NHRA top fuel driver Kyle Wurtzel explodes an engine on fire during qualifying for the E3 Spark Plugs Nationals at Lucas Oil Raceway. in Clermont, Indiana on July 11, 2020. (Photo by Mark J. Rebilas/USA TODAY Sports)

Devotees wear costumes made of banana leaves as they head to church to attend mass as part of a religious festival, in honor of St. John the Baptist, also known locally as the “mud people” festival, in Aliaga town, Nueva Ecija province, north of Manila, on June 24, 2017. Farmers coated in mud paraded in Philippine villages on June 24 to mark one of the Catholic nation's most colourful religious festivals. (Photo by Noel Celis/AFP Photo)

Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper shows off his socks--one with Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders and the other with Republican candidate Donald Trump – before entering his former brewpub for a book signing event to mark the release of his autobiography Thursday, May 26, 2016, in Denver. Hickenlooper, who is term-limited, is doing book talk rounds this week, reviving speculation that he is positioning himself to join Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign ticket. (Photo by David Zalubowski/AP Photo)

The northeastern United States sweltered this week in a scorching summer heat wave, complete with stagnant, sticky air and no winds for relief, forecasters said. Even in a summer already filled with stretches of very hot weather, this week will be stubbornly brutal, with no relief in sight until the weekend brings thunderstorms to the region, they said. "Plain and simple, this week may feel the worst of any week for this summer in the Northeast," said Accuweather.com meteorologist Alex Sosnowski. (Reuters)

A period of relative stability has put the Iranian capital No1 on the list of world cities that have achieved biggest improvements in liveability over the past five years, as calculated by the Economist Intelligence Unit. The “most improved” top 10 contains some unexpected names. So, eg, the fourth place: Abidjan, Ivory Coast. Latest ranking: 128; Ranking five years ago: 131; Five-year index movement: 3.8%. Here: A supporter of Ivory Coast president Alassane Ouattara campaigns in a market in the city’s Koumassi quarter. (Photo by Sia Kambou/AFP Photo)

A woman poses on the flooded St. Mark's square during an acqua-alta (high-water) alert in Venice, on November 19, 2013. (Photo by Andrea Pattaro/AFP Photo)

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Indian actress Ananya Panday poses for pictures on the red carpet on the day of the wedding of Anant Ambani and Radhika Merchant in Mumbai, India, on July 12, 2024. (Photo by Francis Mascarenhas/Reuters)

A woodpecker and an owl bicker on a tree branch near Bromsgrove in the West Midlands, UK in the second decade of July 2025. The photographer says the juvenile woodpecker, with a red crown, poked the owl in the eye before flying off. (Photo by Julie Yates/Solent News & Photo Agency)