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super ace 88 EPA hails 'revitalized' enforcement efforts as Biden administration heads to exit

Coleen Rooney set to be new queen of daytime TV with HUGE pay deal after I’m A Celebrity finalOpposition fighters are closing in on Syria’s capital in a swiftly developing crisis that has taken much of the world by surprise. Syria's army has abandoned key cities in the west and south with little resistance. Nervous residents in Damascus describe security forces on the streets. The state news agency has been forced to deny rumors that President Bashar Assad has left the country. Who are these opposition fighters? If they enter Damascus after taking two of Syria’s largest cities, what then? Here’s a look at the stunning reversal of fortune for Assad and his government in just the past 10 days, and what might lie ahead as Syria’s 13-year civil war reignites. The aim? Overthrow the government This is the first time that opposition forces have reached the outskirts of the Syrian capital since 2018, when the country’s troops recaptured the area following a yearslong siege. The approaching fighters are led by the most powerful insurgent group in Syria, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, or HTS, along with an umbrella group of Turkish-backed Syrian militias called the Syrian National Army. Both have been entrenched in the northwest. They launched the shock offensive on Nov. 27 with gunmen capturing Aleppo, Syria’s largest city, and the central city of Hama, the fourth largest. The HTS has its origins in al-Qaida and is considered a terrorist organization by the U.S. and the United Nations. But the group said in recent years it cut ties with al-Qaida, and experts say HTS has sought to remake itself in recent years by focusing on promoting civilian government in their territory as well as military action. HTS leader Abu Mohammed al-Golani told CNN in an exclusive interview Thursday from Syria that the aim of the offensive is to overthrow Assad’s government. Possible rifts ahead The HTS and Syrian National Army have been allies at times and rivals at times, and their aims might diverge. The Turkish-backed militias also have an interest in creating a buffer zone near the Turkish border to keep away Kurdish militants at odds with Ankara. Turkey has been a main backer of the fighters seeking to overthrow Assad but more recently has urged reconciliation, and Turkish officials have strongly rejected claims of any involvement in the current offensive. Whether the HTS and the Syrian National Army will work together if they succeed in overthrowing Assad or turn on each other again is a major question. Others take advantage While the flash offensive against Syria’s government began in the north, armed opposition groups have also mobilized elsewhere. The southern areas of Sweida and Daraa have both been taken locally. Sweida is the heartland of Syria’s Druze religious minority and had been the site of regular anti-government protests even after Assad seemingly consolidated his control over the area. Daraa is a Sunni Muslim area that was widely seen as the cradle of the uprising against Assad’s rule that erupted in 2011. Daraa was recaptured by Syrian government troops in 2018, but rebels remained in some areas. In recent years, Daraa was in a state of uneasy quiet under a Russian-mediated ceasefire deal. And much of Syria's east is controlled by the Syrian Democratic Forces, a Kurdish-led group backed by the United States that in the past has clashed with most other armed groups in the country. Syria’s government now controls just four of 14 provincial capitals. What’s next? Much depends on Assad’s next moves and his forces' will to fight. A commander with the insurgents, Hassan Abdul-Ghani, posted on the Telegram messaging app that opposition forces have started carrying out the “final stage” of their offensive by encircling Damascus. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said Syrian troops have withdrawn from much of the two southern provinces and are sending reinforcements to Homs. If that city is captured, the link would be cut between Damascus, Assad’s seat of power, and the coastal region where he enjoys wide support. “Homs to the coastal cities will be a very huge red line politically and socially. Politically, if this line is crossed, then we are talking about the end of the entire Syria, the one that we knew in the past,” said a Damascus resident, Anas Joudeh. Assad appears to be largely on his own as allies Russia and Iran are distracted by other conflicts and the Lebanon-based Hezbollah has been weakened by its war with Israel, now under a fragile ceasefire. The U.N. special envoy for Syria, Geir Pedersen, is calling for urgent talks in Geneva to ensure an “orderly political transition,” saying the situation is changing by the minute. He met with foreign ministers and senior diplomats from eight key countries including Saudi Arabia, Russia, Egypt, Turkey and Iran on the sidelines of the Doha Summit. President-elect Donald Trump in his first extensive comments on the developments in Syria said the besieged Assad didn’t deserve U.S. support to stay in power. “THIS IS NOT OUR FIGHT,” Trump posted on social media.

