General Knowledge and Current Affairs Pack 2016-09-04 00:00

2. 11 former Vanuatu MPs and a lawyer convicted of conspiracy
3. 1MDB: Malaysian minister names PM Najib Razak as key figure in corruption scandal
4. £1 million bill for social workers getting it wrong
5. 1st B'desh vehicle to enter India through land border arrives
6. 2016 G20 Summit
7. 36-year-old Kumar, who was suspended by AAP, will be produced in a court on Monday
8. 50 years ago, a group of 30 Cook Islanders left their home to serve in the New Zealand army.
9. 5 key expectations from Raghuram Rajan's last monetary policy
10. 6 months on, survivors of Cyclone Winston struggle to rebuild
11. A $20 million project that aims to develop forest plantations in the sugarbelt of Viti Levu and also to improve the livelihoods of the sugarbelt communities is underway in Fiji.
12. A 5.9-magnitude earthquake has struck off the southern part of the Philippines, the US Geological Survey (USGS) said Sunday.
13. A 60-year-old songwriter in Fiji says he was punched and slapped by an army officer after sending a drunken, abusive text messages to the Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama.
14. AAP MLA criticises Ashutosh over Sandeep Kumar's sacking
15. Abe in China for G-20 summit, ASEAN meetings ahead in Laos
16. A big finish from Caitlin Bassett makes the difference as Diamonds beat the Silver Ferns in Netball Quad Series final.
17. According to JK Rowling, this is the last Harry Potter story. For each one of us - the biggest fans of Harry Potter - this is devastating
18. According to wealth research firm New World Wealth, after Russia, India is the most unequal country as 54 per cent of its wealth is in the hands of millionaires. Image for representation.
19. A citizens' group in Solomon Islands has launched a constitutional challenge to the plan to offer tax-free salaries to MPs.
20. A company claiming to be one of the biggest fishing for premium tuna in the Pacific has admitted Chinese firms have been breaching their catch quotas for years and says it expects to escape penalty for its actions.
21. A company in Papua New Guinea has apologised for a poorly-worded employment advertisement.
22. A couple of years ago ABC Newcastle's Ben Millington went on quite an adventure - travelling to an island called Kairuru, near the town of Wewak in Papua New Guinea.
23. A court today has dismissed Fiji Labour Leader Mahendra Chaurdhry's appeal making him inelibile to contest the September elections.
24. Activities across Asia-Pacific to search for energy resources have nearly ground to a halt in the past year
25. Actress Amy Jackson, who has rejoined the sets of superstar Rajinikanth's Tamil science-fiction action drama "2.o" after a brief hiatus, will be shooting for some action sequences from Monday here.
26. Actress Isha Koppikar, known for working in films such as "Company", "Kaante" and "Shabri", will reportedly be seen playing the role of a police officer in a yet-untitled Telugu film.
27. A database on small scale natural disaster in Papua New Guinea will help with future disaster relief operations.
28. Adding to the remembrance of former prime minister Gough Whitlam here in Australia, he is also being praised in Papua New Guinea.
29. A defence team which got rid of more than 12-thousand unexploded bombs in Solomon Islands last year is about to go to work in Bougainville.
30. Adelaide driver caught using metal pan instead of steering wheel
31. Advantage PNG Hunters ahead of finals re-match against the Falcons
32. Advocates for media freedom say they're concerned about reports that the editor of Radio Kiribati has been sacked over a controversial story that embarrassed the government.
33. A fact-finding delegation of British MPs are in Norfolk Island to investigate the way Australia has cancelled the island's self-governing status.
34. Afghanistan in mid-2016 presents a bleak security picture with the country once again being subjected to series of suicide bombings in Kabul and Taliban again becoming active against the State as part of Pakistan Army’s ISI- directed proxy war against Afghanistan. Indi a has legitimate...
35. Afghanistan: The Imperatives of Military Capacity Building by India
36. A Fiji opposition MP has made a radical suggestion to reduce economic inequality between the indigenous i-Taukei and other communities.
37. After Cyclone Pam battered Vanuatu last year, the development program for rugby league in the country was knocked completely off course.
