The AnswerBank Articles

How does anthrax occur naturally

asks Tony b:A. Anthrax is caused by the bacterium Bacillus anthracis and is one of the oldest known diseases. It is an animal disease that can prove lethal to humans. In its dormant form, it turns00:00 Wed 10th Oct 2001

Should we all rush out and buy a gas mask

asks PDTV:A. Since the World Health Organisation warned the world's governments to get ready for the risk of chemical or biological attacks, army stores in the UK have sold out of gas masks. Gas masks00:00 Thu 27th Sep 2001

How can ID cards be made safe against fraudulent use

asks Allan:A. The Government is seriously thinking about compulsory identity cards as part of a new anti-terrorism package. Q. Would this the first time they'd be used in this country A. No, they00:00 Tue 25th Sep 2001

Does putting people in jail work as a deterrent Are we putting more or less people in prison now

asks adryley:A. Prison reform campaigners claim that sending people to prison does not reduce crime. And we're putting more people in prison than ever. Q. How many more A. In England and Wales, the00:00 Thu 20th Sep 2001

Why does Osama bin Laden hate the US - and where did he get all that money

asks seeker:A. Let's start with the money. Osama bin Laden was born in 1957, the 17th of 52 children born to a Saudi billionaire construction tycoon. Q. Well, that explains the money. So why did a00:00 Thu 13th Sep 2001

Where is the statue of William Wilberforce, the anti-slavery campaigner In view of this week's calls for the UK to apologise for slavery, does his work get enough international recognition

asks seeker: A. The monument of the man whose slogan was, 'Am I not a man, am I not a brother ' is in front of Hull College. Q. Why Hull A. That's where he was born in 1759. He lived in London with00:00 Wed 05th Sep 2001

Is anything left of the Berlin Wall

asks WoolleyA. It's 40 years since East Germany shocked the world by starting to build the barrier which became known as the Berlin Wall. The authorities claimed it was to protect against fascists,00:00 Tue 28th Aug 2001

When did fast food companies decide it was a good idea to start giving away free toys, and have these toys ever harmed children

asks mayastar: A. McDonald's first developed the Happy Meal in the 1970s. Originally, it was believed that a puzzle-covered box would be appealing enough, but toys were added by some franchises as an00:00 Tue 28th Aug 2001

Any news about troop movements on the border of Iran and Azerbaijan over the ownership of oil rights in the Caspian Sea

asks mike: A. The Caspian Sea, with its vast mineral resources, has been a problem since the collapse of the Soviet Union. It's estimated that there are 70 billion to 200 billion barrels of oil00:00 Wed 22nd Aug 2001

Why has it taken so long to prosecute Khmer Rouge leaders

asks Woolley: A. The Khmer Rouge ruled Cambodia from 1975 to 1979, under their leader Pol Pot. During that time, they killed 1.7 million people through execution, starvation and disease - mainly00:00 Tue 07th Aug 2001

Why was Farrakhan banned from the UK in the first place

asks PDTV: A. Louis Farrakhan is head of the Nation of Islam, a controversial black Muslim leader who was banned from this country because he preached hatred against whites - especially Jews. Q.00:00 Thu 02nd Aug 2001

What effect would the changes in gambling laws have

asks Admason: Sir Alan Budd's gambling review, published recently, recommends scrapping the UK's restrictive gambling laws. He would like to see gambling regarded as a leisure activity, similar to00:00 Thu 26th Jul 2001

How serious is the current Etna eruption

asks A dryley: A. The volcano, which has been active for hundreds of years, started rumbling about a month ago and has been gushing smoke and ash for more than a week now. Five fissures have opened up00:00 Mon 23rd Jul 2001

Will restaurants have to be licensed eventually

asks Johnjo: A. Perhaps. A recent inspection by the Chartered Institute of Environmental Health Officers (CIEHO) found that half of the UK's 600,000 food outlets fail to meet basic standards of00:00 Wed 18th Jul 2001

Why not decriminalise cannabis

asks PDTV:A. Here are some of the issues that have been raised recently in the debate over whether to decriminalise cannabis. Pros Millions of people have used cannabis - 25% of 16- to 59-year-olds00:00 Mon 16th Jul 2001

Who is to blame for the English race riots

asks Modge:A. According to Amnesty International, Liberty, the Law Society and other human rights groups, it's all down to comments by Labour and Tory politicians about asylum-seekers. They sent a00:00 Wed 11th Jul 2001

Should Beijing be allowed to host the 2008 Olympics

asks Allan: A. China is tipped to be the winner of the race to stage the 2008 Olympics - ahead of Paris, Toronto, Osaka and Istanbul. The decision will be made by the IOC on 13 July. Here are the pros00:00 Mon 09th Jul 2001

Are drugs or alcohol worse for teenagers

asks Jayne b-t A. Both are a big problem in this country. The European School Survey Project on Alcohol and Other Drugs (ESPAD) reports that UK teenagers smoke more tobacco and take more drugs than00:00 Tue 03rd Jul 2001

Which types of soy sauce are dangerous

asks Miss Don:A. A recent survey of 100 samples of soy sauce found a frightening amount of dangerous chemicals contained in some of the sauces. Q. Which chemicals A. Twenty-two of the sauces00:00 Wed 27th Jun 2001

Will humans ever be cloned

asks Woolley:A. Is it possible, but the likelihood of it happening has been blown out of proportion. It's incredibly difficult to clone animals, and those that survive usually have birth defects or00:00 Thu 21st Jun 2001