They are a lovable couple — Dr. Chris Liebrum and his wife, Cindy — known for quickly-triggered smiles, positive attitudes, deep faith and commitment to close-knit families. Married for 52 years, they have reached highest peaks and navigated life’s storms — shortening them when possible — confident of a safe arrival on the other side. They’re the kind of folks whose company is treasured. Cindy has earned “life of the party” status, laughing — even cackling — all the way, sometimes way out on limbs. Comparatively, Chris is content in the shade of trees, maybe planting something to bloom later. In short, they personify the expression heard during long ago cattle drives: “They’ll do to ride the river with.” — They’re proud of their sons, Cory and Clay, their daughters-in-law and their four grandchildren. Chris and Cindy, who met as students at Howard Payne University, carve out “family time” admirably. This was difficult to accomplish during Chris’s schedule-packed professional years of denominational leadership. Even with their mid-70s now at hand, they press on, barely slowed in “semi-retirement.” Chris works parttime for his alma mater, and still preaches often on Sundays throughout Texas. They are beloved by everyone, even friends with other religious beliefs or political leanings. I deeply value their friendship, these thoughtful, caring Christians. He is studied, his words carefully chosen when serious topics are broached. Cindy can be serious, too, but most friends can’t remember the last time she was. She’s always “at the ready” to snap pictures. Fact is, the camera strap marks formerly marking the back of her neck are slowly disappearing. Now, she values her smartphone, handy not only for “yakking” but also for photography. Grandchildren are favorite targets, as are much else that moves, or — for that matter — stands still ... — I joke with them endlessly, sometimes even jabbing a bit, and they jab back, particularly Cindy. She’s a joyful soul, but probably would be a lousy poker player. Chris, with quiet reserve and contemplation, can steer around most workaday challenges, two of which will be addressed in this column. To most people, they’ll fit in the “minutia box,” probably even at the very bottom. Neither is mentioned critically, and typically broached jokingly. He can’t pronounce “New Braunfels,” and he’s colorblind. (I don’t intend to joke about his visual condition, but he does.) — First things first. Like television newsmen who never knew they’d need to pronounce “Uvalde” often until the shootings there, Chris never thought he’d need to pronounce — or try to pronounce — ”New Braunfels”on a regular basis. Not so fast! HPU has a branch campus there, so he’s often involved in discussions that include the community’s name. In the past, he’s been able to “mumble through it,” or simply go ahead and pronounce it “New Braunsfel” or “New Braunsfels,” like many others do. I have tried endlessly to help him conquer this slight pronunciational flaw, but so far have been unsuccessful. It’s his “blind spot,” so to speak, similar to my failure to understand the difference in “imply” and “infer.” Trying to do so makes my hair hurt ... — Now, let’s jump into his world which often isn’t “black and white,” but various other shades and hues, most of which he has learned to live with. He and Cindy are theater-go’ers, treasuring attendance at live productions like “Wicked,” a Broadway hit that opened in 2003. They’ve seen it at least a half-dozen times on various stages, most recently at Dallas Summer Musicals. At intermission, he heard a lady seated behind him mention the green-colored witch, Elphaba. Puzzled, he turned to Cindy, expressing that he’d never realized the witch’s greenish hue. Chris is doubly careful at traffic lights, too. “I try to go with the flow,” he says, “And I’ve learned that the shortest measurement of time is that brief moment between the light turning green and the horn honking behind me. Remember, I told you their faults are few ...

