Casino deal would pay Boston $18m annually

A Revere casino would pay for improvements in East Boston and provide hiring preferences for local workers.

Russian President Vladimir Putin

ALEXEI NIKOLSKY/AFP/Getty

Liberties, logic suffer in Vladimir Putin?s Russia

A rise in laws, bills and other rules that limit freedom of expression coincides with a spike in the popularity of Vladimir Putin.

Adrian Walker

Gordon College pleads for right to discriminate

The small Christian college wants an exemption from a planned executive order banning discrimination in hiring on the basis of sexual orientation.

The soon-to-open Verb hotel near Fenway Park uses vintage and funky objects that echo the area?s music heritage.

Lane Turner/Globe Staff

Shirley Leung

Motel overhaul rooted in the rock-club past

Developer Steve Samuels decided to restore a 94-room motel in the Fenway and pay homage to the area?s rock scene of the ?70s and ?80s.

Harry Potter update brings talk of fresh wizardry

A 1,500-word short story posted Tuesday on author J.K. Rowling?s fan website updates the lives of several major ?Harry Potter? characters.

DAN SHAUGHNESSY

//c.o0bg.com/rf/image_90x90/Boston/2011-2020/2013/12/10/BostonGlobe.com/Sports/Images/shaughnessy.jpg From Brighton repair shop, World Cup a beautiful sight

Mocked, ridiculed, and threatened by soccer krishnas around the globe, Dan Shaughnessy pledged to give the Beautiful Game one more chance.

 Heline Araujo of Franklin, her daughter, Ashlyn Pleitez, 6, and other members of the Brazilian faithful agonized at the Tropical Cafe in Framingham Tuesday as Germany shocked the host team, 7-1, in a World Cup semifinal.

In Framingham, Brazil fans at a loss

Some fans employed dark humor, while others quietly wiped away tears and hung their heads, declining to comment on what they were watching.

BetaBoston

BetaBoston

//c.o0bg.com/rf/image_90x90/Boston/2011-2020/2014/07/08/BostonGlobe.com/Business/Images/cloud150-7503.jpg EMC acquires Natick cloud storage firm TwinStrata

TwinStrata offers cloud storage and backup, including CloudArray, which combines onsite disk storage with cloud storage on demand.