Patrick Burke

On a side event of the sixth edition of the Islamic Solidarity Games in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, the UNHCR and the ISSA signed an MoU.

From 3 to 5 December, World Aquatics hosted the inaugural “From Podiums to Possibilities” Athletes' Career Summit, bringing together 18 elite athletes from all aquatic sports, including Olympic and World champions, for a three-day programme focused on career transition, personal development and life beyond competitive sport.

Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani awarded the Kosovo Honor Decoration to Hasan Arat, one of Türkiye's most influential Olympic officials

Mr. Patrick Burke reports YUKON METALS APPOINTS JIM COATES AS PERMANENT FULL-TIME CEO

Purpose: To quantify changes in US public interest in pediatric myopia-control spectacle lenses surrounding the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) authorization of Essilor Stellest (Essilor, Charenton-le-Pont, France) (September 25, 2025).Methods: Weekly U.S. Google Trends relative search volume (RSV) data were collected for 2025 for parent-facing and brand-specific pediatric myopia-control spectacle lens search terms, with MiSight-related searches analyzed as a contemporaneous comparator. Search terms were selected a priori to capture both direct interest in the Stellest product and broader public interest in pediatric myopia-control spectacle lenses. A composite interest index was constructed by averaging RSV values for the following terms: “stellest”, “stellest lenses”, “essilor”, “essilor stellest”, “myopia control glasses”, “pediatric myopia glasses”, and “HALT lens”. To account for general seasonality in children’s eyewear searches, a baseline index was generated using the mean RSV of “kids glasses”, “children’s glasses”, and “eyeglasses for kids”, and a normalized interest ratio (composite ÷ baseline) was calculated. Pre- and post-authorization differences were compared using two-sided p-values.Results: From 2025-01-05 to 2025-10-26 (37 pre- and six post-weeks), mean composite interest rose from 9.39 pre to 18.6 post (absolute +9.21, +98%; p = 0.024). The mean ratio to baseline increased from 0.353 to 0.694 (absolute +0.34, +96.3%; p = 0.016). MiSight-related searches remained stable over the same period, supporting a modality-specific response to Stellest authorization.Conclusions: Public search interest in pediatric myopia-control spectacle lenses increased markedly following FDA authorization of Essilor Stellest, with normalization suggesting growth beyond seasonal effects. These findings demonstrate increased online search activity surrounding pediatric myopia-control spectacles after authorization, which may help clinicians anticipate heightened patient and parent inquiries, although search interest does not directly reflect awareness, clinical adoption, or prescribing behavior.

On 4 July 2025, rainfall ≥ 254 mm (≥ 10 in.) fell on the Guadalupe River basin headwaters in Kerr County, Texas, causing the deadliest flash flood disaster in the U.S. since the Big Thompson, Colorado, event of 1976. Flooded Locations And Simulated Hydrographs (FLASH) predictions driven by Multi-Radar Multi-Sensor (MRMS) rainfall estimates correctly identified the specific location and magnitude of the flash flooding threat with 1–2 hours of lead time. Addition of storm-scale model precipitation forecasts to drive FLASH could potentially increase lead time, but providing accurate and precise, short lead-time rainfall forecasts is particularly challenging. In a hydrologic context, spatial locations of extreme rainfall are paramount as basin boundaries can segregate incoming rainfall into different watersheds, reducing their combined hydrologic impact, or conversely, amplifying the impact by concentrating rainfall into a single watershed. In this case, rainfall was concentrated within the Guadalupe River basin headwaters.

The World Aquatics Foundation has formally presented its Environmental Award to the City of Paris, recognising the city's landmark project to restore the Seine for public swimming after a century-long prohibition.

Lairds enjoyed a perfect first home match of the 2026/27 season with a well-deserved 2-0 victory against Squires Gate thanks to a quick-fire double from Fenton Cavanagh and Joe…

Lairds exited the FA Vase with a penalty shoot-out defeat at Atherton LR, but this was a performance which was overwhelmingly positive as Glyn