Kirby Smart's Comment on Quinn Ewers & Arch Manning Turns Heads

I couldn't stop myself from giggling. A sudsy giggle. I was brushing my teeth, but this was no ordinary toothbrush I was using. It was the Feno Smartbrush — and with its 18,000 bristles, it was navigating all of my teeth, top and bottom, at the same time. The vibration was startlingly different. The entire lower part of my face was shaking, from my gumline to the base of my jaw. It felt like a massage for my teeth, cheeks and the craniofacial muscles surrounding my mouth. Foamy residue escaped onto my chin and chest. The Feno Smartbrush is a mouthful. It was a mouthful. In a good way. For an anxious, teeth-grinding adult like me, the silly visual in the mirror of my mouth vibrating for 20 seconds was worth the feeling that came along with it. Plus, it removed all those tricky goji berry remnants that always seem to evade my regular electric toothbrush. The Smartbrush is a U-shaped device, with top and bottom sections like the mouthguards that athletes use, attached to a fist-sized handle that holds the power source and a camera. It's the flagship product of Feno, a 3-year-old company driven by the belief that "transformative oral health technology" is on the cusp of a breakthrough moment. It was created by Dr. Kenny Brown, an oral and maxillofacial surgeon who's also Feno's CEO and a co-founder. He designed it to address problems he saw firsthand with his patients. "We believe oral health is your overall health," Brown tells me when we meet at BioscienceLA , which for Feno doubles as a nonprofit organization for health tech companies and its brick-and-mortar. "When it comes to oral hygiene, patients tend to fail in two aspects: time and technique." How many of us really put in the 2-plus minutes of brushing that dentists recommend? And are we really putting brush to tooth as effectively as we should? Feno cuts the time to just 20 seconds, and its Smartbrush does the work for you. It's a radically different approach from the normal options available for oral care at home, and retails at a breathtaking $299 for a three-month starter kit. There are other high-end, high-tech devices, including Curaprox's U-shaped Samba robotic toothbrush and the Philips Sonicare Prestige 9900 , which packs some AI into a more standard-looking electric toothbrush. But neither of those devices has Feno's customization features, like six variations of its U-shaped, top-and-bottom mouthpiece. Feno also stands apart in tracking and analyzing your brushing habits and your mouth as a whole, with reports through a $10 monthly Feno Plus membership intended to support long-term preventive care. Brown's training and experience is another differentiating factor. What you get with the Feno Smartbrush I did my trial with the $299 Founder's Edition bundle , which contains the Smartbrush (comprising the Feno Smarthandle and SnapCharger), a TrueFit Mouthpiece, three tubes of mint-flavored XyFoam toothpaste, a tongue scraper and three months of Feno Plus for access to personalized health insights and virtual oral health coaching. First, I sent in selfies of my mouth through Feno's FitKit , an app that allows the Feno team to map, size and pair it with one of six mouthpieces, and waited for my images to be analyzed and approved. The kit arrived in the mail a week later, in a large, well-designed box. After the unboxing, I downloaded the Feno app and connected it to my newly charged Smartbrush. (The Apple MagSafe-like charger attaches to the back of Feno's Smarthandle, looking rather like a stethoscope.) Here, I was able to customize my Feno experience. I could change the speed and time of the brush while the AI tracked my brushing cadence. The vibration of the brush allowed me to maneuver it around the sides of my mouth, which provided a pleasant jaw massage in the process. You use the Smarthandle to take a scan of your mouth. Over the next two weeks, I used the Smartbrush twice a day for 20 seconds at a time. Once connected to Feno's Wi-Fi network (this will not affect your home's internet connection), I could also connect my Smartbrush to Feno's app, which monitored my brushing and scanning cadence. After brushing, I positioned the Smartbrush 10 inches from my face and pressed a button to capture and send data concerning my oral health to Feno's team for feedback. With regular use, the reports come back every two weeks with insights about the condition of your teeth, gums, tongue and soft tissue, plus a digital health score, summary analysis of your mouth and feedback to improve or adjust your mouth scans. With consistency, the embedded scanner will learn your mouth and note any changes that occur. "[Over time] you're going to have the biggest longitudinal data set on the mouth, actionable data made as effortless as possible, so that it can be done as easily as once a day," Brown said. "You can then get insight into what's happening in your mouth." Feno will send you regular reports on the state of your oral health. Feno's evolution After my trial run with the Smartbrush, I visited Feno's facilities, where the product is tested, packaged and shipped out, to speak with Brown about the device, its AI integration and the state of oral health care. Feno's prototyping space, fulfillment center and company office all sit within the health tech hub's long, single-story brick exterior; blue and green letters read "BioscienceLA" across its windows. Inside, shiny white plaster walls and squeaky-clean floors make up the building's sleek, modern interior. Dr. Kenny Brown is the creator of the Feno Smartbrush. This is where members of the equally passionate core team — eight people, including three dentists — can be found. (It's