14 MAY 2016

Ø  Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar will leave for Oman and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on May 18 on a five-day tour to deepen security and defence cooperation with a region which has traditionally been viewed only as politically important.

Ø  Indian vessel MT Distya Ameya, which was detained by the United Nations for carrying disputed Libyan oil, has been freed after the U.N. lifted its sanctions on the vessel. This follows the intervention of the Indian government and the Directorate-General (DG) of Shipping. The tanker, owned by Mumbai-based Arya Shipping, was blacklisted by the U.N. on April 26 when it sailed from the Al-Herega port in Libya after picking up over 6.5 lakh barrels of oil for Malta. It was charged that the vessel violated the sanctions of the U.N. as the interim Government of Libya is not recognised by the global body.

Ø  The Aguada Central Jail, Goa’s erstwhile prison that stands in a scenic spot overlooking the Arabian sea, is to be transformed into a museum. The Goa Tourism Development Corporation’s (GTDC) will convert the jail into a historical and heritage centre in a Rs. 25.8 crore project. Since May 30, 2015, the prison no longer houses inmates, who were shifted to the new jail at Colvale. GTDC chairman Nilesh Cabral said the Aguada Jail Museum will join the ranks of Dhagshai Jail Museum in Himachal Pradesh and the Cellular Jail Museum in the Andamans. “This jail is very well known not only as a prison but for its history and heritage. We will preserve the heritage structure and showcase Goa’s freedom struggle,” says Mr. Cabral.