay suspects seek dismissal

Lawyers for two defendants slated to go trial in the fatal shootings of four people are seeking a dismissal because authorities recently turned over evidence implicating someone else.

Business

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Greek Prime Minister Loukas Papademos enters the meeting room at Maximos mansion in Athens on Wednesday Feb.8, 2012. After three days of delays, Greek coalition leaders began crucial debt talks Wednesday with the prime minister to review a draft deal on steep cutbacks demanded by creditors in return for a euro 130 billion ($170 billion) bailout. (AP Photo/Orestis Panagiotou, pool)

Greece reaches austerity deal

The country has reached a tentative agreement on new austerity cuts demanded by creditors to release a $173 billion bailout, the prime minster’s office announced.

Nation & World

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Washington state legislators OK same-sex marriage

Washington was poised yesterday to become the seventh state to allow same-sex couples to marry after the state House approved such a bill.

Politics

Mitt Romney spoke yesterday at a campaign rally in Atlanta, Ga.

Romney ‘not expecting a landslide’ in Michigan

Michigan native Mitt Romney tried to lower expectations today against a resurgent Rick Santorum heading towards the state’s Republican primary.

Sports

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On basketball

Celtics, Lakers are both in slow decline

The Celtics and Lakers enter tonight’s showdown in nearly identical positions trying to stay competitive and avoid not living off of tradition and past accomplishments.

Style

G COVER

Sealed with a kiss: Valentine’s Day gift guide

For all its heartfelt sentiment, Valentine’s Day has acquired a cheesy sheen, becoming the holiday equivalent of a carnival midway.

Arts

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Arts events around Boston

Boston Globe critics put together a list of upcoming theater, art, gallery, and museum events around the area worth checking out.

Magazine

The cover for the February 5 2012 issue

What if the lights go out?
The cover for the January 29 2012 issue

Reversing a restaurant curse
The cover for the January 22 2012 issue

Mother worries about her Occupy Wall Street protester son
The cover for the January 15 2012 issue

Mass. voting maps reflect State House evolution

Opinion

“Academic publishers can choose to make a decent profit, or they can choose to extract from the system as much money as they think they can get away with.”

Gareth Cook 

Ideas

“For American enthusiasts of the Kagame regime, the Ingabire case points to a dilemma: Rwanda’s remarkable reconciliation and success have gone hand in hand with severely curtailed freedom of speech.”

Peter Canellos,  on free expression in Rwanda