Britain stages a spectacular welcome for the world

Britain greeted the world Friday with an extravagant celebration that included Bond, the Bard and a Beatle — and a formal welcome from its jubilee queen.

London's Olympic Stadium was lit and ready for Friday's opening ceremony.

Pawel Kopczynski/REUTERS

London's Olympic Stadium was lit and ready for Friday's opening ceremony.

The Olympic rings served as a centerpiece above the ceremony.

Morry Gash/Associated Press/Pool

The Olympic rings served as a centerpiece above the ceremony.

The Olympic rings were outfitted with special effects.

Morry Gash/Associated Press/Pool

The Olympic rings were outfitted with special effects.

Britain's Queen Elizabeth attended the opening ceremony.

Kai Pfaffenbach/REUTERS

Britain's Queen Elizabeth attended the opening ceremony.

A fan watched the opening ceremony.

Lucy Nicholson/REUTERS

A fan watched the opening ceremony.

Drummers waved their sticks during their performance.

Murad Sezer /REUTERS

Drummers waved their sticks during their performance.

The Union Flag was raised during the opening ceremony.

Mike Segar/REUTERS

The Union Flag was raised during the opening ceremony.

Many of the athletes from around the world will be posting both text and images on Twitter, Facebook and other forms of social media, documenting their time in competition and in around the Olympic Village in London.

Saturday Preview | G Cover

Welcome to the Socialympics

Thanks to the soaring popularity of social media, fans of the Olympics will have the opportunity to follow the London Games more comprehensively, and obsessively, than ever before.

Exclusive Sunday Preview | Globe Magazine

The power of the 21st-century mom network

Using the strength of their online networks, today’s moms communicate far beyond the backyard fence and can mobilize other moms at lightning-fast speed.

Latest news

 

Aram Boghosian for The Boston Globe

Where’s Wally? Sox mascot found after brief search

A misunderstanding led a security officer at Fenway to report the theft of the Red Sox mascot costume this afternoon.

Two dead, 45 arrested at Mansfield concert

Mansfield police say two people died and 45 others were arrested after a concert at the Comcast Center on Thursday night.

Brown gives view on Chick-fil-A controversy

Senator Scott Brown said today he disagreed with anti-gay marriage comments made by the company’s president, but did not address whether the chain should open in Boston.

General Dynamics plant in Taunton spared budget cut

The Pentagon this week backed off a plan to cut hundreds of millions of dollars from communications projects in development at the plant.

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From the archives | Photos

//c.o0bg.com/rf/image_90x90/Boston/2011-2020/2012/07/25/BostonGlobe.com/Enterprise/Advance/Images/charlesriver014-001--90x90.jpg Charles River Basin

The completion of the Charles River Dam Bridge on June 30, 1910, created the Charles River Basin and gave Boston the waterway that is now integral to our urban experience.

Globe exclusives

Newport Folk Festival producer Jay Sweet (center) with legendary singer Pete Seeger (left) and the festival’s founder, George Wein.

Sweet gives Newport Folk Festival a distinct flavor
A cat named Snow Shoe peeked out of the port window of her cage at the remodeled shelter in Dedham.

Photo Gallery

Globe photos of the week

Exclusive Sunday Preview | Ideas

How did ‘Monday’ become a racist slur?
The Soul Rebels Brass Band will perform at this weekend’s inaugural Summer Arts Weekend.

Inaugural Summer Arts Weekend loaded with jazz
Since Mayor Menino’s letter to Chick-fil-A was posted on Facebook Wednesday, about 140,000 people have “liked” it.

Mayor Menino clarifies Chick-fil-A stance
Bluegrass singer Sierra Hull.

Sierra Hull brings bluegrass back to Boston

High court cautions Patrick on 3 strikes law

SPECIAL SECTION

Keep up on the latest from the London Olympics
A look at three of the medalists in 1948, when London last hosted the Summer Olympics.

