Egypt’s southern city of Aswan recorded 40 deaths in the past week caused by a severe heatwave, raising parliamentarian concerns over shelter and electricity capabilities. Egyptian member of parliament Reham Abdelnabi raised the issue to her fellow MPs after the city recorded a scorching 49.6 degrees Celsius – one of the highest temperatures ever recorded in the area. Abdelnabi urged the government to exempt Aswan from its ongoing power blackouts, a nationwide initiative to cut electricity for two to three hours across all governorates as a means to alleviate costs. The parliamentarian called on the government to take immediate action to mitigate the impact of the heatwave on the region’s residents and prevent further loss of life. She also noted that the intense heat has exacerbated the prevalence of harmful animals in homes, with power outages leading to increased incidents of scorpion stings and snake appearances. “The government must act swiftly to save lives or face the responsibility for more casualties,” Abdelnabi said. Egypt’s most-watched talk show host, Amr Adib, also dedicated a segment on the situation, delivering a personal plea to the government. “We [citizens] will not be upset…
