Eight people have died in Bangladesh in one of the country's worst heatwaves on record as temperatures have hit a scorching 40 to 42 degrees Celsius.
Those who work outdoors have borne the brunt of the sweltering conditions.
"We have a lot of problems in summer. Our bodies sweat a lot. We're thirsty and have to work overtime, so we get very tired in summer. The body becomes unbearably tired, so sometimes I eat Sarabat on the side of the road. We have no choice but to come out in this intense heat. I went out in a rickshaw because we need to earn," said Mohammad Farooq, a rickshaw rider.
Van driver Abdur Rahim also struggles with dizziness, pains and a lack of energy.
"I've had dizziness due to intense heat, constant pains in the hands and feet, chills, profuse sweating, and a lack of energy. In this heat, you need to eat good things. If you don't eat, you don't have energy, and you can't drive a van. We need to eat fruit and saltines, but we can't earn a good income by driving a van so we can't eat good food. People don't come out of the house in summer," he said.
Temperatures are four to five degrees Celsius above the long-term average. All schools and colleges have been told to remain closed over the past week.
Authorities have ordered hospitals to prepare for the extreme weather.
""We have been instructed by the Ministry of Health to prepare the hospitals of the capital Dhaka. Doctors know how to care for patients in heat waves suffering from heat stroke, and doctors are trained. Hospitals are ready to serve patients," said Ayesha Shilpi, deputy director of the country's Directorate of Health.
Severe heatwave in Bangladesh has 8 killed
Egypt announced on Sunday that it will "formally back" South Africa's genocide case against Israel at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) over the ongoing Israeli aggression in the besieged Palestinian Gaza Strip.
Egypt's announcement came in light of Israel's "continued perpetration of systematic practices against the Palestinian people, including direct targeting of civilians, destruction of infrastructure in the enclave, and pushing Palestinians to be displaced from their land," the Egyptian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
The statement came after South Africa on Friday asked the ICJ to issue a new order for Israel to immediately stop the Rafah operation and withdraw from this southernmost Gazan city.
Filing a request for more "provisional measures" over the case, South Africa said the assault on Rafah posed an "extreme risk" to the humanitarian supplies sent to Gaza and the basic services in the besieged enclave.
Hamas on Sunday welcomed Egypt's ICJ move of joining South Africa in filing a lawsuit against Israel. Israeli officials have not yet made any statement regarding this matter.
The ongoing massive Israeli attacks on Gaza over the past seven months have killed more than 35,000 Palestinians and wounded over 78,700 others, according to the latest update released by Gaza's health authorities on Sunday.
In a landmark interim ruling in January, the United Nations Hague-based ICJ ordered Israel to take all necessary measures "to prevent and punish the direct and public incitement to commit genocide" and to allow humanitarian aid into Gaza.
In March, the ICJ ordered further "provisional measures" to be taken by Israel to ensure, without delay, the delivery of "urgently needed basic services and humanitarian assistance to Palestinians throughout Gaza."
South Africa submitted the case in late December, accusing Israel of committing acts of genocide in the Gaza Strip in violation of the 1948 Genocide Convention. Israel rejects the claims as groundless.
Egypt to "formally back" South Africa's ICJ genocide case against Israel
