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5111_2 | Measles has a devastating impact on the body's immune system that could make it harder to fight infections for years, a pair of studies show. The virus can cause "immune amnesia" - meaning the body forgets how to fight bugs it once knew how to beat. Measles also resets the immune system to a "baby-like" state, compromi... | How does measles wipe out immune memory? | 1,368 | The immune system has a memory of the hostile invaders it has fought off before. Part of this memory is kept in memory B-cells, which are a type of immune cell that has specialised in producing just one type of antibody. But the measles virus can infect and destroy these cells, causing "immune amnesia". Researchers at ... | 0.842254 | 0.860314 | 0.851284 |
3648_1 | A teenager in Mexico has invented a bra to detect breast cancer. But does it work? And if so, how? Julian Rios Cantu, 18, has made a bra that he says will be an early warning system for breast cancer symptoms. The Eva bra, made by him and three friends who formed a company together, is only at the prototype stage. But ... | Will a cancer-detecting bra actually work? | 1,046 | This is in the really early stages. It hasn't been fully tested yet and there would need to be medical trials before cancer experts started recommending it as a way to find cancer. Anna Perman from Cancer Research UK told the BBC: "We know that tumours often have an abnormal system of blood vessels, but we also know th... | 0.805309 | 0.853192 | 0.829251 |
6007_0 | UK companies with 250 or more employees must publish their gender pay gap data by April 2018. About 9,000 firms will have to calculate their gender pay gap and publish it on a government website by 4 April 2018, or 30 March for the public sector. With big companies revealing their figures, including the BBC, the gender... | What is the gender pay gap? | 513 | The gender pay gap is the percentage difference between average hourly earnings for men and women. Across the UK, men earned 18.4% more than women in April 2017, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS). This figure is calculated on a 1% sample of employees' jobs. It takes the median average for men and wo... | 0.791824 | 0.847172 | 0.819498 |
438_0 | Facebook is finalising plans to launch its own crypto-currency next year. It is planning to set up a digital payments system in about a dozen countries by the first quarter of 2020. The social media giant wants to start testing its crypto-currency, which has been referred to internally as GlobalCoin, by the end of this... | How will Facebook's crypto-currency work? | 867 | Facebook wants to create a digital currency that provides affordable and secure ways of making payments, regardless of whether users have a bank account. The social networking site, which owns WhatsApp and Instagram, is hoping to disrupt existing networks by breaking down financial barriers, competing with banks and re... | 0.817023 | 0.81918 | 0.818101 |
1036_0 | Several readers have asked whether Australia's famous eucalyptus trees have helped spread the bushfires which have raged for months. Also known as the gum tree, these forests are some of the most flammable in the world. Eucalyptus trees cover more than three-quarters of Australia's forested area and almost all of the h... | How do eucalyptus trees spread fires? | 220 | Eucalyptus trees cover more than three-quarters of Australia's forested area and almost all of the hundreds of species are native to the island nation. Strips of bark that hang off the trunk and the branches can ignite and carry a fire up the tree and can spread through the forest on the wind. "When the bark ignites it... | 0.798212 | 0.823538 | 0.810875 |
6458_2 | President Donald Trump says he plans to end "birthright citizenship" in the US by executive order. Can he do that? In an interview with Axios, President Trump claimed that he was working on an end to birthright citizenship, the 150-year-old principle that says anyone born on US soil is an American citizen. "It was alwa... | 3) Can Trump end birthright citizenship by executive order? | 3,094 | Most legal scholars agree that President Trump cannot end birthright citizenship with an executive order. "He's doing something that's going to upset a lot of people, but ultimately this will be decided by the courts," says Saikrishna Prakash, a constitutional expert and University of Virginia Law School professor. "Th... | 0.816725 | 0.794364 | 0.805544 |
7116_3 | Seven months and nine days ago, 1.4 million people in Ireland voted to remove its anti-abortion laws. What (Taoiseach) Irish PM Leo Varadkar called a "quiet revolution", had culminated with a day when the Eighth Amendment was repealed. Irish Health Minister Simon Harris hailed the passing of the legislation as a "new e... | Can you access abortion services in all of Ireland's maternity units? | 1,453 | Not yet. Ireland has 19 maternity units, but only nine are currently providing abortion services. These are: - National Maternity Hospital in Dublin - Midland Regional Hospital in Westmeath - Rotunda Hospital in Dublin - Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital in Meath - University Hospital, Galway - Mayo University Hospital - Un... | 0.784241 | 0.82297 | 0.803605 |
5115_0 | The drug-resistant fungus, Candida auris, was only discovered 10 years ago, but is now one of the world's most feared hospital microbes. There have been outbreaks across the world, and new research shows higher temperatures may have led to an increase in infections. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CD... | What is Candida auris? | 462 | Candida auris (C. auris) is a yeast, a type of fungus, which can cause infections in humans. It is related to the very common Candida albicans, which causes thrush. It was first discovered in the ear canal of a Japanese patient in Tokyo Metropolitan Geriatric Hospital in 2009. Most of the time, Candida yeasts live on o... | 0.755406 | 0.848326 | 0.801866 |
8669_0 | The demand for on-demand TV has never been higher. Disney has announced its rival to the likes of Netflix and Amazon Prime - and they're calling it Disney+. In March, Apple announced its own streaming service: Apple TV+. But in a market that's getting more and more crowded, can they all survive? Disney has a big advant... | Why are Disney and Apple getting into streaming TV? | 297 | Disney has a big advantage because it has decades of filmmaking experience already, according to Shona Ghosh, senior tech reporter at Business Insider. "It costs a lot of money to make popular shows and Disney is an expert in offering really well-known film and TV franchises," she says. Disney can draw on its classic m... | 0.815088 | 0.787178 | 0.801133 |
4406_0 | Cheap steel from China has been blamed for distorting global markets and putting other countries' steelmakers under pressure. How have we got here and why does it all matter? Chinese steel production has expanded hugely. Over the past 25 years, output has grown more than 12-fold. By comparison, the EU's output fell by ... | China's steel industry - what's the problem? | 176 | Chinese steel production has expanded hugely. Over the past 25 years, output has grown more than 12-fold. By comparison, the EU's output fell by 12% while the US's remained largely flat. The drive behind that stellar increase has been China's double-digit economic growth over the past decades. That led to ever more dom... | 0.795909 | 0.80401 | 0.799959 |
2148_0 | The people charged with protecting the world's economy are meeting in Washington this week. The decisions made by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) affect people around the world. But what is the IMF, why is it important, and what criticism does it face? The IMF is an international organisation with 189 member coun... | What is the IMF? | 259 | The IMF is an international organisation with 189 member countries. They work together to try to stabilise the global economy. Any country can apply to join, as long as it meets a few requirements. These include providing information about its economy and paying in a sum of money called a quota subscription. The richer... | 0.787098 | 0.811734 | 0.799416 |
4726_0 | The company behind infidelity dating website Ashley Madison has denied that hardly any women used the service. Its rebuttal followed an article by Gizmodo which suggested that only around 12,000 of the site's 36 million members were real women. Gizmodo had analysed the data stolen from Ashley Madison by hackers called ... | Did Ashley Madison use fake profiles? | 469 | There are suggestions from the leaked data, which included thousands of chief executive Noel Biderman's emails, that Ashley Madison did deploy fake profiles. One email written to Mr Biderman described a contractor building profiles, known as angels or engagers, "en masse". It even suggested staff were getting "writer's... | 0.74917 | 0.840667 | 0.794918 |