Bob Ryan

In ‘48, London Olympics had different challenges
A rehearsal for “Paragon Park the Musical.”

Reconstructing Paragon Park for a musical

Roland Merullo

An unaffordable future
The offices of Back Bay Life Sciences Associates designed by Choi + Shine Architects.

style

Architects find inspiration everywhere

Sports

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Ben Cherington says Red Sox will be buyers

The Red Sox GM said he still thinks his club can get into the playoff race. “We’re looking to improve, not take away,” he said.

Metro

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While Elizabeth Warren recently gave her views on gun rights, Scott Brown has a 12-year record in the Legislature and more than two years in the US Senate.

Brown opposes, Warren supports renewing assault weapons ban

The deadly shooting in ­Colorado has thrust the debate about gun control into the Senate race.

Columnists

Boston Capital

Online retailers pressed to collect sales taxes

Brian McGrory

Mitt Romney, lost in translation
A look at three of the medalists in 1948, when London last hosted the Summer Olympics.

Bob Ryan

In ‘48, London Olympics had different challenges

Yvonne Abraham

Future Boston breaks the Menino rule

opinion | joan vennochi

Real Lives bill would empower people with disabilities
Tom Brady and the Patriots are back to begin another training camp.

Dan Shaughnessy

Patriots camp brings thoughts of another Super Bowl

Tech Lab

The smartphone as a spending tool

edward l. glaeser

Bad laws are no cure for outsourcing
Mourners embraced at the memorial built across the street from the theater where the Colorado shootings took place.

opinion | derrick z. jackson

Start the conversation on guns

Jeff Jacoby

The rush to politicize a tragedy

Brian McGrory

Silence no way to fight guns
An employee helps a customer at a gun shop in Fort Worth, Texas.

Opinion | Farah Stockman

Acceptable risk

Business

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Karen Stein of GOODGOOD, a design studio, created a mock-up of an micro-apartment unit for a 20-story tower that broke ground in the Seaport District Thursday.

Boston, developers betting tiny Seaport apartments will be a big thing

With units as small as 450 square feet, the apartments fit the call for more affordable housing for young professionals who want to live near work and attractions.

Politics

Romney words on Olympics readiness draw British riposte

Britain’s prime minister and the country’s press hit Mitt Romney after the Republican candidate questioned London’s preparation for the Games.

Nation & World

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Timothy Brown, known as the Berlin patient, is the only known person cured of HIV.

Researchers report hopeful HIV treatment

Two HIV-positive patients in Boston who underwent bone marrow transplants for cancer were later found to have undetectable blood levels of the virus.

Arts

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Stage Review

Kylend Hetherington (Billy) and the cast of “Billy Elliot the Musical.”

Pirouettes and punch in ‘Billy Elliot the Musical’

The young protagonist makes the life-changing discovery that he has a gift for dance.

Movies

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From left, Jonah Hill, Ben Stiller, Richard Ayoade and Vince Vaughn star in

‘The Watch’ is a bad movie with bad timing

The studio pulled back marketing after the Trayvon Martin incident, but they should have just canned the whole thing.

“My mom said on ‘60 Minutes’, he’s going to Rio. I said, yeah, we’ll go and watch.”

Michael Phelps,  on the 2016 Olympics

Magazine

The cover for the July 22 2012 issue

25 best burgers around Boston
The cover for the July 15 2012 issue

12 Bostonians Changing the World
The cover for the July 8 2012 issue

N.Y. vs. Boston: The endgame
The cover for the June 24 2012 issue

A West Falmouth home where sea meets sunset

Opinion

“No political system is irrevocable, especially one that throttles the expression of the people’s wishes.”

Thomas Gagen 

Ideas

“On the fringes of American politics, on conservative radio, and even on the campaign trail, a whole parallel Obama has emerged over the course of the 2012 race—a shadowy figure who has craftily concealed his ideological extremism and is merely awaiting his second term to unleash it.”

Leon Neyfakh