Boston Police halt license scanning program

Police inadvertently released the license plate numbers of more than 68,000 vehicles that tripped alarms on automated license plate readers over a six-month period.

Shovels were on display Friday outside a hardware store on Charles Street in Beacon Hill.

Mass. residents prepare for impending storm

Boston is expected to receive 4 to 6 inches of snow, while towns north and west of the city could see up to 10 inches.

Bells toll in Newtown for Sandy Hook shooting victims

Newtown officials have called for privacy and asked residents to honor the victims through acts of service and kindness.

Brandeis faculty urges renewal of ties with Palestinian school

Participants at a controversial Al-Quds University rally flashed Nazi-style salutes and reenacted the Israeli military’s killing of an Islamic Jihad member.

China safely soft-lands rover on the moon

State television showed pictures of the moon’s surface as the Chang’e 3 lander touched down Saturday evening.

Governor Deval Patrick said that doing business in “relationship-centric” Asia turns on personal connections.

Yoshikazu Tsuno/Reuters/Pool

Patrick assesses Asia trade mission

Nearly done with a 10-day Asia trade mission, Governor Deval Patrick has presided over two deals and expects to lay the groundwork for more in Hong Kong and Singapore.

Brian Glenney and Sara Hendren have begun a campaign to change the design of wheelchair signs.

Wheelchair icon revamped by guerrilla art project

What began as a statement by a Cambridge artist and a Gordon College assistant professor has become a global movement.

Brian and Alma Hart of Bedford scouted memorial locations in August. Their son, Private First Class John D. Hart, died when his unit was ambushed in Iraq in 2003.

Iraq, Afghan veterans seek memorial for war without end

The push for a memorial raises complicated questions about the duration of the “global war on terror’’ and how Americans view the unpopular conflicts.

Santa visited with children from Families First Daycare at an event Friday at Copley Place that featured NESN anchor Jamison Coyle and WGBH arts editor Jared Bowen.

Globe Santa

Ailing dad wants Christmas dreams to come true for young daughters

One request came from a single parent in a community northwest of Boston who’s raising two young daughters.

Opinion

opinion | h.d.s. greenway

//c.o0bg.com/rf/image_90x90/Boston/2011-2020/2013/12/14/BostonGlobe.com/EditorialOpinion/Images/karzai1214-1523--90x90.jpg Will Hamid Karzai overplay his hand?

The Americans had their own reasons to go to Afghanistan, and Karzai is betting that he has room to be difficult.

Sports

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Celtics 90, Knicks 86

Jared Sullinger, who had 19 points on 6-of-9 shooting, was head and shoulders above the Knicks’ Amare Stoudemire.

Late Celtic run sinks Knicks

Earlier this week, the Celtics plunged a long blade deep into the heart of the Knicks. On Friday, Boston grabbed the handle and twisted it a little, just for fun.

Nation & World

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An FBI poster from 2012 shows images of retired FBI  agent Robert Levinson, including one from his abductors and one showing what he might look like now.

Pressure over CIA contractor

The family of Robert Levinson, who disappeared nearly seven years ago during an unofficial spy mission, urged the government “to step up and take care of one of its own.”

Lifestyle

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Nine-year-old Neely Harrington showed the item she made for her teacher.

Parents face anxieties over holiday gifts for teachers

Even for the craftiest parent, finding the perfect — or at least an appropriate — holiday gift for a child’s teachers can be a source of frustration.