8296_4 | Piles of rubbish dumped across England have been reported to councils more than one million times in 2016-17. Here are some of the things you wanted to know about fly-tipping. Fly-tipping is defined as "the illegal deposit of any waste on to land that does not have a licence to accept it", according to Keep Britain Tid... | Is there a link between the amount councils charge for taking rubbish to the tip and the levels of fly-tipping in those areas? | 2,447 | The Local Government Association, which represents councils, said there was "no evidence" to link fly-tipping to any particular trend. However, six of the 10 areas to have seen the biggest rises in fly-tipping in the last year do charge householders to take some types of rubbish to the tip, mainly building rubble, plas... | 0.770201 | 0.816669 | 0.793435 |
4193_0 | Scientists and government officials meet this week in Paris to finalise a key assessment on humanity's relationship with nature. The Intergovernmental Panel for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services, or IPBES, will issue the first report of this type since 2005. It will detail the past losses and future prospects for nat... | What exactly is biodiversity? | 1,023 | Biodiversity is just a sciencey word for all the amazing variety of life that can be found on Earth, their interactions with each other and with their environments. It encompasses everything from genes, through individual species such as orang-utans, through communities of creatures and then the whole ecological comple... | 0.772597 | 0.810426 | 0.791512 |
7952_0 | Russian state TV is working on its own version of Chernobyl, a series based on the worst nuclear accident in history. The NTV drama will deviate from the acclaimed HBO series - and from historical reality - by claiming that the CIA was involved in the disaster. Director Aleksey Muradov claims it will show "what really ... | What did Russia think of HBO's Chernobyl? | 1,288 | There has been plenty of praise in Russia for the authenticity of Chernobyl. Izvestia newspaper declared it a more 'realistic' portrayal of the era than most Russian films manage. There's also admiration of how the series conveys the heroism of ordinary people. But there's been a crescendo of criticism, too. One column... | 0.778854 | 0.799858 | 0.789356 |
10145_0 | Some 564 people have been into space - 65 of them women. That's despite the fact that the first woman in space, Soviet cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova, went into orbit as early as 1963. It took Nasa 20 years to catch up and in 1983 Sally Ride became the third woman, and first American woman to go into space. Before her ... | Does space affect men and women differently? | 968 | VJ: Overall adaptation to the space environment is roughly the same for men and women but there are some differences. Women are more likely to feel sick when they go into space, men are more likely to get re-entry sickness when they come back to Earth. Men have more problems with their vision and hearing when they get ... | 0.77274 | 0.805671 | 0.789205 |
7519_0 | President Donald Trump has threatened to withdraw the US from the World Trade Organization (WTO), claiming it treats his country unfairly. "If they don't shape up, I would withdraw from the WTO," Mr Trump said in an interview with Bloomberg News. The WTO was established to provide rules for global trade and resolve dis... | What's Trump's issue with the WTO? | 1,413 | The US president has been sounding off about unfair trade since even before he became president. Mr Trump said on Thursday that the 1994 agreement to establish the WTO "was the single worst trade deal ever made". The US has been embroiled in a tit-for-tat trade battle on several fronts in recent months. The one creatin... | 0.795501 | 0.782593 | 0.789047 |
7567_0 | President Muhammadu Buhari has directed the Central Bank of Nigeria to block food importers' requests for foreign currency in a bid to boost local agriculture in Africa's most populous country. It is a continuation of a policy that the president began after coming to office in 2015, when he banned the use of foreign ex... | How much is Nigeria spending on importing food? | 688 | According to data from Nigeria's National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), the amount of money the country has been spending on importing food and drink increased from 2015 to 2017, dipped in 2018 and if the trend from the first quarter of this year continues, the bill will go up again for this year. In 2015, Nigeria spent ... | 0.750523 | 0.826218 | 0.78837 |
3327_1 | The southern Indian state of Andhra Pradesh recorded 36,749 lightning strikes in just a 13-hour period on Tuesday, officials say. The number is unusually high and the result of "extreme weather patterns", according to the state disaster management authority. Nine people, including a nine-year-old girl, have been killed... | How common are lightning deaths in India? | 1,631 | At least 2,000 people have died in lightning strikes in India every year since 2005, according to the National Crime Records Bureau. In June 2016, 93 people were killed and more than 20 injured by lightning strikes in the states of Bihar, Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh. India's death toll from lightning st... | 0.787401 | 0.781011 | 0.784206 |
1097_0 | President Trump has told Americans to "get their shots" as measles cases spread across the country. "The vaccinations are so important," he told reporters outside the White House. Nearly 700 cases have been reported across 22 states amid a resurgence of the highly infectious disease, the US Centers for Disease Control ... | What has Trump said about vaccines? | 1,374 | Mr Trump's latest comments contrast markedly from his previous public statements about vaccinations. During a Republican primary debate in 2015, he suggested vaccines were responsible for what he called an "epidemic" of autism. He said he was in favour of vaccines, but wanted "smaller doses over a longer period of time... | 0.739858 | 0.82596 | 0.782909 |
1405_0 | Shares in Spotify have started trading in the New York, valuing the music streaming service at about $26bn. In an unconventional move, the firm has not issued new shares, with those held by its private investors being sold. The flotation marks a turning point for Spotify, which is the global market leader but is yet to... | Why is Spotify listing its shares? | 958 | The firm made a commitment to investors who backed it as the company was growing, that they would be given the chance to cash in their investment. So Spotify had to list its shares sooner or later. But it could also herald a new phase for the firm. Being publicly traded will put pressure on the management, and could pr... | 0.760346 | 0.804665 | 0.782505 |
9799_0 | Outgoing German defence minister Ursula von der Leyen has been confirmed as the next president of the European Commission, replacing Jean-Claude Juncker. She will now form a new team of commissioners and they will start their new term on 1 November, a day after the UK is due to leave the EU. But what is the European Co... | What does the European Commission do? | 422 | Its job is to develop laws for member states and enforce them. Based in Brussels, it's the only EU body that can draft laws. It employs more than 32,000 staff in total and its running costs this year are EUR3.6bn. Once its proposals have the approval of the European Parliament and a council of 28 ministers from the EU ... | 0.787998 | 0.769404 | 0.778701 |
5543_0 | For decades dentists have recommended flossing as an essential part of oral hygiene. But how useful is it really? An investigation by the Associated Press has revealed there is insufficient proof to back up this claim. The US Department for Health and Human Services and Agriculture admitted in a letter that the benefit... | Why do dentists say flossing is good for you? | 696 | Many dentists have said flossing can help remove plaque, food build-up between the teeth, reduce the risk of gingivitis, gum disease, and reduce the risk of tooth decay. In its statement the ADA said: "Cleaning between teeth removes plaque that can lead to cavities or gum disease from the areas where a toothbrush can't... | 0.784479 | 0.772055 | 0.778267 |
7450_0 | "Unconscious bias" can lead to racist behaviour even if people do not consider themselves to be racist, the Duke of Sussex has said. Writing in Vogue, Prince Harry said unconscious bias was "something which so many people don't understand". He said prejudice was "learned from the older generation, or from advertising, ... | What is unconscious bias? | 1,628 | Unconscious bias is any detectable bias in our attitudes or behaviour that operates outside of our awareness. It could be asking a man rather than a woman to pitch a project because, subconsciously, you presume he will be more confident and assertive. Dr Doyin Atewologun is the director of the Gender Leadership and Inc... | 0.704702 | 0.850372 | 0.777537 |
679_0 | North Korean state media had strong words for Joe Biden - the former US vice-president and current presidential candidate - on Wednesday. Mr Biden had "gone reckless and senseless, seized by ambition for power", a commentary on the news website KCNA said. He was "an imbecile bereft of elementary quality as a human bein... | Why is North Korea criticising Joe Biden? | 1,630 | Wednesday's KCNA report accused Mr Biden of "rhetoric slandering the supreme leadership of the DPRK" during a recent election campaign. This appeared to refer to Mr Biden's rally in Philadelphia on Saturday, where he criticised Mr Trump for working with "tyrants like [Russian President Vladimir] Putin and Kim Jong-un".... | 0.779563 | 0.774526 | 0.777044 |
