The AnswerBank Articles

What's the thinking behind changing the leaving age to 19

asks Jarnold:A. The Green Paper is the biggest shake-up in secondary education for more than ten years. It proposes a new leaving age of 19. Q. Why A. It is designed to encourage all young people to00:00 Fri 15th Feb 2002

Has life improved at all for women in Afghanistan

asks ursula: A. For the five years that the Taliban ruled Afghanistan, women were not allowed to work or study. Before then, 60% of the 10,000 students at Kabal University were female. Since 1996,00:00 Thu 07th Feb 2002

Why is the separation of Siamese twins so controversial - surely it's better to have one healthy baby that two disabled ones

asks modge:A. It has been reported that the parents of the British Siamese - or conjoined - twins have accepted that an operation to separate the twins will cause the death of one of them. However,00:00 Tue 05th Feb 2002

Are there really Satanists in this country or is it just a bunch of Goths taking it a bit too far

asks MissDon:A. Satanists are in the news again because of 23-year-old Manuela Ruda who, along with her husband Daniel, was found guilty of murder in Germany. They had killed a man by hitting him with00:00 Fri 01st Feb 2002

Could the 'vomit bug' be caused by germ warfare

asks Jayne b-t:A. It highly unlikely. The 'winter vomiting' bug, which was first noted at Glasgow's Victoria Infirmary on January 9, has infected 254 patients and staff. And now 17 patients and eight00:00 Fri 22nd Feb 2002

Are we celebrating the Golden Jubilee or what

asks Ursula:A. It's debatable. The Palace itself is organising events over a long weekend, from Saturday June 1 to Tuesday June 4. There will be a ceremonial royal procession to St Paul's Cathedral00:00 Fri 22nd Feb 2002

Does Britain intend returning the Elgin Marbles to Greece in time for the Athens Olympic Games

asks admason:A. No. On 14 January, the British Museum ruled out any possibility of the Elgin Marbles being returned to Greece. These beautiful stone friezes, which once decorated the sides of the00:00 Wed 16th Jan 2002

Why did it take so long for ME to become recognised as a disease

asks woolley: A. Until now, most doctors didn't think that ME (myalgic encephalomyelitis, also known as chronic fatigue syndrome or yuppie flu) actually existed. Even when it was recognised that there00:00 Tue 15th Jan 2002

Why are India and Pakistan fighting over Kashmir

asks Allan: A. It's been going on for a while. It started in 1947 with the Partition which split the sub-continent into India and Pakistan, ending 163 years of British rule. Kashmir went with India. 00:00 Mon 08th Jan 2001

What happened to the Browns' baby - I thought that being premature wasn't a problem these days

asks Sporty:A. Gordon Brown and his wife Sarah lost their baby daughter, who suffered a brain haemorrhage after being born seven weeks premature. Q. What is the definition of premature A. A baby is00:00 Sun 07th Jan 2001

Is there a way to detect a biological attack

asks Tonyb:A. The US has spent millions of dollars trying to develop early warning detectors for biological attacks. It has set some up the Pentagon, but even these don't work particularly well. Which00:00 Mon 17th Dec 2001

Is the state of New York returning land to native Americans that was taken from them illegally

asks pathfinder A. They're not returning it, but they will now pay the Cayuga Indians (see the 1934 picture of a tribal chief on our home page - and a more recent one, of Chief Jacob Thomas, left) for00:00 Tue 04th Dec 2001

Should ecstasy users be treated more leniently as the police suggest

asks Su Smith: A. It's estimated that half a million people in the UK take ecstasy, a class-A drug, each weekend. However, ecstasy is controversial because of high-profile deaths of young people, such00:00 Wed 28th Nov 2001

Why a fifth terminal at Heathrow if airlines are closing because no one wants to fly any more

asks H Gray:A. The Government has finally approved a fifth terminal at Heathrow after the longest planning inquiry in British history (1995-1999). Terminal Five will be open by 2007 at a cost of 2.500:00 Wed 28th Nov 2001

In UK law, are your employers permitted to phone you at home when you're off sick if is not written into your contract

asks Trimbo:A. In the UK, there's no law which prevents an employer calling an employee at home. As a general rule, people who are employed in the public sector will not be called from home, but in00:00 Thu 15th Nov 2001

Why did Henry McLeish have to go when other MPs have survived worse

asks Woolley:A. Scottish first minister, Henry McLeish, resigned on November 8 over a row about expenses which was was turning into a police investigation. Q. Why did the police get involved A. When00:00 Fri 09th Nov 2001

What happened to the Russian submarine which sank with everyone on board - did they ever find out what happened to it

asks sporty: A. The Kursk's crew of 118 died after a series of explosions which caused the state-of-the-art submarine to fall to the floor of the Barents Sea floor. It happened during military00:00 Sat 03rd Nov 2001

It is true that you can't smoke in public places in Los Angeles - even if they are outdoors

asks MissDon: A: Until now, Los Angeles smokers have been banned from smoking in certain indoor locations - at work, or in bars or restaurants. They were, however, allowed to have their sneaky cigs00:00 Mon 29th Oct 2001

So is it legal to smoke dope now, as long as you don't deal it

asks Pathfinder:A. No. It's still an illegal drug, but David Blunkett, the Home Secretary, is asking for cannabis to be categorised as a class-C drug, rather than a class-B drug. Q. What does that00:00 Wed 24th Oct 2001

My daughter, who has been living with her boyfriend (and contributing to the running of the household, bills and so on) has been asked to move out... does she have any rights

asks Mallorn: A. The short answer is no, she doesn't. 'The common law wife' is just a myth, except in certain circumstances in Scotland. Q. Why in Scotland A. Until the beginning of the 20th00:00 Tue 16th Oct 2001