Once the phones work, the callers often break down. “When the refugees hear their [loved ones] phone, they’re so moved they can’t speak,” says volunteer Christine Pouquet. It took Aphrodite Aliu a week to call her mother in Germany. “Don’t worry, Mama,” she said when her call went through. “We’re with NATO.” Her mother replied: “Don’t hang up. I want to hear you call me Mama. Say it again. I’d forgotten how it sounds....

As the Patriots, Steelers, Falcons and Packers head into their pressure-filled conference championship games, it’s no surprise that the last four quarterbacks standing are elite veterans who are among the best in the league. Three of them — Tom Brady (age 39), Ben Roethlisberger (34) and Aaron Rodgers (33) — are past Super Bowl champions, and all three likely are Hall of Fame-bound. The fourth and youngest, 31-year-old Matt Ryan, might be the league MVP this season and has plenty of time to fortify his Canton resume....

Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment, which owns the Leafs, struck the most lucrative arena naming rights deal in the NHL in the past year, providing the boost needed to pass the Canadiens. Scotiabank agreed to pay MLSE $640 million over the next 20 years in the deal. Forbes values the Maple Leafs at $1.4 billion, slightly ahead of the Canadiens who are valued at $1.25 billion. The Rangers, whose valuation jumped 20 percent from 2016, sit atop the Forbes list at $1....

Forbes' list of the Most Valuable NBA Teams in 2014 has the Knicks listed as No. 1, with an NBA-record $96 million operating profit. Their $287 million in revenue is thanks in large part to a $1 billion renovation of Madison Square Garden, which was completed in 2013, and a TV audience ranked behind only the Los Angeles Lakers. Forbes has the team's current value listed at $1.4 billion, up 27 percent from the previous year....

Ford says the new service is just another in its aim to improve ownership experience by easing maintenance calls and scheduling for everything from minor repairs to recall work. The company also says this will help brand loyalty with more personalized service options. The new option also expands its Mobile Services like oil and filter changes, brake service and light recall work. A 2022 J.D. Power study asked customers who they felt about remote experiences like these and found that the customers who used them were more likely to recommend their brand to a friend or family member....

Appearing in a video for Yankees on Demand, battery mates Gary Sanchez and Masahiro Tanaka were filmed trying to make lunch plans. There was a catch, though. Sanchez, who hails from the Dominican Republic, and Tanaka, a native of Japan, don’t speak the same first language. Aware of the potential conflict, the two brought in some help. By Tanaka’s side was Shingo Horie, the Yankees’ Japanese interpreter. Marlon Abreu, the team’s Spanish interpreter, aided Sanchez....

In Cambridge, Mass., “Barking Lot” van groomers scrub, brush, shave and spritz cats and dogs without ever making them leave their own driveways. Cost: $35-$200; varies with the pet’s size and stink. Drive-ins may be dead, but the collapsible, 100-seat Cinemobil drives in to rural French farming villages. Recent features: “Philadelphia” and “The Lion King” – and no Jerry Lewis flicks. Cost: $6.50 a ticket. No wonder the North Shore One on One van near Chicago gets only eight miles a gallon....

It didn’t disappoint. It was a wild game, ending in a 3-3 draw after both teams held the lead. Each made mistakes that will have their particular managers concerned about what will happen if those same errors are committed in Russia. Each also showed plenty of reason to think they can achieve their World Cup goals. Sweden 11/2 to beat Italy Let’s take a look back at five things from the contest:...

Wenger weathered a storm of criticism to agree a new two-year deal in May, despite the team failing to qualify for the Champions League. Back Arsenal in 11/1 PL four fold But of the Premier League’s established heavyweights, the Gunners have been deemed 2017-18’s early crisis club, a chaotic end to the transfer window having been followed by a thumping 4-0 loss away to direct rivals Liverpool prior to the international break....

Bernie Kosar, who played under center for Cleveland from 1985-93, said he has reached out to Johnny Manziel but claimed the troubled second-year quarterback refuses to return his messages. MORE: Browns’ worst first-round draft picks | Owner biggest problem in Cleveland “I’m embarrassed to even tell you how many times I tried,” Kosar told USA Today on Tuesday. “I have tried to call him directly 18 different ways. If he chooses not to talk to me, that’s his choice....

