Sydney siege ends after police storm cafe

An injured hostage was wheeled to an ambulance after shots were fired during a cafe siege at Martin Place in the central business district of Sydney.

Rob Griffith/Associated Press

At least 2 people appeared to be injured after police swarmed in following a 16-hour standoff with a hostage-taker at a Syndey cafe.

On the opening drive of the second half, quarterback Tom Brady took matters into his own hands with a 17-yard run that gave the Patriots first-and-goal at the Miami 3-yard line.

Ben Volin | On Football

Tom Brady?s scramble picked up the Patriots

The quarterback lowered his shoulder on a 17-yard scamper that gave the Patriots a first-and-goal, and some life.

Dan Shaughnessy

//c.o0bg.com/rf/image_90x90/Boston/2011-2020/2014/12/14/BostonGlobe.com/Sports/Images/shaughnessy-7066--90x90.png Winning AFC East only the beginning for Patriots

The Patriots have won six straight division titles and really look like a Super Bowl team.

Evan Horowitz

//c.o0bg.com/rf/image_90x90/Boston/2011-2020/2014/12/12/BostonGlobe.com/Politics/Images/horowitz-063.jpg Misleading medical tests, explained via Cinderella

Even extremely accurate tests can produce misleading or even meaningless results. Here?s why.

Stacie Chapman?s son was born healthy, despite the results of a prenatal screening.

Oversold prenatal tests spur some to choose abortions

Some pregnancies are needlessly aborted by mothers who are misinformed about the accuracy of the tests.

Randi Marenburg at work at UMass Boston?s food pantry.

Their budgets strained, students turn to campus food pantries

An increasingly visible number of students are faced with a wrenching choice: paying for college or keeping themselves fed.

Charli XCX and Iggy Azalea performed during KISS 108?s Jingle Ball 2014 at TD Garden.

Music Review

KISS 108 Jingle Ball sticks to format

The lineup was flush with some of the year?s biggest hitmakers, arguably too many: The show crammed 12 acts into just over three hours with little downtime.

//c.o0bg.com/rf/image_90x90/Boston/2011-2020/2014/10/18/BostonGlobe.com/Metro/Images/44cde4e65fba47279d8cd63fbf2391f5-9e06d44203b8486ab8d34e9ba4e03f0b-0.jpg Patrick shifts position on worker unionization

The governor transferred 500 managers to the public state employee union in October despite earlier concerns from his own legal team.

Five reportedly dead in shootings near Philadelphia

A man is believed to have barricaded himself in a home after five people were reportedly killed at three different homes.

//c.o0bg.com/rf/image_90x90/Boston/2011-2020/2014/12/15/BostonGlobe.com/Metro/Images/B45jwbwIUAEMKly[1]--90x90.jpg Methuen student injured in hit-and-run crash

The boy was taken to Lawrence General Hospital, where he was to be flown to a Boston hospital.

//c.o0bg.com/rf/image_90x90/Boston/2011-2020/2014/11/19/BostonGlobe.com/Metro/Advance/Images/lee_bridge_met.jpg Abrupt closing of Long Island Bridge was slow to arrive

For years, the structural hazards of the bridge grew increasingly obvious, and the city did little beyond patchwork fixes.

//c.o0bg.com/rf/image_90x90/Boston/2011-2020/2014/12/09/BostonGlobe.com/Metro/Images/maeda_AffordableMandarin_g1.jpg Boston housing lottery offers luxury at low cost

Thanks to a city housing program, a lucky few can qualify to live in high-end buildings, at a much lower price.

Judith Gueye (right), a Blueprint Math Fellow, tutored Jelissa Burgos at English High School in Boston on equivalent fractions and inequalities problems.

Schools threatened with takeovers still underperforming

Despite working with outside partners, seven schools threatened with a state takeover are still underperforming on the MCAS.

Fall River recall could result in reelection of embattled mayor

There?s a chance that Fall River voters could toss out their embattled mayor this month ? only to see him return to City Hall.

//c.o0bg.com/rf/image_90x90/Boston/2011-2020/2014/12/15/BostonGlobe.com/Business/Images/emcjump-3825--90x90.jpg EMC?s giant leap for viral marketing

EMC?s latest promotional video, featuring a tractor-trailer leaping over a ramp at 70 mph, has already been viewed more than 10 million times.

Opinion

Laila Hlass

//c.o0bg.com/rf/image_90x90/Boston/2011-2020/2014/12/13/BostonGlobe.com/EditorialOpinion/Images/2014-12-03T185600Z_1816759889_GM1EAC407ZD02_RTRMADP_3_USA-IMMIGRATION.jpg Five GOP immigration myths

The outcry from Republicans over President Obama?s executive action has been deafening.

The Big Picture

Matthew J. Lee/Globe Staff

Protesters rally in downtown Boston

About 1,000 people demonstrated Saturday in Boston to protest over the recent deaths of Michael Brown and Eric Garner.