• Indian police get jungle warfare training
    Published: May 16, 2008 at 10:16 PM
    NEW DELHI, May 16 (UPI) -- India has asked its state governments to provide jungle warfare training to its police personnel to counter Maoist insurgents.
  • DHS announces IPA grants
    Published: May 16, 2008 at 10:13 PM
    WASHINGTON, May 16 (UPI) -- Grants to aid cities in the event of terrorist attacks or natural disasters were announced Friday by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
  • Record year against organized crime
    Published: May 16, 2008 at 10:12 PM
    LONDON, May 16 (UPI) -- British officials say 2007-2008 was a record year in the war on drugs, according to an annual report by the Serious Organized Crime Agency.
  • Iraq Press Roundup
    Published: May 16, 2008 at 9:16 PM
    By HIBA DAWOOD
    UPI Correspondent
    The daily Al Sabaah newspaper said Friday in its editorial that observers of the political process in Iraq today cannot illustrate it or acknowledge its aims or intentions, which turns the process of analyzing it into something close to a guessing game.
  • German industry targeted by Russian spies
    Published: May 16, 2008 at 8:56 PM
    By STEFAN NICOLA
    UPI Germany Correspondent
    BERLIN, May 16 (UPI) -- The German government has accused foreign intelligence services -- blaming mainly Russian agents -- of having spied on German companies.
  • Feature: U.S. cites attacks despite truce
    Published: May 16, 2008 at 2:34 PM
    By RICHARD TOMKINS
    BAGHDAD, May 13 (UPI) -- A new cease-fire has been declared between the Iraqi government and Shiite gunmen of radical cleric Moqtada Sadr, but U.S. and Iraqi forces say their troops are still coming under attack in Sadr City.
  • Dogs of War: Blackwater, Najaf -- Take Two
    Published: May 16, 2008 at 10:28 AM
    By DAVID ISENBERG
    WASHINGTON, May 16 (UPI) -- One aspect of private military and security contractors that is relatively ignored is their relationship with regular military forces. Such discussion, as there is, is generally limited to sound bites about the reported envy that soldiers have for allegedly better paid security contractors.
  • Analysis: Indian agencies start blame game
    Published: May 15, 2008 at 8:36 PM
    By KUSHAL JEENA
    UPI Correspondent
    NEW DELHI, May 15 (UPI) -- India's intelligence and security agencies are indulging in a blame game over a recent foiled infiltration bid by militants on the Pakistani border, with one agency accusing the paramilitary forces guarding the border of lacking alertness.
  • Iraq press roundup
    Published: May 15, 2008 at 7:20 PM
    By HIBA DAWOOD
    UPI Correspondent
    The daily Al Mashriq newspaper had an editorial Thursday titled "Last lines for the chaotic months" that said although Iraq has been in a war for five years, the government in the last few weeks has been chaotically carrying out quick military operations and offensives in many cities and areas around the country.

Iraqi fish industry boosted by microgrants


Published: May 8, 2008 at 2:51 PM
BAGHDAD, May 8 (UPI) -- U.S. reconstruction officials said microgrants supplied to the Iraqi fish industry generate enough momentum to restart the struggling sector.

U.S. provincial reconstruction teams visited a fish farm near Salman Pak south of the Iraqi capital of Baghdad. Reconstruction officials awarded a $2,500 microgrant to an area farm to increase production and generate business growth, the U.S. Embassy in Iraq said in a release.

Conflict destroyed much the infrastructure on the farms, and the microgrants provided enough revenue to repair water pumps and restock protein feed supplies.

Most of the farms in the region lack production capacity beyond basic sustenance levels, but the grants put yield forecasts over 3,000 pounds for the first year's harvest.

The microgrant program worked through a collaboration between U.S. reconstruction officials and the local agricultural union that targets aid to the most promising ventures.

The Iraqi agricultural union allocated microgrants backed by U.S. funds to 19 fish farms in the area, the embassy said.

"The process was there for an Iraqi to help another Iraqi. It's boosting his confidence in his government if he can get something done with his local union," said military adviser Capt. Christopher Flores.


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