4253_0 | Guatemala's Fuego volcano erupted at about noon local time (18:00 GMT) on Sunday. It is one of Central America's most active volcanoes but Sunday's eruption caused more fatalities than any of those previously recorded at Fuego. At least 69 people are known to have died. Most of them lived in villages on the slopes of t... | What type of volcano is Fuego? | 424 | Fuego is a stratovolcano or composite volcano. Its steep, conical shape, which is typical of this type of volcano, can be seen from the capital, Guatemala City, 44km (27 miles) south-west of Fuego's summit. Fuego sits on the Ring of Fire, a horse-shoe-shaped string of volcanoes, earthquake sites and tectonic plates aro... | 0.752837 | 0.799834 | 0.776335 |
298_1 | The internal Labour row over anti-Semitism has dragged on for nearly three years. Here's a guide to what's been going on. Jewish people have faced prejudice and hostility for centuries. During World War II, six million Jews were murdered by the Nazis or their accomplices in what is known as the Holocaust. Modern-day an... | What is the Labour anti-Semitism row about? | 2,796 | Anti-Semitism was generally not regarded as a big problem in the Labour Party before Jeremy Corbyn's election as leader in September 2015. Since then, things have changed, with Mr Corbyn and other figures on the left setting a new political direction. There has been an influx of new members, many of whom are vocal crit... | 0.836887 | 0.71554 | 0.776214 |
390_0 | Heavy seasonal rains are a regular feature of life in Nigeria and towns close to the country's main rivers are particularly vulnerable. This year floods have killed almost 200 people with many thousands displaced. The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) say these figures are likely to rise as the full impact be... | Are Nigeria's rains causing the floods? | 2,303 | Heavy rainfall has certainly increased the likelihood of rivers overflowing and flash floods. And there's evidence to suggest increasing rainfall over time. Data from the Nigerian Meteorological Agency from 1981-2017, analysing 13 affected locations, reveals a rising trend in annual rainfall, which it says is likely to... | 0.782008 | 0.769737 | 0.775873 |
8522_1 | Former FBI director James Comey's evidence to the Senate Intelligence Committee has been keenly awaited by the US public. Mr Comey, who was sacked by Donald Trump on 9 May, gave some clues to the inner workings of the Trump administration and its relationship with the intelligence services. But despite the forensic exa... | Are there tapes of Mr Comey's conversations with Mr Trump? | 1,054 | Three days after Mr Comey was fired, the president tweeted that the former FBI director should hope there were no tapes of their conversations. Mr Comey has since expressed the hope that there are tapes and at the hearing he urged the president to release all their conversations if tapes exist. "I'm good with it," he s... | 0.742958 | 0.808493 | 0.775726 |
7584_0 | MPs have rejected Prime Minister Boris Johnson's attempt to hold an early general election on 12 December. But why does the PM want an election and what are his remaining options? The next general election is not due until 2022, but the PM wants an early election to try to restore the Conservative Party's majority. Whi... | Why does Boris Johnson want an early election? | 180 | The next general election is not due until 2022, but the PM wants an early election to try to restore the Conservative Party's majority. While an early election carries risks, Mr Johnson hopes to win more seats in the House of Commons, to make it easier to pass a Brexit deal. | 0.793617 | 0.755712 | 0.774664 |
4848_0 | Feeling a little lost on Brexit? Never really got your head around it in the first place? Let us walk you through it. Brexit is short for "British exit" - and is the word people use to talk about the United Kingdom's decision to leave the European Union (EU). The EU is a political and economic union of 28 countries tha... | What is Brexit? | 118 | Brexit is short for "British exit" - and is the word people use to talk about the United Kingdom's decision to leave the European Union (EU). | 0.735541 | 0.81249 | 0.774016 |
9319_0 | Saudi Arabia and Iran are at loggerheads. They have long been rivals, but it's all recently got a lot more tense. Here's why. Saudi Arabia and Iran - two powerful neighbours - are locked in a fierce struggle for regional dominance. The decades-old feud between them is exacerbated by religious differences. They each fol... | How is the Saudi-Iranian rivalry being played out? | 4,360 | This is in many ways a regional equivalent of the Cold War, which pitted the US against the Soviet Union in a tense military standoff for many years. Iran and Saudi Arabia are not directly fighting but they are engaged in a variety of proxy wars (conflicts where they support rival sides and militias) around the region.... | 0.802515 | 0.744455 | 0.773485 |
498_0 | The oceans contain almost 200,000 different viral populations, according to the latest count. Marine viruses were found from the surface down to 4,000m deep and from the North to the South Pole. Though most are harmless to humans, they can infect marine life, including whales and crustaceans. And scientists are only ju... | What do viruses do in the oceans? | 1,115 | The world's oceans are teeming with viruses, yet we are at the edge of our understanding on how they impact ocean health and function. Among previous discoveries are "giant" marine viruses, which can infect green algae. A litre of seawater typically contains billions of viruses - the vast majority of which remain unide... | 0.778987 | 0.766595 | 0.772791 |
10030_0 | Firefly tourism is on the rise globally but scientists are warning it may contribute to risk of the insect's extinction. "I spotted a hundred flickering lights, illuminating a palm like a Christmas tree." "Our guide waved his flashlight at the fireflies. They slowly engulfed us - we were surrounded by a shiny galaxy of... | Is firefly eco-tourism even possible? | 2,978 | Prof Lewis is keen to emphasise that firefly tourism is often crucial to local economies and should not be banned. Instead tour operators and tourists can develop eco-friendly practices. Travel blogger Katie Diederichs and her husband, both from the US, chose an eco-friendly tour operator in Bohol, Philippines for thei... | 0.779433 | 0.765258 | 0.772346 |
3220_0 | India is preparing to send a robotic spacecraft into orbit around Mars - a first for the country. Yogita Limaye from the BBC's India Business Report spoke to K Radhakrishnan, chair of the Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro) - the country's space agency - about his hopes for the mission. A: Essentially in this Mar... | Q: What is the objective of India's Mars mission? | 294 | A: Essentially in this Mars mission, which we are planning, the prime objective is to demonstrate India's capability to capture the Martian orbit and then to conduct a few meaningful scientific experiments. | 0.684731 | 0.859782 | 0.772257 |
735_1 | The healthiest way to cook mushrooms is to microwave or grill them to preserve their goodness, researchers say. These cooking methods significantly increase levels of antioxidants which protect cells against diseases, but boiling or frying reduces them. A study, from Spain, looked at the properties of four different ty... | What's the problem with frying mushrooms? | 816 | Frying resulted in protein and carbohydrates being lost from the mushrooms, as well as antioxidant compounds. Antioxidants are vitamins and chemicals that play a key role in protecting the body against free radicals, which are linked to heart disease, cancer and other diseases. What happens is that they disappear into ... | 0.734393 | 0.809487 | 0.77194 |
9369_0 | Brunei has introduced a tough Islamic penal code, known as Sharia law, sparking concern from the UN and the US. The BBC explains how the Sharia system works. Sharia law is Islam's legal system. It is derived from both the Koran, Islam's central text, and fatwas - the rulings of Islamic scholars. Sharia literally means ... | What is Sharia? | 158 | Sharia law is Islam's legal system. It is derived from both the Koran, Islam's central text, and fatwas - the rulings of Islamic scholars. Sharia literally means "the clear, well-trodden path to water". Sharia law acts as a code for living that all Muslims should adhere to, including prayers, fasting and donations to t... | 0.697411 | 0.845403 | 0.771407 |
