This is famously the case in the Meningitis Belt – which stretches across 26 countries in sub-Saharan Africa, from Senegal to Ethiopia. Dust, high temperatures and low humidity throughout the dry season are thought to damage the back of the throat and give the bacteria a route into the body. This triggers regular epidemics.

A woman in Canada is on a desperate search for her wedding dress after it was accidentally donated to the Salvation Army.

The mixup occurred when British Columbia-based Olivia Delgado made the recent move from Surrey to Squamish, according to CityNews.

“We were clearing out our childhood home, big job, and I guess somehow, in the process, it ended up getting mixed in the clothing donations,” Delgado, who got married in October, told the publication.

She said that when she spoke to the manager of the warehouse, he told her that because her dress was donated to a distribution center, it could be at any one of the thrift stores in Canada that the Salvation Army operates.

Delgado noted that the gown has a deep sentimental value, since it was a gift from her mother, who passed away due to brain cancer before the wedding, CityNews reported.

“This was one of the last things we did together before she got too sick to go out,” she said about shopping with her mother. “We picked out the dress together, and she bought it for me. So it’s like a piece of her is in that dress. And it’s really important to me that I get it back.”

Delgado also declared her search for the dress on social media, writing in a Facebook post that she’s offering a $300 reward to anyone who purchased it from a thrift store.

“I wish I wasn’t making this post but I am looking for my wedding dress,” she wrote, while sharing wedding photos of herself in the white gown. “I moved recently, and in the midst of clearing out closets, someone accidentally donated my dress to the Salvation Army in Surrey. It would’ve been donated sometime mid-February. The bottom tulle is a bit torn up and dirty from taking photos in the rain, and I’m pretty sure there is a food stain or two, so it should be pretty identifiable. It would have been in a white David’s Bridal bag. It’s a size 10 Melissa Sweet dress.”

Delgado explained the sentimental value and offered the reward before pleading, “I can help you source down the exact dress brand new, whatever you want. I’m really hoping you’d understand how important it is to me that I get this dress back.”

She told CityNews that since making the Facebook post, other people in British Columbia have been helping her search for the dress.

“That’s been a huge help,” she added. “We’re slowly checking boxes off our list, and I’m hoping that it hasn’t been sold yet.”

👉Listen to The World with Richard Engel and Yalda Hakim on your podcast app👈

Is Israel about to occupy Lebanon? Why is Donald Trump sending more troops to the Middle East? And what is it actually like reporting from an active war zone?

Yalda and Richard discuss the latest developments in Iran and what the killing of the country’s security chief Ali Larijani could mean for any peace process.

They assess the reaction of the Gulf states to the war and look at how possibly putting troops on the ground could affect the conflict.

Meanwhile, Israel says its forces have begun “limited and targeted” ground operations against Hezbollah in southern Lebanon. What’s the justification? The pair examine the possible reason and talk about when they were both there in 2024.

The two of them will answer listeners’ questions, so write to them at theworld@sky.uk

You can also watch the podcast on our YouTube channel here.

Every vacuum on this list has been tested by our team of expert home product reviewers. They all try several models from different brands, using them at home for deep cleans and quick pick-ups. Each is scored according to the following metrics:

• Design and build: We judge how durable each vacuum feels and whether it is lightweight and manoeuvrable. Components like the bin and accessories are also assessed for overall usability.
• Performance and results: Our experts try each vacuum on different surfaces, including carpets, hard floors and tiles. They lay out debris including food crumbs, fine dirt and pet or human hair, to judge whether it successfully picks up everything in its path.
• Ease of use: The controls should be intuitive to use and well placed, while ideal noise levels are low. Any digital displays or app compatibility are also assessed for usefulness. Finally, we consider the reach under surfaces and into awkward corners.
• Storage: Our testers consider whether the vacuums can stand unsupported, if they fold away and come with a dedicated wall mount or emptying station.
• Battery life for cordless vacuums: We look to see whether a full charge is enough to clean a whole house and whether the battery recharges quickly.
• Power for corded vacuums: The power cable needs to be long enough to enable your cleaning, rather than impede it. And we consider the wattage and what it means for the overall suction.

