AFP News Agency

A record heatwave gripping the western US is a one-in-500-years type event and all but certainly caused by climate change, experts say The heat toppled records this week, reaching 44.4C (112 Fahrenheit) near the California-Arizona border and is set to hit more areas u.afp.com/SLaV

#UPDATE President Donald Trump said he was considering "winding down" military operations against Iran, as the US temporarily eased sanctions on Iranian oil to stem a global supply crisis The US is "getting very close to meeting our objectives" in the war, he posted u.afp.com/SLaH

#BREAKING President Donald Trump says the United States is considering "winding down" military operations in Iran

South Korea's capital is buzzing ahead of BTS's comeback concert Saturday after a nearly four-year hiatus The megastars take over central Seoul for a massive livestreamed K-pop spectacle expected to draw over 260,000 fans u.afp.com/SLar

Iraqi Kurds march with torches to celebrate the Nowruz New Year festival in the town of Akre of Iraq's northern autonomous Kurdish region

The heart of his family. A tough cookie. The only and only Walker, Texas Ranger. Tributes are pouring in after the death of martial arts action star Chuck Norris at age 86 u.afp.com/SLaz

A UN expert says in a new report that Israel is systematically torturing Palestinians on a scale "that suggests collective vengeance and destructive intent" u.afp.com/SLaa

US newcomer Jordan Anthony scorches to 60m gold at the world indoor championships in Poland u.afp.com/SLaR

Muslims around the world are observing the Eid al-Fitr holiday that marks the end of the holy fasting month of Ramadan

Uganda's cricket grannies find health and friendship on the pitch u.afp.com/SLa6

A Colombian animal sanctuary is raising this abandoned baby gray titi monkey with hopes of releasing it back into the wild. Its caregivers wear titi monkey masks so it doesn't become familiar with humans

How are Iranians getting online despite an internet blackout in the country? AFP interviews an expert on VPNs u.afp.com/SLaX

Climate change is melting glaciers in the Alps, forcing the demolition of a decades-old ski lift on Germany's highest mountain u.afp.com/SLaP

⚽ 🇫🇷 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 Paris Saint-Germain coach Luis Enrique said on Friday that the prospect of a Champions League quarter-final against Liverpool brought back "beautiful memories" of last year's encounter between the sides which his team won on penalties ➡️ u.afp.com/SLEt

🇺🇸 🇮🇷 US President Donald Trump on Friday branded NATO allies "cowards" for not heeding his demand for military assistance against Iran to control the Strait of Hormuz shipping route ➡️ u.afp.com/SLEX

🇺🇸 🎥 Chuck Norris, the US martial artist and Hollywood action star most famous for his role in "Walker, Texas Ranger," has died, his family says. He was 86. "It is with heavy hearts that our family shares the sudden passing of our beloved Chuck Norris yesterday morning," the family said in a statement on Instagram on Friday. "To the world, he was a martial artist, actor, and a symbol of strength. To us, he was a devoted husband, a loving father and grandfather, an incredible brother, and the heart of our family." 📷 Jason Merritt / Getty / AFP

🇮🇷 🪻 Sarvanaz remembers celebrating Iranian new year as a girl under the bombs of the Iran-Iraq war. As Tehran is again shaken by explosions, she said marking the Nowruz festival from Paris -- where she lives now -- has again taken on new meaning ➡️ u.afp.com/SLEp

🇮🇷 🪖 Who are Iran's Revolutionary Guards? The upheaval in Iran's leadership since the start of the war with Israel and the United States has further strengthened the political influence of the Islamic republic's ideological army, the Revolutionary Guards, analysts say

🇮🇱 🇵🇸 Hundreds of Muslim worshippers held Eid prayers at the gates of Jerusalem's Old City on Friday, with Israel closing access to the Al-Aqsa mosque and other holy sites over the war with Iran ➡️ u.afp.com/SLEk

🇺🇸 🇯🇵 Trump brings up Pearl Harbor in front of Japanese Prime Minister Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi sailed smoothly past a potential clash with Donald Trump during an official visit to the US. When a Japanese reporter asked why allies were not included in talks about the Iran strikes before they happened, US President Donald Trump brought up Pearl Harbour in response.