9352_0 | Reality check verdict: The US president has the power to both dismiss and appoint the director of the FBI. US President Donald Trump sacked James Comey, director of the FBI, on 9 May, with immediate effect. Mr Trump said he had acted on the recommendation of senior figures at the Justice Department, criticising Mr Come... | How can a president simply fire the head of the FBI? | 683 | According to federal law, the president has authority to both appoint and dismiss the director of the FBI, as well as other senior officials in the Justice Department, but the nominee has to pass hearings and be confirmed by a simple majority vote in the Senate. Only one FBI director has been removed by the President i... | 0.779497 | 0.762989 | 0.771243 |
752_0 | Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia were poisoned with a military-grade nerve agent of a type developed by Russia, known as Novichok, Theresa May has told MPs. The former Russian spy and his daughter are critically ill after their attempted murder in Salisbury, Wiltshire, on 4 March. A police officer also remains in ... | What are nerve agents? | 509 | They are highly toxic chemicals that prevent the nervous system from working properly, and can be fatal. Nerve agents take different forms - including powder and gas - but they tend to be a liquid, which can seep through the skin. | 0.75344 | 0.786645 | 0.770042 |
9710_0 | A 25-year-old New Zealand politician has admitted making "some people very mad" by using a viral phrase in parliament. Chloe Swarbrick told an older lawmaker "OK boomer" after they interrupted her speech on climate change. There was little reaction in parliament but she soon began trending online. She has also been acc... | What does 'OK boomer' mean? | 336 | A "boomer" is shorthand for a baby boomer - someone born between 1946 and 1964. In internet parlance, "OK boomer" is a derogatory phrase used primarily by the next generations to show their indignation towards older people deemed indifferent to their concerns. It is used widely on platforms like Twitter and TikTok. "Bo... | 0.68091 | 0.859114 | 0.770012 |
5084_0 | The Strait of Hormuz, a narrow shipping route in the Gulf region, is at the centre of rising tensions. Two Royal Navy warships are now in the Gulf, to protect ships sailing under the British flag. So, what is the waterway and why does it matter? Despite its small size, the Strait of Hormuz is one of the world's most im... | What is the Strait of Hormuz? | 246 | Despite its small size, the Strait of Hormuz is one of the world's most important shipping routes. It is about 96 miles long and only 21 miles wide at its narrowest point, with shipping lanes in each direction just two miles wide. Bounded to the north by Iran and to the south by Oman and the United Arab Emirates (UAE),... | 0.756965 | 0.78268 | 0.769822 |
6053_0 | More than 1,000 firefighters are battling a forest fire in Portugal that has claimed the lives at least 64 people and injured more than 130 since Saturday. Many of the victims died after becoming trapped in cars as they tried to flee. Planes have been used to drop water over the Pedrogao Grande region. Civil protection... | Why are Portugal's wildfires so deadly? | 1,756 | Wildfires are an annual menace in Portugal. More broke out there between 1993 and 2013 than in Spain, France, Italy or Greece, the European Environment Agency reported last year, despite the country's relatively small geographical size. Given that, was this year's tragedy preventable? Could Portugal have done anything ... | 0.758066 | 0.780607 | 0.769337 |
3082_0 | The US is cutting hundreds of troops in Africa as it focuses on countering threats from Russia and China. Around 700 counter-terrorism troops will be removed over the next few years, the Department of Defense said. About 7,200 US soldiers are currently based in dozens of African countries including Nigeria and Libya. T... | Why is the US cutting troops in Africa? | 1,479 | By Tomi Oladipo, BBC Africa Security Correspondent The announcement of cuts has been coming for some time. In January, the US Defence Secretary James Mattis unveiled a new strategy indicating a shift away from terrorism and towards America's standing when compared to Russia and China. While the cuts begin in Africa, th... | 0.769008 | 0.769 | 0.769004 |
3690_0 | Introducing the SNP's general election pledges in an independent Scotland could lead to more austerity, according to an economic research group. The Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) said the SNP's manifesto set out plans to increase spending while also setting out a list of tax-cutting measures. It said the SNP had n... | What does the IFS says about the SNP manifesto? | 1,047 | In his analysis of the SNP's manifesto, IFS associate director David Phillips said it differed from those of the other three major parties because it was not "a plan of action for five years of governing the UK". Writing in the Scotsman newspaper, Mr Phillips argued that the document was instead about "starting the pro... | 0.791757 | 0.745303 | 0.76853 |
5096_0 | Social issues like gay marriage and abortion have taken centre stage in the lead up to Canada's autumn election, as the Liberal Party tries to convince voters that the Conservatives want to backtrack on LGBTQ and abortion rights. Justin Trudeau's Liberal Party has fired an early salvo against Conservative party leader ... | What were Mr Scheer's views on same sex marriage? | 1,688 | In 2005, about a year after Mr Scheer was elected to parliament, he voted against same-sex marriage. He was one of 133 members, from all parties, who voted against the law, which passed with 158 votes. "There is nothing more important to society than the raising of children, for its very survival requires it. Homosexua... | 0.717919 | 0.81847 | 0.768195 |
449_0 | South Korea and the US have this week launched the world's first commercial 5G services, promising a new wave of capabilities for smartphone users. Samsung said its Galaxy S10 5G device will offer speeds up to 20 times faster than current phones as it began selling the handsets on Friday. Countries are racing to build ... | What will 5G enable? | 1,361 | Initially, 5G will bring higher-quality streaming and the ability to livestream to bigger audiences - a better experience for people watching live sports or cloud gaming. Ovum's Mr Barton said down the track it will enable more augmented reality capabilities, such as better mapping apps and shopping experiences. 5G wil... | 0.762505 | 0.773812 | 0.768158 |
9018_0 | Abortion is now legal across the UK for the first time, after a change in the law in Northern Ireland. So, what are the laws on abortion, how many are carried out and how do they compare with those of other countries? Abortion was decriminalised in Northern Ireland at midnight on Monday 21 October. That's because MPs i... | What is happening to abortion laws in Northern Ireland? | 218 | Abortion was decriminalised in Northern Ireland at midnight on Monday 21 October. That's because MPs in London voted for legislation requiring abortion laws to be changed - unless Northern Ireland's power-sharing executive had been restored by then. The Northern Ireland Assembly was recalled for the first time since it... | 0.756684 | 0.77839 | 0.767537 |
6791_0 | Why does the UK drive on the left? This was just one of the motoring mysteries our readers asked us about. Here are the answers. Gareth Edmunds, 59, from Bristol, said he was curious as his family hosts English language students from all over the world. "As I drive them around I hear them wince as they see an oncoming ... | Why does the UK drive on the left? | 129 | Gareth Edmunds, 59, from Bristol, said he was curious as his family hosts English language students from all over the world. "As I drive them around I hear them wince as they see an oncoming car to our right and think we're going to crash - it's a question that always crops up," he said. "My pet theory is that it's som... | 0.824529 | 0.710095 | 0.767312 |
514_0 | Hillary Clinton was suffering from "walking pneumonia" when she buckled and lost her balance as she left the 9/11 memorial ceremony on Sunday, it has been revealed. Medical professionals were quick to point out that the condition can be remedied quickly. But what is walking - or atypical - pneumonia and how serious a s... | What is 'walking pneumonia'? | 375 | Pneumonia is an infection of one or both lungs and is usually caused by bacteria. As the body attempts to fight the infection, the airways become inflamed and fill up with fluid. The disease is most dangerous among the young and the elderly. Walking pneumonia is a non-medical term used to describe a mild form of pneumo... | 0.726905 | 0.807482 | 0.767193 |
964_0 | The number of measles cases reported worldwide in the first three months of 2019 has quadrupled compared with the same time last year, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). The UN body said provisional data indicated a "a clear trend", with all regions of the world seeing outbreaks. Africa had witnessed the... | Why the sudden 'global measles crisis'? | 1,659 | By James Gallagher, health and science correspondent, BBC News It is one of the most contagious viruses around. However, nothing about measles has changed. It has not mutated to become more infectious or more dangerous. Instead the answers are entirely human. There are two stories here - one of poverty and one of misin... | 0.76394 | 0.76937 | 0.766655 |
