Daytime cooking has been banned in some parts of India after sizzling temperatures killed more than 300 people this month. Officials in the drought-stricken eastern part of the country said they took the decision in a bid to prevent accidental fires that have killed nearly 80 more people. The eastern state of Bihar took the unprecedented step of forbidding any cooking between 9am and 6pm, after accidental fires exacerbated by dry, hot and windy weather swept through villages and killed 79 people. Among them were 10 children and five adults killed in a fire sparked during a Hindu prayer ceremony in Bihar's Aurangabad district last week. People were instead told to cook at night. Hoping to prevent more fires, officials have also barred burning spent crops or holding religious fire rituals. Anyone defying the ban risks up to a year in jail. "We call this the fire season in Bihar," said Vyas, a state disaster management official who goes by one name. "Strong, westerly winds stoke fires which spread easily and cause great damage." Much of India is affected by a heat wave and severe drought conditions that have killed livestock and left at least 330 million Indians without enough...
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