The United Nations' World Food Programme has announced it would reduce cash assistance to nearly 120,000 Syrian refugees in Jordanian camps, saying the move was "unavoidable as funds run precariously low".

The UN logs about 650,000 Syrians in Jordan who fled their native country since war broke out there in 2011, but Amman estimates their number at 1.3 million.

The WFP said in a statement that "further reductions in food assistance for refugees in Jordan have become unavoidable as funds run precariously low".

The United States called on Egypt Wednesday to release rights researcher Patrick Zaki, a day after he was sentenced to three years' prison for "spreading false news".

"Concerned by 3-year sentence of Egyptian human rights defender Patrick Zaki," the US State Department said on Twitter, urging the "immediate release of him and others unjustly detained".

Zaki, 32, was jailed over an article recounting the discrimination he and other members of Egypt's Coptic Christian minority say they have suffered.

President Isaac Herzog marked 75 years of Israeli independence Wednesday in an address to the US Congress celebrating the country's friendship with Washington but warning against criticism of the government seeping into anti-Semitism.

Herzog's remarks came amid a row in the House of Representatives over the policies of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's administration that has highlighted fissures in Democratic Party support for the Middle Eastern ally.

Millions suffered through intense heat Wednesday as fires raged, health worries mounted and the world appeared headed for its hottest month of July on record.

As temperature records tumbled on three continents, experts pointed the finger at climate change driven by the burning of fossil fuels, saying global warming had a key role in destructive weather.

Governments and the World Health Organization issued warnings as vulnerable parts of the population suffered.

Iran, largely shunned by western tourists, is making a push to attract visitors from wealthy Gulf Arab states and other nearby countries to boost its sanctions-hit economy.

The Islamic republic is also drawing more visitors from Russia and China to its ancient sites that date back to the Persian empire and the fabled Silk Road, industry figures say.

Iran's Beijing-brokered diplomatic thaw this year with Saudi Arabia paved the way for direct flights, and Tehran is also seeking closer ties with other countries from Egypt to Morocco.

Swathes of Europe baked Tuesday in a heatwave trailed by wildfires and health warnings, as parts of Asia and the United States also suffered under extreme weather.

Firefighters battled blazes in parts of Greece and the Canary Islands and Spain issued heat alerts, while some children in Italy's Sardinia were warned away from sports for safety reasons.

In the United States, the city of Phoenix broke a 49-year-old record with its 19th consecutive day of temperatures of 43.3 Celsius (110 Fahrenheit) or higher, weather officials said.

Concerns about a possible influx of Sudanese refugees to the West are misplaced, a senior US official told AFP on Tuesday, as millions in the war-torn nation flee their homes.

The conflict between the army and rival paramilitary forces entered its fourth month on Saturday, leaving at least 3,000 dead according to a conservative estimate, and numerous truces have fallen apart.

Three million people have been displaced internally or fled to other countries, according to the International Organization for Migration.

Lens captain Seko Fofana confirmed on Tuesday he has accepted an offer to join Al-Nassr, the Saudi Arabian club where Cristiano Ronaldo plays.

"I leave you with the feeling of accomplishment and pride at being a part of this history which is ours," Fofana, 28, wrote in a farewell video posted on Instagram.

The Ivorian international midfielder played 112 times for the northern French outfit scoring 21 goals in three years.

Despite punishingly high temperatures, dozens of Iraqis took to the streets of Baghdad on Tuesday to protest water and electricity shortages, and to blame Turkey for reduced flow of rivers.

Designated by the United Nations as one of the five countries in the world most touched by some effects of climate change, Iraq is experiencing its fourth consecutive summer of drought.

Japan's Prime Minister Fumio Kishida visited gas-rich Qatar on Tuesday to wrap up a Gulf tour centred on energy security and cooperation with Tokyo's main suppliers.

He was making the first visit to Doha by a Japanese premier in 10 years.

Kishida arrived in Qatar from the United Arab Emirates after starting his tour in Saudi Arabia where he met the de facto leader, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.