Samantha Smith said she noticed shortly after Smith returned from a 33-day hospital stay last Monday that “something just wasn’t quite right” and her husband returned to the hospital Wednesday for further testing. She wrote in a blog post Monday that the situation had taken a dire turn. MORE: Athletes battling cancer | Wisconsin raises $700K for cancer research Smith, 25, had the bone marrow procedure Nov. 6. He was initially diagnosed with non-Hodgkins lymphoma in February 2014 while playing professionally in Lithuania....

Thanks to the revival of its old, “Be Like Mike,” ad campaign, the good folks at Gatorade have opened an old wound for Clevelanders, resurrecting the highlight of Michael Jordan making a midrange jumper in the middle of the floor in the 1989 playoffs. MORE: Classic Jordan photos | Barkley played drunk | Lopez trade options on hold “The Shot,” as it is known, came in Game 5 against the Cavaliers, giving the Bulls a 101-100 win and completing the series upset for the sixth-seeded Bulls over the No....

“Two non-partisan national security professionals have been removed at the helm of the intelligence community – Joe Maguire and then Andrew Hallman,” Brennan said on MSNBC’s Morning Joe Friday. “That is a virtual decapitation of the intelligence community.” Brennan–who had served under the administrations of Presidents Bill Clinton, George W. Bush and Barack Obama–said Trump’s actions were an “anomaly” and “an aberration” compared to what has happened in the past, and that there is “tremendous concern” within the intelligence community....

Parrott guided Dale Jarrett to the 1999 Cup title and has won the Daytona 500 twice as a crew chief. He spent last season as crew chief for Reed Sorenson at Tommy Baldwin Racing. He will now oversee the three-car Xfinity program at RCR in NASCAR’s top development series. “I have known Richard Childress and (RCR vice president) Mike Dillon for many years and our families go back a long time,” Parrott said in a news release....

The Danish parliament voted in favor of trying Stoejberg for charges related to a 2016 order to separate asylum seeking-couples when one of them was a minor. Stoejberg has said that she gave the order out of concern that the minors were involved in forced marriages. Staff members in her ministry reportedly warned her that the action was unlawful, but 23 couples were separated before the policy was stopped months later....

“That would make me so proud if that happened,” Don Shula told the Charlotte Observer. “I’d love to see the Panthers do it. I’m rooting them on, that’s for sure.” MORE: Panthers on the prowl in power rankings | Cam Newton for MVP? Shula has a rooting interest — his son, Mike, is the offensive coordinator of the Panthers, who are one of three teams this season sitting at 8-0....

The 40-year-old Staley played seven seasons with the Eagles, from 1997-2003. He rushed for over 1,000 yards three times with the Eagles, compiling 4,807 rushing yards and 32 touchdowns with the team. MORE: Nine NFL coaches on the hot seat | 10 candidates for the Eagles job ESPN was first to report the story, which the Eagles have since confirmed to Philadelphia news outlets. Staley has been an assistant coach in Philadelphia since 2011, hired by former coach Andy Reid....

Dole was a World War II veteran who represented Kansas in Congress for 36 years, four terms each in the House and Senate, influencing policies from taxes to foreign affairs to being a key advocate for the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. “Senator Dole was an extraordinary patriot, who devoted his entire life to serving our nation with dignity and integrity,” said Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. Lying in state or honor in the Capitol is one of the highest honors a citizen or government official can receive after their death, with a ceremony that pays tribute to their accomplishments....

Miles, 62, has expanded his agency team by hiring Trace Armstrong, who also represents Ohio State’s Urban Meyer, Notre Dame’s Brian Kelly, Houston’s Tom Herman and Penn State’s James Franklin. MORE: Week 9 CFB picks “I’m fighting like heck trying to win a championship at another place,” Miles told The Advocate (Baton Rouge, La.). Miles has an impressive resume — including a 114-34 record at LSU — but his age and old-school coaching approach, which eventually cost him his job, may hinder his chances at another top-flight opportunity....