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)

Models walk the runway at the Maria Escote show during Madrid Fashion Week Fall/Winter 2015/16 at Ifema on February 10, 2015 in Madrid, Spain. (Photo by Carlos Alvarez/Getty Images)

Just a week before Rio de Janeiro hosts South America's first Olympics, city residents expressed mixed feelings about the cost and security of the Games, while holding out hope they will bring joy to a nation facing economic and political crises. The conflicted thoughts mirror a recent survey by the Datafolha polling group showing that half of Brazilians were opposed to holding the Games, while 63 percent think the costs of hosting the event will outweigh benefits. (Photo by Pilar Olivares/Reuters)

A visitor feeds a food pellet to a giraffe in the Giraffe Centre in Nairobi, Kenya January 15, 2017. (Photo by Goran Tomasevic/Reuters)

In this Friday, February 1, 2019, photo, Filipino-Chinese display piggy banks at the start of celebrations leading to next week's Lunar New Year in Chinatown, Manila, Philippines. This year is the Year of the Earth Pig on the Lunar calendar and is supposed to represent abundance, diligence and generosity. (Photo by Bullit Marquez/AP Photo)

A handout photo made available by Jose Juan Rodriguez Rocha, on 17 November 2021 shows lightning over Cumbre vieja Volcano as seen from El Paso, La Palma, Canary Islands Spain, 14 November 2021. The lightning over a volcano is sometimes seen due to the charge of electricity caused by the friction of the expelled particles within the column of ashes and pyroclastic rocks. (Photo by Jose Juan Rodríguez Rocha/EPA/EFE)

A group of volunteers dressed as elves and a man dressed as the grinch take part in a Christmas celebration organised by the NGO “Unos Venezolanos” in the neighbourhood of Petare, in Caracas, Venezuela on December 21, 2022. (Photo by Gaby Oraa/Reuters)

Pauline Torres carries belongings from her flooded Merced, Calif., home on Tuesday, January 10, 2023. (Photo by Noah Berger/AP Photo)