737_0 | The death of nine New York police officers this year has left family members, law enforcement and politicians pointing fingers and placing blame. But suicide is a more profound problem, deeply entrenched in police culture. What's behind the epidemic? Speeding down route 1 on a frigid, grey February morning, Dave Betz's... | Why is suicide so high among police? | 6,397 | John Violanti, a 23-year police veteran and professor at University at Buffalo who focuses on police stress and mental health, points to the nature of the job as part of the equation that leads to suicide. "They see abused kids, they see dead bodies, they see horrible traffic accidents. And what that means is that the ... | 0.757218 | 0.775929 | 0.766574 |
3617_0 | Labour leadership hopeful Lisa Nandy has said the principle of universal credit - the major reform to simplify the benefits system - was "the right one", but criticised cuts and a lack of support for claimants. Universal credit was introduced by the Conservative-led coalition government in 2010, but has proved controve... | So what is universal credit? | 353 | Universal credit is a benefit for working-age people, replacing six benefits and merging them into one payment: - income support - income-based jobseeker's allowance - income-related employment and support allowance - housing benefit - child tax credit - working tax credit It was designed to make claiming benefits simp... | 0.748949 | 0.783938 | 0.766443 |
8601_0 | A group of international steel producing countries has called for urgent action to curb overproduction. The call comes days after international talks to find measures to tackle the industry crisis failed. The joint statement comes from the US, Canada, the EU, Japan, Mexico, South Korea, Switzerland and Turkey. Record p... | China's steel industry - what's the problem? | 1,029 | Chinese steel production has expanded hugely. Over the past 25 years, output has grown to more than 12 times the size. By comparison, the EU's output fell by 12% while the US's remained largely flat. The drive behind that stellar increase has been China's double-digit growth over the past decades - but the current slow... | 0.733005 | 0.798337 | 0.765671 |
7553_1 | The number of drug-related deaths in Scotland soared to 1,187 last year, according to official statistics. The figure is 27% higher than the previous year, and the highest since records began in 1996. It means there were more drug-related deaths in Scotland last year than the 1,136 alcohol-specific deaths. And the coun... | Why does Scotland have so many drug deaths? | 1,709 | There are said to be about 60,000 problem drug users in Scotland, which has a population of 5.4 million people. Dr Saket Priyadarshi, of NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde addiction services, told MPs last week that Scotland had a much higher drug death rate than the rest of the UK because it had far more problem users. He ... | 0.805805 | 0.723207 | 0.764506 |
4090_0 | The African Union has launched a new passport. A lot remains unclear about the document but here is what we do know: The idea behind the passport, which was launched this weekend, is for all African citizens to be able to travel throughout the continent without visas. There are two passports - one issued by the African... | What is the African passport? | 117 | The idea behind the passport, which was launched this weekend, is for all African citizens to be able to travel throughout the continent without visas. There are two passports - one issued by the African Union for officials and people who travel a lot on business, and the other by individual countries for everyone else... | 0.737169 | 0.791422 | 0.764295 |
8717_0 | Vociferous protests against a proposal to tax earnings on withdrawals from a popular college savings plan prompted a rapid U-turn by US President Barack Obama's administration. It was a potent demonstration of the power of the middle class lobby in the US, But who are the American middle classes, and why do they feel l... | Who is middle class in the US? | 353 | In the US, the "middle class" is an oft-used but poorly understood category that increasingly seems to be defined by who is not included, rather than who should be. The only people who clearly don't belong in the middle class are the very poor and the very rich. The US has never had a rigid class system. As a result, w... | 0.739344 | 0.789182 | 0.764263 |
1032_0 | BBC presenter Samira Ahmed has successfully taken the broadcaster to court after she was paid less than a male colleague doing similar work. So what exactly is equal pay, and how can you find out if you are not being paid enough? Equal pay is the legal right for men and women to be paid the same for: - Doing the same, ... | What is equal pay? | 230 | Equal pay is the legal right for men and women to be paid the same for: - Doing the same, or similar, jobs - Doing work that has been rated as "equivalent", or in the same grade - Doing work of "equal value", where jobs might be different but require a similar level of skill Pay does not just refer to salaries. It also... | 0.682728 | 0.844716 | 0.763722 |
8045_0 | Shamima Begum is not a Bangladeshi citizen and there is "no question" of her being allowed into the country, Bangladesh's ministry of foreign affairs has said. The UK has stripped the 19-year-old - who fled London to join the Islamic State group - of British citizenship. Such a move is only possible if an individual is... | Is Shamima Begum entitled to Bangladeshi citizenship? | 4,250 | By Clive Coleman, BBC legal correspondent Lawyers have told the BBC that under Bangladesh law, a UK national born to a Bangladeshi parent is automatically a Bangladeshi citizen - a dual national - but the Bangladeshi authorities assert that's not the case for Ms Begum. Under this "blood line" law, Bangladeshi nationali... | 0.772951 | 0.753574 | 0.763263 |
3908_0 | Bombardier's Northern Ireland operations have been sold to Kansas-based Spirit AeroSystems, in a deal worth nearly PS1bn. It follows years of cuts and uncertainty among the firm's workforce in Northern Ireland. BBC News NI looks at the company's background, and what the news could mean. Bombardier, and its predecessors... | How important is Bombardier to the Northern Ireland economy? | 288 | Bombardier, and its predecessors Shorts, have been major employers in Northern Ireland for decades. In 2017, it was estimated that the wages of the company's employees put PS158m into the local economy annually. | 0.70422 | 0.821447 | 0.762833 |
9503_0 | Chatbots are on the rise, but what are they and why is everyone talking about (and to) them? Facebook has just rolled out support for bots on its Messenger platform. Meanwhile, Microsoft has described chatbots as the "new apps" with chief executive Satya Nadella saying that they "unlock conversation as a platform". The... | What is a chatbot? | 497 | A chatbot is a computer software program that is able to communicate with humans, using artificial intelligence. The first of my kind is widely believed to have been invented in the 1960s by Joseph Wiezenbaum at MIT's artificial intelligence laboratory. Eliza was able to process natural language and posed as a therapis... | 0.727365 | 0.797939 | 0.762652 |
7252_0 | Chinese researchers have taken what they say is a major step forward for the development of a new generation of solar cells. Manufacturers have long used silicon to make solar panels because the material was the most efficient at converting sunlight into electricity. But organic photovoltaics, made from carbon and plas... | What are organic solar cells? | 450 | The term organic relates to the fact that carbon-based materials are at the heart of these devices, rather than silicon. The square or rectangular solid solar panels that most of us are familiar with, require fixed installation points usually on roofs or in flat fields. Organic photovoltaics (OPV) can be made of compou... | 0.74115 | 0.78396 | 0.762555 |
3999_0 | An election campaign adviser to Donald Trump has pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI about the timing of meetings with alleged go-betweens for Russia. George Papadopoulos admitted the talks happened while he worked for Mr Trump, not before, court papers show. He said he had been told the Russians possessed "dirt" on Hil... | How does the Papadopoulos case affect Trump? | 642 | It has the potential to damage the US leader because it relates directly to his campaign, analysts say. Mr Papadopoulos - a Chicago-based international energy lawyer - was close enough to then-candidate Trump to be part of a photograph (third from left) of his national security team which Mr Trump tweeted on 1 April 20... | 0.732561 | 0.789992 | 0.761276 |
8655_0 | Drilling companies suggest trillions of cubic feet of shale gas may be recoverable from underneath parts of the UK through a process known as "fracking". Hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, is a technique designed to recover gas and oil from shale rock. Energy firm Cuadrilla has begun fracking in the UK for the first ti... | What is fracking? | 441 | Fracking is the process of drilling down into the earth before a high-pressure water mixture is directed at the rock to release the gas inside. Water, sand and chemicals are injected into the rock at high pressure which allows the gas to flow out to the head of the well. The process can be carried out vertically or, mo... | 0.679682 | 0.842607 | 0.761144 |