38. After many years of promoting itself as a safe and top-rate destination in the competitive Pacific holiday market, Samoa is finally seeing its tourism numbers increasing.
39. After Russia, India most 'unequal' country globally
40. After Russia snatched the Black Sea peninsula of Crimea from Kiev the new authorities installed by Moscow set about taking over one of Ukraine's largest banks as well as shipyards and hotels.
41. After slamming Florida, hurricane Hermine threatens East Coast
42. Ageing trees, lack of plantation maintenance and crumbling infrastructure are all reducing Papua New Guinea's coffee harvest and undermining the industry's future in the nation.
43. a graveyard for Indian forces&quot
44. Ahead of G20 summit, PM Modi meets Xi Jinping
45. Aiming to bring peace in Jammu and Kashmir, an all party delegation led by Home Minister Rajnath Singh was today in Srinagar for a two-day visit to the state during which it is expected to interact with a cross section of people.
46. Air of uncertainty in American Samoa elections could play into hands of incumbent
47. Al Jazeera has joined Radio New Zealand in denying claims by a Fiji government official that it issued an apology and retraction for racist, unbalanced and inaccurate reporting during Fiji's recent elections.
48. All-party delegation holds talks with Jammu Kashmir chief minister Mehbooba Mufti and other delegations in Srinagar as part of govt's Kashmir outreach efforts; ...
49. Almost 20 years after her death from cancer, Marshall Islands most famous anti-nuclear campaigner, Darlene Keju, is to be honoured by Taiwan.
50. Almost 30 years after New Zealand introduced controversial anti-nuclear laws, straining its relationship with the US, warships from the world power will visit the tiny nation under its terms.
51. A logging company majority-owned by Solomon Islands' forestry minister is facing a legal challenge from landowners keen to protect the cloud forest on Kolombangara Island in the country's Western Province.
52. A long-term investment in a company is a vote of faith in the promoter
53. A magnitude-6.7 earthquake strikes off Papua New Guinea, but no Pacific-wide tsunami warning is issued.
54. A Malaysian cabinet minister admits that Prime Minister Najib Razak was the mysterious unnamed official who the US Justice Department said looted state funds.
55. A member of the Student Representative Council at the University of PNG says students want the top rung of the university's administration replaced before they go back to class.
56. Americans take to the polls today to cast ballots for the US midterm elections with Guam, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands and American Samoa all voting for representatives for the US House of Representatives.
57. Amid rumblings in RSS's Goa unit following the ouster of its chief Subhash Velingkar, Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar has arrived in the state and is likely to meet Chief Minister Laxmikant Parsekar today.
58. Amnesty International is concerned about the fate of gay asylum seekers being held at the Australian government's detention centre on Manus Island, if they are to be resettled in Papua New Guinea.
59. A multi-national defence team charged with clearing explosive remnants from World War II will begin work in Bougainville tomorrow.
60. An accord between scientists and oil drillers in Russia has allowed critically endangered western grey whales to bounce back, boosting their numbers by about half since 2004, experts at a global conservation meeting say.
61. An alleged gang member opened fire while he was visiting a county jail in California, leaving two veteran correctional officers critically wounded, authorities said.
62. An all-party delegation headed by Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh arrived here on Sunday on a two-day visit to the Kashmir Valley.
63. An all-party delegation, led by Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh, on Sunday arrived in Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir.Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti yesterday invited Hurriyat leaders for talks with the all-party delegation. This came ...
64. A nationalist, anti-immigration party looks set to perform strongly Sunday in a state election in the eastern German region where Chancellor Angela Merkel has her political base.
65. A new way of distributing business tax revenue caused a surge in the central governments’ revenue.
66. A New Zealand Pacific Island MP is urging the ruling National Party to allow its MPs a conscience vote on a bill which would legalise businesses opening at Easter, Christmas and ANZAC Day.
67. An international team of scientists is going to study an undersea plateau north of Solomon Islands for clues about the earth's early geology, and also help estimate the risk from tsunamis.