We’ve tested over 60 vacuums, but only the 18 best feature below.

Visit our Who We Are page to learn more about the testing process.

Which vacuum cleaner is best for you depends on the size of your home and its flooring, plus what you generally clean. Here are the models which performed the best in our comprehensive at home testing, in each of the following categories: cordless, upright, cylinder, handheld, robot and best for pet hair.

Lightweight and manoeuvrable, a cordless vacuum cleaner is ideal for quick pick-ups. The battery life and suction power are often a little lacking in comparison with cylinder and upright vacuum cleaners, but it’s good enough to shift daily dirt, dust, dander and pet hair.

Cambridgeshire Police are continuing their search for a teenage boy also missing after a car entered the River Nene

The body of a teenage girl has been found as police continue to search for another teenager involved in a crash last night (Tuesday 17). Police have recovered the body of a girl, one of two teenagers missing after a crash near Wisbeach yesterday evening.Cambridgeshire Police has confirmed that a boody of a teenage girl has been found while emergency services searched the River Nene near Wisbech.

Emergency services have been at the scene on North Brink, in Wisbech St Mary’s, since around 8.20pm last night (March 17). Following reports of a car, containing five people, entering the water.

This afternoon specialist dive teams recovered the body. Searches continue for the male who is unaccounted for following the collision. Three people, two female and one male, are known to have got out of the vehicle and have been taken to Queen Elizabeth Hospital in King’s Lynn with non-life threatening injuries.

North Brink is likely to remain closed for the remainder of the day. Cambridgeshire Police are appealing for witnesses and dashcam footage.

Anyone with information should use reference incident 515 of March 17and report it through the force website. Anyone without internet access should call 101.

Popular TV cooking host James Martin has co-created a guinea fowl meal for dogs with pet food business Bella+Duke.

The chef is best known for his ITV show: James Martin’s Saturday Morning and developed a passion for cooking during his formative years growing up in Welburn.

James was surrounded by a family of farmers who worked on the Castle Howard estate and recalls helping his mum in their kitchen in North Yorkshire – igniting his interest in making great food.

Recommended reading:

After leaving home, James worked at the three Michelin Star restaurant Maison Troisgros in Roanne, France before making the leap to TV in 1996.

A lifelong dog owner, James is passionate about giving dogs great food – improving their comparatively shorter lives with fresh, tasty ingredients.

His guinea fowl meal is made with blueberries, seasonal vegetables and herbs.

James said: “As humans, we think carefully about the provenance of our own food – where it comes from, how it’s produced, and how fresh it is.

“I believe we should be doing exactly the same for our dogs, I believe dogs deserve better.

“They’re part of the family so they deserve not only food that is good for them but food they enjoy too. To me that means meals packed with fresh, nutritious ingredients that are minimally processed and delicious, helping them to truly live their best life.

“That’s exactly what this recipe with Bella+Duke is all about.”

The limited-edition meal will be available exclusively for Bella+Duke customers, complimentary alongside their usual picks, before rolling out to selected pet stores over the following months.

James added: “We know not to eat ultra-processed foods all the time – and let’s be honest, none of us would accept eating the same meal every single day, so why should they? 

“Food should be something to look forward to.

“Feeding a fresher diet packed with real, whole ingredients gives dogs that pleasure, while also supporting their long-term health in a way ultra-processed food simply can’t.”

Some Muslims in the UK began fasting on February 18 and will fast the full 30 days.

Those who follow local and Moroccan moon sighting criteria began fasting a day later and will find out tomorrow if they too will fast the full 30 days.

If they do fast on Friday, then some Muslims may celebrate Eid on Saturday.

READ MORE: Developer of Blackburn estate gets ‘biggest ever’ £24k fine over waste pile

A lot of people were keeping a keen eye on the Saudi Arabian announcement, which happened around 3pm UK time.