4757_0 | Pulling the US out of the world's biggest trade deal - the Trans Pacific Partnership - was always part of President Donald Trump's plans. And already, union chiefs are cheering his move. "The TPP and agreements like it would actually speed up China's growing dominance and give Beijing access to trade benefits without a... | Trumpisms on the TPP: How true are they? | 825 | Before he came to office, and since, President Trump has had plenty to say about the TPP. But how much fact is there in those comments? Let's take a look at a few of them 1)"A great thing for the American worker, we just did" So said President Trump in the Oval office as he signed the memorandum to pull the US out of t... | 0.733915 | 0.787869 | 0.760892 |
10135_0 | President Donald Trump has said he is prepared to be questioned under oath as part of an investigation into alleged Russian meddling in the 2016 US election. He said he was "looking forward" to it, subject to the advice of his lawyers. Investigators are assessing if the Trump campaign colluded with Russia to influence ... | How will Trump's questioning take place? | 1,166 | The president's lawyers have been talking to the investigation team led by justice department special counsel Robert Mueller about an interview, and the form it might take. The questioning could happen face-to-face, in writing, or it could be a combination of both. As to when it might happen, Mr Trump said: "Yesterday ... | 0.748918 | 0.770685 | 0.759802 |
3471_0 | The government has published guidance for healthcare professionals on abortion law in Northern Ireland. The new guidelines cover the period from 22 October to 31 March 2020. They set out what will happen following changes to the law after 21 October, if the NI Executive is not restored. The guidance states that no crim... | What are the current rules on abortion in Northern Ireland? | 4,405 | Northern Ireland's abortion legislation is very different from the law in Great Britain. The 1967 Abortion Act, which was introduced in England, Scotland and Wales, was never extended to Northern Ireland. Currently, a termination is only permitted in Northern Ireland if a woman's life is at risk or if there is a risk o... | 0.746184 | 0.772991 | 0.759587 |
6675_1 | Marine life is facing "irreparable damage" from the millions of tonnes of plastic waste which ends up in the oceans each year, the United Nations has warned. "This is a planetary crisis... we are ruining the ecosystem of the ocean," UN oceans chief Lisa Svensson told the BBC. But how does this happen, where is most at ... | So how much plastic waste ends up in the sea? | 1,689 | It's likely that about 10m tonnes of plastic currently ends up in the oceans each year. In 2010 scientists from the National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis and the University of Georgia in Athens estimated the figure as 8m tonnes, and forecast that to rise to 9.1m tonnes by 2015. The same study, published... | 0.721225 | 0.797441 | 0.759333 |
6097_2 | A giant rhino that may have been the origin of the unicorn myth survived until at least 39,000 years ago - much longer than previously thought. Known as the Siberian unicorn, the animal had a long horn on its nose, and roamed the grasslands of Eurasia. New evidence shows the hefty beast may have eventually died out bec... | What does it tell us about the fate of modern rhinos? | 2,105 | Today there are just five remaining species of rhino. Very few survive outside national parks and reserves due to persistent poaching and habitat loss over many decades. By studying fossilised rhinos, scientists can learn more about the fate of the many prehistoric rhino species that once roamed the planet and how they... | 0.713071 | 0.803879 | 0.758475 |
8871_1 | Shamima Begum - the teenager who fled London to join Islamic State - has said she only has "one citizenship" and it was wrong for the UK to revoke it without speaking to her first. It is only possible to strip someone of their UK nationality if they are eligible for citizenship elsewhere. It is thought Ms Begum has Ban... | Is Shamima Begum entitled to Bangladeshi citizenship? | 3,960 | By Clive Coleman, BBC legal correspondent Lawyers have told the BBC that under Bangladesh law, a UK national like Ms Begum who is born to a Bangladeshi parent is automatically a Bangladeshi citizen. That means that such a person would have dual nationality. The Bangladeshi authorities however assert Ms Begum is not a B... | 0.75352 | 0.760916 | 0.757218 |
5760_0 | Schools and workplaces in Venezuela have closed as an electricity blackout continues into a second day. The power cuts, which started on Thursday afternoon, have been caused by issues at a major hydroelectric plant. The government of President Nicolas Maduro has blamed the opposition, accusing them of sabotage. It come... | Why do blackouts happen in Venezuela? | 2,344 | Blackouts are nothing new in Venezuela. Critics say they have been getting worse since the nationalisation of the power grid in 2007. In 2016, the problem reached such a critical level that the government declared a 60-day nationwide state of emergency. In an attempt to stem the country's chronic power shortages, the g... | 0.735337 | 0.7779 | 0.756618 |
9367_4 | Despite being (possibly) the world's cuddliest creature, the super-sweet koala is also one of the unluckiest animals on the planet. Australia's most famous tree hugger has been ravaged by sexually transmitted disease, attacks from dogs, being hit by cars and habitat loss. Chlamydia has spread fast in koalas, causing in... | Can humans catch chlamydia from koalas? | 4,121 | The most common and deadly strain of chlamydia that affects koalas is different to the one that hits humans. Despite the urban myth that members of One Direction had contracted the illness from the animals during a photo shoot in Australia, there are no documented cases of humans catching chlamydia from the cuddly crit... | 0.681077 | 0.83153 | 0.756303 |
8180_0 | Reports that a firefighting plane crashed during an operation to tackle huge blazes in central Portugal have been denied by the country's civil protection authority. This contradicts earlier reports that a Canadair aircraft went down near the central Pedrogao Grande area. More than 1,000 firefighters on the ground and ... | Why are Portugal's wildfires so deadly? | 930 | Wildfires are an annual menace in Portugal. More broke out there between 1993 and 2013 than in Spain, France, Italy or Greece, the European Environment Agency reported last year, despite the country's relatively small geographical size. Given that, was this year's tragedy preventable? Could Portugal have done anything ... | 0.730378 | 0.780607 | 0.755493 |
1710_0 | The artist Banksy has confirmed that a new graffiti piece that has appeared in south Wales is his. He used his verified Instagram account to announce: "Season's greetings" - with a video of the artwork in Port Talbot. The image appears on two sides of a garage depicting a child enjoying snow falling - the other side re... | Who is Banksy? | 727 | Banksy is a famous - but anonymous - British graffiti artist. He keeps his identity a secret He produces pieces of work which pop up in public places, such as on the walls of buildings. A lot of his art is done in a particular style which people can easily recognise. He began spray-painting trains and walls in his home... | 0.676268 | 0.834136 | 0.755202 |
4958_0 | There have been widely-shared reports on social media and some state-run services that healthcare services in Wuhan - one of China's largest cities - are under strain following the outbreak of coronavirus. Hu Xijin, the editor of state-run newspaper Global Times, said there had been a "failure" to contain the virus, an... | Can healthcare in Wuhan cope? | 677 | The city serves as the main economic hub for the wider province, Hubei, and has the most advanced healthcare facilities in the region. The metropolitan area has seven major hospitals - considered some of the best in China, with Tong Ji Hospital ranked third nationally - treating patients. It has seven more hospitals su... | 0.771308 | 0.738677 | 0.754992 |
7860_0 | India's Supreme Court has ruled that Aadhaar - the world's largest and most controversial biometrics-based identity database - has sufficient legal grounds to exist. But the sole dissenting opinion expressed by one of the five judges holds valuable lessons, argue Ronald Abraham and Elizabeth S Bennett. More than 1.2 bi... | So, is the Aadhaar Act legal? | 601 | India's parliament passed the Aadhaar Act in 2016, seven years after the programme's inception and after more than a billion people had enrolled by giving their fingerprints and retina scans. However, a clause in the Act retroactively legalised all previous executive actions of the government related to Aadhaar. It was... | 0.713856 | 0.794489 | 0.754172 |