68. A Niuean community leader in New Zealand is sceptical about a Niue government scheme to boost the island's population, with the parents of newborns being offered $US1,500 to help with the first months of life.
69. Ankara had threatened to walk away from an EU migrant deal should it not get more relaxed travel rules in October, but Turkey's EU Affairs Minister downplayed that prospect after meeting with EU officials.
70. Announcement of Australian diplomatic mission in Bougainville draws fire
71. A no confidence motion against Tonga's Prime Minister, Akilisi Pohiva has failed to materialise in Parliament.
72. Another of the Oceania Institute's lifters in Rio is Solomon Islands, Jenly Wini, and while she has failed in her quest for personal best, she still managed to finish one place higher on the rankings than in London four years ago.
73. Anti-nuclear campaigners welcome Juppé's words but doubt further action
74. An upsurge in attacks against suspected witches in PNG's Enga Province is prompting extra efforts to form an anti sorcery violence committee in the province.
75. A Pacific academic is calling on Australia and New Zealand to allow Pacific athletes to train in their countries as part of an overall trade deal.
76. April 25th is ANZAC Day in Australia and New Zealand, when both nations remember the World War One landing at Gallipoli, and those who died in all the wars both nations have fought.
77. A prominent New Zealand Maori leader, Sir Ngatata Love has been found guilty of defrauding the iwi, or tribal organisation, he once led.
78. A proposed change of government policy in Papua New Guinea is causing some rumblings in Australia's rice industry.
79. A protest of a four-state, USD 3.8 billion oil pipeline turned violent after tribal officials said construction crews destroyed American Indian burial and cultural sites on private land in southern North Dakota.
80. A recent High Court verdict directing the central revenue authorities to refund service tax collected from three travel portals including MakeMyTrip may be challenged in Supreme Court by the government.
81. A reconciliation ceremony is being organised for University of Papua New Guinea students, their families and the University Administration on Friday prior to the resumption of classes in an effort to sort out some of their differences and start the shorter school year in a peaceful mode.
82. Are Enhanced Sanctions Against Russia Aimed at ‘Regime Change in Moscow’?
83. A refugee on Nauru has says he and other refugees and asylum seekers have been cheated and discriminated against by the Australian government.
84. A remote village on Vanuatu's Maewo island now has high-speed Internet after the launch of the country's first telemedicine system.
85. A renewed push is on in Fiji for the government to allow domestic observers to monitor the 2018 elections.
86. As Australia's new parliament prepares to get down to business, one senator with a strong connection to Fiji is being hailed as a poster-child for grassroots democracy.
87. A series of strange and wonderful bras are on show at a lingerie store in Rarotonga to raise money for breast cancer research.
88. As expected large parts of Fiji have come to a standstill to mark the return of the victorious rugby sevens squad from Rio where they won their country's first ever Olympic gold medal.
89. Asian Development Bank President visiting Palau for the first time
90. Asia's outbound M&A deal tally surpasses 2015 record
91. Asia's outbound merger and acquisitions deal value has crossed USD 200 billion mark this year so far, overtaking the total value of transactions in whole 2015.
92. A small-scale revolution designed to produce more local news and sports coverage in regional Australia is underway, but slow, expensive internet could prove a hurdle.
93. As sports fans in Fiji brace themselves for the Rio Olympics and what they hope will be the ultimate prize of a rugby sevens gold medal, the nation's hockey teams' hopes of competing on the international stage hang in the balance.
94. As the debate continues in the United States over boots on the ground in Iraq and Syria, there's a fair chance that when and if more American troops are deployed, a disproportionate number will be from the US territory of Guam.
95. As to what next is high on the agenda for the 62-year-old Singh, he has preferred to keep close to his chest
96. A study on conservation, breeding and management of brow antlered deer in captivity is being undertaken at the Delhi zoo, which is home to the maximum number of the animal among zoological parks in the country.
97. A survey of young Solomon Islanders has revealed alarming rates of acceptance when it comes to gender-based violence, risky sexual behaviour and harmful alcohol use.
98. A team of paediatric heart surgeons visiting from India are performing much-needed procedures for some of Fiji's poorest children.