also where Brown can be found chatting on the phone with customers about postpurchase feedback.) Our conversation took place in Feno's prototyping office, the largest of the three spaces I toured. Nearby, 3D printers for prototyping emit a soothing hum and ambient orange glow. Physical evolutions of Feno's TrueFit Mouthpiece lie to my right. As an oral surgeon and entrepreneur, Brown is an anomaly, a Black oral surgeon in an industry where just under 4% of dentists, dental specialists and oral surgeons are Black. With his creation of the AI-powered Smartbrush, he's also a pioneer. He radiates a passion for oral care — and humanity. (We'll take a moment here to acknowledge another pioneer, Dr. Bobbi Peterson , the Shark Tank-famous orthodontist who invented the Big Mouth electric toothbrush.) Brown estimates that nearly 50% of American adults have some form of gum disease and chronic inflammation. Feno, he says, could address this challenge with "full mouth," U-shaped products. "The idea is better, faster, easier — but it also levels a playing field," Brown said. "Doing this on a technology front shows, 'Look, these solutions are for everyone.' At the end of the day, it's to serve others." The TrueFit Mouthpiece design The TrueFit Mouthpiece began with over 20,000 patient digital impressions to inform a mouth-sizing algorithm, which translated into over 100,000 designs of various shapes, widths, heights and bristle configurations. "It can be extremely risky and expensive to make thousands of prototypes. We used a combination of clinical knowledge, digital impressions, generative AI technology and 3D printing to help us create [ours]," Brown said. "Efficacy is the number one thing. If it doesn't work, it doesn't matter." The design of Feno's mouthpiece went through many iterations. Brown and his team used generative AI — custom algorithms written with design software Rhino 3D and Grasshopper — to test and optimize for the most effective mouthpiece, including features like "bristle contact with tooth surfaces and your gum line." Those iterations became several hundred 3D-printed prototypes, tested again on patients to ensure clinical standards. Today, Feno has six TrueFit Mouthpiece variations that differentiate in dental arch, jawline and oral cavity dimensions, depending on customers' needs. Whether that's arch width or depth, a crooked tooth or gum recession, the goal is that all 18,000 bristles on your Feno TrueFit Mouthpiece touch all of your teeth — 250 strokes per tooth — so you can brush your teeth within 20 seconds. The Smarthandle will pause and alert you to soften your brushing pressure if need be. The TrueFit Mouthpiece connects to Feno's Smarthandle, which uses camera vision, artificial intelligence that can analyze visual data. Each time you scan your mouth with the Smarthandle's embedded scanner, it tracks signs of poor oral health or abnormalities that need attention and compiles it into a data report. While these insights are not considered diagnostic, Feno has a dentist quality-checking information for precision and accuracy. "We really try to be intentional about what we're giving customers," Brown said. "Seeing people and meeting them where they're at is the best form of care, something you cannot capture with any tech. That's humanity." My experience with the Feno Smartbrush For me, in that two-week trial run, the Smartbrush worked. My gums were initially sore (Feno notes this might happen) but my teeth felt... purified, as if all 18,000 bristles, vibrating in various directions, had extracted all the plaque in my mouth. As new to the market as Feno is, there's a lot yet to unfold about how well the Smartbrush performs and what the oral analytics reveal over time. At $299 upfront plus $10 a month, this system is asking you to make a significant investment. Still, I'm intrigued by this innovative approach. After my trial, I decided to keep my Smartbrush. For the last three years, I've been told by two different dentists that I will need veneers before I'm 40. (An alarming statement for a 29-year-old who's had braces twice.) Every six months, I leave my checkup increasingly anxious about what's happening inside my mouth — or, to Brown's point, my body — with no solution or long-term plan. Maybe this is the start of one. As always, as a savvy consumer, you should do your research, talk to your dentist and consider your comfort level with spending on a pricey cutting-edge device. Alongside brushing your teeth, twice a day.The AP Top 25 men’s college basketball poll is back every week throughout the season! Get the poll delivered straight to your inbox with AP Top 25 Poll Alerts. Sign up here . AMHERST, Mass. (AP) — Quinton Mincey had 27 points in UMass-Lowell’s 96-83 victory over UMass on Saturday. Mincey added six rebounds for the River Hawks (6-4). Martin Somerville scored 22 points and added five assists. Yuri Covington had 19 points and shot 5 of 9 from the field, including 2 for 5 from 3-point range, and went 7 for 8 from the line. Jayden Ndjigue led the way for the Minutemen (3-7) with 17 points, eight rebounds, five assists and two steals. Jaylen Curry added 17 points and two steals for UMass. Marqui Worthy finished with 15 points. UMass-Lowell took a 17-13 lead in the first half with a 10-0 run. Led by 12 first-half points from Covington, UMass-Lowell carried a 40-38 lead into the break. UMass-Lowell took the lead for what would be the final time on Xzavier Lino’s jump shot with 15:41 left in the contest. His team would outscore UMass by 11 points in the final half. UMass-Lowell plays Wednesday against LIU at home, and UMass hosts UMass-Boston on Saturday. ___ The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar .

Ini Edo Talks Global Impact Of ‘Shanty Town’ & How Hit Series Has Proven That Nigeria’s Film & TV Industries Are “Worth Investing In” — Red Sea Studio

The big jurisdiction problem with WhatsApp, Signal and Telegram The 'big OTT scam problem' Airtel, Reliance Jio and Vodafone-Idea face How fraudsters scam users on OTT apps The TOI Tech Desk is a dedicated team of journalists committed to delivering the latest and most relevant news from the world of technology to readers of The Times of India. TOI Tech Desk’s news coverage spans a wide spectrum across gadget launches, gadget reviews, trends, in-depth analysis, exclusive reports and breaking stories that impact technology and the digital universe. Be it how-tos or the latest happenings in AI, cybersecurity, personal gadgets, platforms like WhatsApp, Instagram, Facebook and more; TOI Tech Desk brings the news with accuracy and authenticity. Read More Latest Mobiles Lava Yuva 4 ₹-1 Tecno POP 9 4G ₹6,699 Itel Color Pro 5G ₹9,199 Vivo Y18T ₹9,499 Lava Blaze 3 5G ₹11,499 Vivo Y300 5G ₹21,999 Itel Aura 05i ₹5,479 Tecno Spark Go 1 ₹6,899 Poco M6 5G ₹7,998 OPPO A3X 4G ₹8,999

An Italian renewable energy giant and Japan's largest oil and gas company are plugging into Australia's clean energy resources under the banner of a new company. Potentia Energy will be launched at the Sydney Opera House on Monday as an Australian renewable energy firm co-owned by Rome-headquartered Enel Green Power and INPEX. With rights in place for a development pipeline of over seven gigawatts across the country, Potentia is most focused on developing and acquiring assets in NSW, Queensland and Western Australia, chief executive Werther Esposito told AAP. The company is not deterred by the risk of political change, with opinion polls favouring the coalition ahead of the 2025 federal election. "The energy transition will go ahead in any case. There could be an acceleration or slowing down in the process," Mr Esposito said. "Renewables represent, from a technical and economic perspective, the solution for climate change," he said. "I don't think any government could deny that today wind and solar are cheaper than other technologies, and are faster in reaching the phase of deployment and construction and then supply of renewable energy." NSW had suffered some planning delays that had hit investment but there had been a "strong improvement" in the past 12 to 18 months, he said. The company also has a stake in Queensland, particularly in the north's Copperstring area, where the recently elected LNP government has pledged to stick by a massive transmission project begun under Labor. Enel won the bidding in 2024 to develop renewable energy to power a vanadium mining and processing project, which is one of a number of giant resources projects intended to be connected to the $9 billion Copperstring transmission line from Townsville to Mt Isa. WA offered a "huge opportunity" for the deployment of wind farms and battery energy storage systems, Mr Esposito said. With a decades-long footprint in Australia's north and west, INPEX is Japan's largest fossil fuel exploration and production company. Under pressure to reduce its global contribution to climate change, INPEX is already developing the production of liquid hydrogen and ammonia. "They elected Australia as the market to start diversification of the energy mix and huge investment in renewables," Mr Esposito said. "Of course in this regard, Australia is the place to be," he said. Enel and INPEX joined forces in a share purchase agreement in 2023, with the renewables business operating plants comprising 310 megawatts of solar capacity across South Australia and Victoria and a 75MW wind farm in Western Australia. A 93MW solar farm is under commissioning in Victoria and financial close was recently announced for a hybrid 98MW solar and 20MW battery project in NSW. But with international firms lining up to exploit clean energy resources, Australians living alongside projects are demanding a share of future profits through community funds, power bill rebates and other benefits. "The energy transition should be just. To be just it means that you need to support the communities and involve the communities in a proper way," Mr Esposito said. He said Enel was proud of its legacy in providing support to areas facing a changing landscape and the impact of new infrastructure, including community funds, a focus on local hiring and providing training to support new jobs. "It's an approach that is, for us, absolutely a pillar of our strategy," he said. "We are still facing some regulatory ambiguity in what a social licence means, and we are trying to be a leader in the industry in helping and supporting all the key stakeholders in determining and defining what it is."Exxon Mobil Corp. stock falls Friday, underperforms market