7892_0 | Jeremy Corbyn has admitted some of those on lower incomes could pay more tax under a future Labour government. The Labour leader had previously insisted only the richest 5% of taxpayers, those earning about PS80,000 a year or more, would face tax rises. But he was forced to concede a plan to scrap a tax break for marri... | What is the marriage allowance? | 1,180 | The marriage allowance is a tax relief for married couples and civil partners that allows one partner to transfer part of their personal allowance to the other. To benefit as a couple, the lower earner must normally have an income below their personal allowance, which is usually PS12,500. It reduces the couple's tax bi... | 0.68004 | 0.828093 | 0.754067 |
8738_0 | If you're a police officer, your chance of being equipped with a Taser depends on your force. Earlier this week, Northamptonshire Police announced it will be the first force in the country to arm all of its frontline officers with the electric stun guns. Days later it was joined by a second force, Durham Constabulary, ... | What are Tasers? | 629 | Conductive Energy Devices (CEDs) are known by their brand name, Tasers. They fire two small dart-like electrodes before delivering a high-voltage shock to temporarily disable a suspect. This allows officers to deal with violent or potentially violent people at a distance. They were introduced in the UK in 2003 for fire... | 0.769974 | 0.738028 | 0.754001 |
2126_0 | Islamist militant group al-Shabab is battling the UN-backed government in Somalia, and has carried out a string of attacks across the region. The group, which is allied to al-Qaeda, has been pushed out of most of the main towns it once controlled, but it remains a potent threat. Al-Shabab means The Youth in Arabic. It ... | Who are al-Shabab? | 280 | Al-Shabab means The Youth in Arabic. It emerged as the radical youth wing of Somalia's now-defunct Union of Islamic Courts, which controlled Mogadishu in 2006, before being forced out by Ethiopian forces. There are numerous reports of foreign jihadists going to Somalia to help al-Shabab, from neighbouring countries, as... | 0.73806 | 0.769867 | 0.753963 |
1175_1 | South Korea's national airline has used electric stun guns on five passengers during flights, the BBC has learned. Korean Air is believed to be the only major carrier to routinely have the weapons on board. The airline is ramping up training for staff using the guns after criticism for the way it handled a recent in-fl... | Are Tasers safe to use on planes? | 2,913 | There is some risk to using Tasers or other similar stun guns, although this tends to revolve around the harm to those hit by them. In the UK, there have been at least 17 deaths linked to the use of stun guns since they were introduced by police in 2003. And while not ideal to use one on a plane, there is not thought t... | 0.669775 | 0.835415 | 0.752595 |
9844_0 | The man who led an inquiry into the future safety of Britain's banks has said Bank of England plans are not strong enough. Sir John Vickers, who headed up the Independent Commission on Banking (ICB), said: "The Bank of England proposal is less strong than what the ICB recommended." In a BBC interview, he added: "I don'... | Sir John Vickers: How big a safety buffer should banks have? | 3,669 | The financial crash of 2008 exposed the Big Shortage - of bank capital. Some banks that had lent out, say, 40 times their shareholders' capital couldn't absorb their losses when loans went bad. Hence the taxpayer bailouts and further economic damage from bank lending seizing up. The clear lesson is that banks, especial... | 0.7106 | 0.794497 | 0.752549 |
300_0 | The bearded figure being dragged from his home, into a waiting police van, was a far cry from the man who had entered the building seven years previously. Julian Assange - who co-founded website Wikileaks - had sought sanctuary in Ecuador's embassy from extradition to Sweden and, he feared, to the US. Ecuador withdrew ... | Who is Julian Assange? | 485 | Julian Assange was born in Townsville, Australia, in 1971. His parents ran a touring theatre and his childhood was filled with upheaval. He became a father at 18, later becoming entangled in custody battles. He showed an aptitude for computers and was fined several thousand Australian dollars in 1995 after pleading gui... | 0.783929 | 0.721008 | 0.752468 |
4970_0 | After the Duke of Edinburgh was involved in a road crash where he was at the wheel, there was surprise in some quarters that he was still driving at the age of 97. But he's not alone. The number of people over 90 holding a driving licence in Britain has been on the rise - it recently topped 100,000. So should you still... | Are elderly drivers potentially a danger? | 345 | The number of over-70s holding a driving licence exceeded five million for the first time last year, but figures suggest concerns that older drivers pose a danger are unfounded. AA president Edmund King said high profile car crashes involving elderly drivers often spark calls for bans or restrictions - but it is younge... | 0.737575 | 0.766332 | 0.751954 |
748_1 | A pause by Russia in carrying out air strikes on rebel-held eastern Aleppo has brought a brief respite for civilians and fighters under siege in the Syrian city. At least 250,000 people have been trapped there almost continuously since pro-government forces encircled the area in July. Conditions are said to be appallin... | Why haven't people fled east Aleppo? | 1,049 | The main reason why people have not left is that they have become trapped, they told us. "Some people left before the siege. Now no-one can leave," says Mohammed, a 31-year-old phonetics teacher at the university in Aleppo. People have to be careful not to use up their phone batteries because there are only a few hours... | 0.733081 | 0.770565 | 0.751823 |
770_0 | Nine more people have been injured in stabbings in London as the spate of violent crime in the capital continues. Seven people were stabbed in five incidents on Thursday. Two more were injured earlier - a male in his late teens or early 20s, and a 16-year-old boy who were found with stab injuries at the Whitgift Shoppi... | Is it unusual to have so many stabbings in London? | 2,331 | Analysis by Daniel Wainwright, BBC England Data Unit One of the most alarming aspects of the latest stabbings in London is the very short space of time between them. Six of the reported stabbings on Thursday happened within 95 minutes of each other. Over the past two years there have been between eight and 15 "knife cr... | 0.736926 | 0.76665 | 0.751788 |
6304_0 | A Congolese journalist who had been raising awareness about the Ebola virus in the Democratic Republic of Congo has been killed at his home. The army said unidentified attackers raided Papy Mumbere Mahamba's home in Lwebma, in the north-eastern province of Ituri, killing him, wounding his wife and burning their house d... | What is the situation with Ebola in the DRC? | 1,440 | The DRC declared an Ebola epidemic in August 2018. More than 2,000 lives have been lost amid a total of 3,000 confirmed infections, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). The outbreak is affecting the DRC's North Kivu, South Kivu and Ituri provinces. In July, the WHO said the situation there was a "public he... | 0.689631 | 0.813712 | 0.751671 |
2899_7 | After Brexit, the UK wants to boost business trade with Africa, but as a major UK-Africa business summit starts in London, Matthew Davies asks if there really will be new opportunities for the continent. Trade is tricky. Trade agreements are trickier. Trade negotiations to get those agreements are exponentially more co... | Could Brexit effect other aspects of the African economy? | 5,697 | Of course, the Brexit effect goes beyond trade. This may be seen if the UK falls into a recession after Brexit. That would hit places like South Africa hard. The UN calculates that the UK is South Africa's eighth-largest import and export market in global terms. If the UK's economy gets a recessionary cold, South Afric... | 0.759791 | 0.743265 | 0.751528 |
10028_2 | Until late December, 2016 had been a decent year for Toshiba. Then a bombshell. The Japanese industrial giant warned of a big one-off hit at its US nuclear business. At the time we did not know quite how huge that loss would be. But by February it emerged it would be about $6.3bn (PS5.05bn). Toshiba's chairman resigned... | What are the prospects for Toshiba's nuclear business? | 3,709 | Toshiba's nuclear business has not made a profit since 2013. And while the firm has said the huge writedown will be a one-off, nuclear services globally are struggling. Since the Fukushima disaster in 2011, nuclear energy has been a much harder sell. Some governments have opted to scale back how much they planned to re... | 0.756776 | 0.745841 | 0.751309 |
724_0 | A diet of cassava, Irish potatoes and indigenous vegetables helped Uganda's President Yoweri Museveni shed 30kg (4 stone), he told the BBC. "I am always fit but the doctors pointed out the mistakes and then I decided to shed off," Mr Museveni said. The 75-year-old leader said he had not been watching his weight, which ... | How healthy is Museveni's diet? | 1,383 | Philippa Roxby, BBC News health reporter It is hard to assess President Museveni's diet without knowing the quantities involved. However, cutting down on sugar is certainly advised if weight loss is the aim. And going without lunch presumably means that, overall, he is eating less and if there are more locally-grown ve... | 0.736036 | 0.766564 | 0.7513 |