99. A team of researchers at the University of the South Pacific (USP) is up for a prestigious international award for their work on low-carbon shipping.
100. At least 11 people die after a strong typhoon slams into north-eastern Japan, dumping heavy rain and generating high waves that have caused flooding along the Pacific coast.
101. At least 34 persons were killed and 21 others injured on Sunday after a bus collided with a truck in Afghanistan's Zabul province, police said.
102. At least 35 people were killed early today when a passenger bus struck a fuel tanker in a head-on collision in the southern province of Zabul, officials said.
103. At least 38 people are killed when a passenger bus strikes a fuel tanker in a head-on collision in the southern province of Zabul, officials say.
104. At least 50 persons were injured on Sunday morning as clashes erupted after an unruly mob torched the district magistrate's (DM) office in south Kashmir's Shopian district.
105. A Tongan Olympic athlete has strongly criticised an American journalist for writing an article which potentially exposed athletes as gay.
106. At South Sudan sites for displaced, UN Security Council hears 'desperate appeals' for regional protection force
107. A tsunami warning issued following a powerful magnitude-7.1 earthquake that struck before dawn off the east coast of New Zealand's North Island is cancelled, authorities say.
108. At the end of December 2015, 69, 659 cases were pending with 33 DRTs
109. At the end of last month, Papua New Guinea's Central Bank released its six monthly monetary policy statement, and while it contained some good news, after studying it more carefully, some economists are concerned that the devil is in the detail.
110. At the Olympic Women's Rugby Sevens tournament, Fijiana's run has come to an end at the quarter final stage, where they were beaten 26-7 by Great Britain.
111. At this Jamshedpur cafeteria, differently-abled champs make every cup special
112. Aurobindo Pharma plans to launch 19 drugs in US in next 3 quarters
113. A US library has decided to enforce jail sentences for overdue books in a bid to recover about USD 200,000...
114. A US library has decided to enforce jail sentences for overdue books in a bid to recover about USD 200,000 worth of missing materials, a step that could land many forgetful people in hot water.
115. Australia's immigration policies have been criticised at the United Nations Committee Against Torture hearings in Geneva.
116. Australia and Fiji relations thaw
117. Australia beats New Zealand 60-55 in Quad Series final in Melbourne
118. Australia is just hours away from learning whether UNESCO's World Heritage Committee intends to list the Great Barrier Reef on the 'in danger' list.
119. Australia is preparing a foreign policy white paper - the first in some 13 years.
120. Australia is submitting Tanna, a film made on Vanuatu, as its official entry for best foreign-language film at the 2017 Academy Awards.
121. Australian Fijians at fever pitch awaiting the Rugby Sevens Olympic final
122. Australian food producers are taking their best produce to Vietnam for 
123. Australian Olympian Trevor Vincent, who has helped mentor Solomon Islands athletes Sharon Firisua and Rosi Siosi, has hailed their performances in Rio as heroic.
124. Australian Police investigate Nauru bribery allegations
125. Australian producers express concern about moves in New Zealand to trademark the word Manuka, which could limit Australian exports of the product.
126. Australia preparing foreign policy white paper
127. Australia's Frontier Resources teams up with Gold Ridge landowners for mine restart
128. Australia's immigration policies criticised at UN torture hearings
129. Australia's new Assistant Minister for Trade, Tourism and Investment, Keith Pitt, says there is tremendous potential for growth in trade between Papua New Guinea and Australia.
130. Australia's new Assistant Trade Minister visits PNG
131. Australia takes Olympic gold from NZ in women's rugby sevens
132. Australia wins women's rugby sevens gold, as Fijiana slide to eighth
133. Authorities of the midwestern US state of Oklahoma decided to close dozens of wastewater disposal wells used for fracking activities, local media reported.
134. Authorities probe search engines for alleged illegal commercial promotion
135. Away from his larger-than-life screen persona, Rajinikanth is grounded in reality
136. a week-long celebration of Australia's food and beverage products. 
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138. Back to school for Unitech students
139. Bali police say an Australian woman and a British man accused of murdering a local police officer could be brought together in the days ahead and confronted with their accounts of what unfolded on the morning of the death.