An announcement read: “The crescent moon has NOT been sighted in Saudi Arabia.

“Therefore, Eid-ul-Fitr will be celebrated on Friday, March 20.”

Tom Pidcock launched a late attack to win the Milano-Torino race on the 150th anniversary of the first edition of the world’s oldest classic.

The Pinarello-Q36.5 rider was making his debut in the Italian one-day race and went clear during the final 600m to win its 106th edition.

The 26-year-old double Olympic mountain biking champion became the second Briton to clinch victory in the 174km (108-mile) race, after Mark Cavendish in 2022.

Pidcock was part of a lead group of 12 riders on the final Superga climb, which whittled the contenders down to five.

He attacked with 600m remaining, with Tobias Halland Johannessen in pursuit, but Pidcock kicked again with 400m left to cruise to the summit finish four seconds before the Norwegian, with 2021 winner Primoz Roglic crossing a second later.

“Primoz is hard to read, he’s always in the saddle,” said Pidcock. “I was expecting him to be good there and was hesitating to attack, everyone was looking pretty strong.

“But I knew at one point I had to go. Luckily in the end I had a kick there and I could hold them off.

“A win’s a win, they’re not easy to come by, so it’s nice to get your hand in the air.”

It was Pidcock’s first win in a one-day race since the Amstel Gold Race in 2024 and his second victory of the season – having claimed a stage of the Vuelta a Andalucia last month.

Wednesday’s win also keeps the Briton in good form heading into another Italian classic on Saturday, the Milan-San Remo.

The Earth is under assault. Space rocks are constantly hurtling toward us, slamming into the atmosphere and often exploding into fireballs that both delight and alarm.

Thankfully, the vast majority cause no damage because they are pulverized into dust or small chunks by the journey to Earth.

A fireball streaked across the sky near Cleveland this week, caused by what was thought to be a space rock nearly 6 feet (1.8 meters) across and weighing 7 tons. It was seen from Wisconsin to Maryland, according to the American Meteor Society.

It traveled more than 34 miles (55 kilometers) through the upper atmosphere before breaking apart, according to NASA. No fragments have been found yet.

As dramatic as it was, it was also incredibly common. Here’s what to know:

What’s the difference between a meteor and an asteroid?

An asteroid is a chunk of rock, ice or metal that’s left over from the solar system’s formation 4.6 billion years ago. A meteoroid is a fragment of a larger space rock such as an asteroid or comet. A meteor is the light emitted from a meteoroid or asteroid as it burns up through the atmosphere. If a meteor is brighter than the planet Venus in the morning or evening sky, it is called a fireball. If a chunk of it makes it to land, it’s called a meteorite.

How common are meteors?

Flashes of light from meteoroids are incredibly common, and there are times — called meteor showers — when they can be seen every few minutes in the night sky, weather permitting. The Perseids meteor shower, which happens in mid-August every year, is considered the best, according to NASA.

How common are fireballs?

There are “several thousand” meteors that would qualify as fireballs in the Earth’s atmosphere every day, according to the meteor society. The problem is that most occur over oceans or other places where people don’t live, or the sun is too bright to notice them.

Still, plenty are seen by people. And if you see one, the American Meteor Society and the International Meteor Organization want you to tell them so they can check it out. So far in 2026, 10 fireballs have drawn more than 100 reports, which averages nearly one per week.

Why do meteoroids break up before they land?

Meteoroids travel through empty space at extraordinarily high speeds — from 25,000 mph (40,233 kph) to as high as 160,000 mph (257,495 kph). When they suddenly hit the gases that blanket Earth, they undergo incredible stress as they compress the air in front of them, which heats the object to the point it starts to melt and break apart.

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The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Department of Science Education and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content.

“As previously warned, if the fuel, energy, gas, and economic infrastructures of our country are attacked by the American-Zionist enemy, in addition to a powerful counterattack against the enemy, we will severely strike the origin of that aggression as well,” the military said in a statement published by Tasnim.