4696_0 | Everyone should consider taking vitamin D supplements in autumn and winter, public health advice for the UK recommends. It comes as a government-commissioned report sets the recommended levels at 10 micrograms of the vitamin a day. But officials are concerned this may not be achievable through diet alone, particularly ... | Why is vitamin D important? | 1,165 | Its main function is to regulate the amount of calcium and phosphate in the body, which are vital for the growth and maintenance of healthy bones, teeth and muscles. In extreme cases, low levels can lead to rickets in children - where the bones become soft and weak and misshapen as they continue to grow. In adults, vit... | 0.750226 | 0.752327 | 0.751277 |
5294_0 | Boris Johnson is the new leader of the Conservative party. He officially becomes prime minister on Wednesday, after Theresa May formally resigns. But what will his new job actually involve? The prime minister is the leader of the government and is appointed by the Queen. Normally, he or she is the leader of the party t... | What does the prime minister do? | 190 | The prime minister is the leader of the government and is appointed by the Queen. Normally, he or she is the leader of the party that wins a general election. It's the prime minister's job to appoint members to the government, known as ministers. Only a small number of MPs actually get these roles. The most senior figu... | 0.691468 | 0.810817 | 0.751143 |
6760_3 | Japan plans to leave the International Whaling Commission (IWC) to resume commercial hunting, media reports say. The government told its MPs of the decision, NHK reports. There has been no official confirmation of the move. Commercial whaling was banned by the IWC in 1986 after some whales were driven almost to extinct... | Hasn't Japan been whaling all along? | 2,895 | Yes, Japan has been hunting whales for the past 30 years but under a scientific programme, granted as an exception under the IWC ban. Critics say the practice is a cover for what actually amounts to commercial whaling. It means that whales can be taken for scientific studies and the meat can later be sold for consumpti... | 0.701665 | 0.799829 | 0.750747 |
3642_1 | US President Donald Trump has urged Nato allies to commit 4% of their annual output (GDP) to military spending - double the current target. The White House confirmed he had made the remarks during the Western military alliance's summit in Brussels. The meeting also saw Mr Trump single out Germany for criticism over its... | Is Trump committed to Nato? | 2,957 | By Jonathan Marcus, BBC defence and diplomatic correspondent So is this mission accomplished at Nato for Donald Trump? Has he achieved his goal of persuading his European allies to spend more on defence? He began the day by calling them "delinquents" and ended it with smiles. The Nato summit communique contained the us... | 0.726043 | 0.775383 | 0.750713 |
3254_0 | Pakistani troops have been using helicopter gunships to try to dislodge a group of bandits from their hideouts in Punjab province. The offensive comes after more than 20 police officers were taken hostage by the gang. They are a gang of bandits operating along a stretch of Indus river in the remote south of Punjab prov... | Who are the Chhotu gang? | 218 | They are a gang of bandits operating along a stretch of Indus river in the remote south of Punjab province. Led by Ghulam Rasool, nicknamed Chhotu, they have been active in the region for more than a decade. The gang's members run into hundreds - more than 300 according to one account. It is one of the more prominent g... | 0.655093 | 0.845289 | 0.750191 |
1856_0 | The Afghan Taliban say they have unleashed "special forces" in an increasingly bloody battle with fighters from the rival, so-called Islamic State (IS) group. The Taliban's dominance and monopoly on insurgency in a region home to numerous local and foreign militant groups is being challenged by IS, which has been gaini... | How many Taliban special forces are fighting Islamic State? | 377 | According to Taliban sources, the special task force, part of the Taliban's special forces command, was set up in early October and has more than 1,000 fighters - better equipped and trained than regular Taliban and with the sole aim of crushing IS. Special ops teams are handpicked for their fighting skills and experie... | 0.746672 | 0.753551 | 0.750112 |
1563_0 | The claim: The Labour MP published a tweet suggesting rising violent crime could be linked to cuts in young people's services. Verdict: Youth services have seen big cuts in their budgets over the past few years. However, it's impossible to make a clear link between that and a rise in violent crime. Youth service spendi... | Is crime rising as youth services are cut? | 1,692 | If we're talking about overall crime and the number of young people entering the criminal justice system, the answer is no. Despite a cut of one-third in youth service spending, overall youth crime is falling and this is part of the trend that's been observed since the mid-90s. In the year 2016-17, there were around 75... | 0.762049 | 0.735032 | 0.74854 |
4324_0 | Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt has announced an independent review into why 450,000 women in England failed to receive invitations for a final routine breast cancer screening between the ages of 68 and 71. So what went wrong with the NHS's screening programme? Breast screening aims to find cancer early by using an X-ray ... | How does breast cancer screening work in England? | 259 | Breast screening aims to find cancer early by using an X-ray called a mammogram that can spot tumours when they're too small to see or feel. Around one-in-eight women in the UK are diagnosed with breast cancer during their lifetime, and if it's detected early treatment is more likely to be successful. As the likelihood... | 0.70347 | 0.793453 | 0.748462 |
9938_0 | Ed Miliband has vowed that a Labour government would give employees on "exploitative" zero-hours contracts the legal right to a regular contract after they have worked 12 weeks of regular hours. A: Zero-hours contracts, or casual contracts, allow employers to hire staff with no guarantee of work. They mean employees wo... | Q: What are zero-hours contracts? | 195 | A: Zero-hours contracts, or casual contracts, allow employers to hire staff with no guarantee of work. They mean employees work only when they are needed by employers, often at short notice. Their pay depends on how many hours they work. Some zero-hours contracts require workers to take the shifts they are offered, whi... | 0.672982 | 0.823877 | 0.74843 |
9162_3 | For a business that now sees itself as being all about wellness and not just shedding pounds, the company formerly known as Weight Watchers looks like it has been on a crash diet. In the second half of its financial year, it dropped 600,000 subscribers. And at the beginning of its peak season - when Christmas overindul... | How should have Weight Watchers changed its brand? | 4,998 | Prof Zhao says: "Although rebranding was necessary for them, they probably shouldn't have acted so fast to change their brand name. "They should have started with a revised brand strategy and updated brand offerings, and then started to made small changes to their brand identity, such as brand logo and tagline. "Corpor... | 0.783486 | 0.713248 | 0.748367 |
6262_0 | The coronavirus outbreak has been labelled a pandemic by the World Health Organization (WHO). It is a term that the organisation had refrained from using before now. WHO chief Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said it was now using the term because of deep concern over "alarming levels of inaction" over the virus. A pandem... | What is a pandemic? | 312 | A pandemic describes an infectious disease where we see significant and ongoing person-to-person spread in multiple countries around the world at the same time. The last time a pandemic occurred was in 2009 with swine flu, which experts think killed hundreds of thousands of people. Pandemics are more likely if a virus ... | 0.737164 | 0.759241 | 0.748202 |
8575_0 | A police union in New York is reportedly cutting back on the number of so-called "get out of jail free" cards given to friends and family. So what are these cards for? The Patrolmen's Benevolent Association (PBA) is reducing how many cards are issued to members, according to the New York Post. A source told the Post th... | What are 'get out of jail free' cards? | 762 | For most, such cards exist only in Monopoly games. And they are popularly known as such because of the game. Police don't like that name though, because it implies holders can evade justice. As well as the PBA, other police unions such as the Detectives' Endowment Association and the Fraternal Order of Police also issu... | 0.800932 | 0.693635 | 0.747284 |
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