140. Baloch Republican Party activists hold seminar against Pak-China corridor - ANI...
141. Bangladesh's first vehicle to enter India through land border will arrive in Delhi on Monday
142. Bangladesh-Bhutan-India-Nepal Motor Vehicles Agreement, allows vehicles to enter each other's territory and does away with trans-shipment of goods from one country's truck to another at the border.
143. Bangladesh's fundamentalist Jamaat-e- Islami leader and media tycoon Mir Quasem Ali was buried in the wee hours today in his ancestral village in Manikganj after a funeral prayer following his execution last night.
144. Bangladesh's fundamentalist Jamaat-e-Islami leader and media tycoon Mir Quasem Ali was hanged last night.
145. Ban Ki-moon said that climate change scepticism is over, the day after the United States joined China to ratify the Paris agreement to curb climate-warming emissions.
146. Banking sector reports healthy green credit growth
147. Barack Obama says Britain was wrong to vote to leave the EU at G20 summit
148. Battle over Norfolk Island legal dope plan
149. B'desh hangs Jamaat-e-Islami stalwart Mir Quasem Ali fo...
150. B'desh media tycoon buried after hanging for war crimes
151. Before the arrival of Cyclone Pam, Edge Vanuatu was a highly popular tourist attraction, offering visitors the chance to abseil alongside the famous Mele Cascade on the main island of Efate.
152. Beijing is to tighten control of industries that impact on air quality, the municipal bureau of quality supervision said on Sunday.
153. Beverley O'Connor speaks to Indian feminist and publisher Urvashi Butalia as figures show nearly 35,000 cases of rape were reported across India last year.
154. Beverley O'Connor speaks to the University of New South Wales' Professor Greg Austin about an ABC investigation that has uncovered evidence that China-based hackers were responsible for recent security breaches in Australia.
155. Bhavin and Divyank Turakhia remain as committed as ever to incubating start-ups despite selling their firm for $900 mn
156. BJP MP Kirron Kher leads the actor-turned-MPs in attending Parliament sessions, while Rekha has finished last.
157. BJP rallies behind journalists in Bihar, asks CM to take cognizance
158. Bollywood actor 'rape comments' have created a furore with many asking for an apology from him
159. Bollywood Celebs That Are Not Indian
160. Book remembers Cook Islanders who served in NZ army
161. Both leaders discussed on the thorniest issues in the relationship between the world's two largest economies
162. Both sides in the controversy over the possible arrest of PNG Prime Minister Peter O'Neill on corruption charges are claiming victory in the latest court case.
163. Both sides on PNG PM arrest case claim legal victory
164. Bougainville's President John Momis has been applauded by the Red Cross for his government's policy on those still missing after the Bougainville Crisis.
165. Bougainville President Momis: Peace endangered by landowner and PNG share deal
166. Bougainville's Mining Minister says moves by PNG Prime Minister Peter O' Neill to donate shares in the Panguna copper mine to landowners is designed to weaken the island's campaign for independence.
167. Bowl projections: Playoff picture gets shaken up by Alabama and Houston
168. Brazilian President Michel Temer, who is in China\A1\AFs Hangzhou for the G20 summit, took some time off his busy schedule to do some shopping in the downtown area on Saturday. Shoppers were surprised to spot Temer trying on new shoes at a shopping mall. He even posed for a photo with the shop assistant who helped him with the shoes.
169. Brazil's new president goes shopping in China's Hangzhou
170. BRICS an "influential voice" in international discourse: Modi
171. BRICS should shape international agenda: Modi
172. Britain PM warns of “difficult times” ahead; rules out snap elections before 2020
173. British MPs to investigate Australian takeover of Norfolk Island
174. British PM Theresa May arrives in China for her G20 summit debut
175. British researchers have discovered that it is now possible for machines to learn how natural or artificial systems work by simply observing them, without being told what to look for.
176. Broncos sign third-string quarterback Austin Davis
177. Budget review draws calls for defining Australian aid vs development cooperation
178. CAG detects huge drain of public money in purchase of cows in