Bangladesh shuts schools, cuts power in longest heatwave in decades

Bangladesh is struggling through its lengthiest heatwave in half a century, as temperatures have surged to around 40 degrees Celsius in the South Asian nation's capital of Dhaka.

Tens of thousands of primary schools were shut down by the government, and electricity production has been drastically cut, even as demand for air conditioners and fans has surged. 

On Monday, the country was forced to suspend operations at its biggest power plant because the government was unable to afford the coal to fuel it. The Bangladeshi taka depreciated about 25 percent against the US dollar last year, driving up the cost of fuel imports and power utilities. Other plants have fallen well short of meeting demand, leading to hours-long blackouts.