11.   South Korea suspended further rice shipments.

12.   South Korea welcomed the release, although Unification Ministry spokesman Kim Kyong-woong said it was unrelated to resuming rice shipments.

13.   South Korea on Saturday urged Japan to delay planned rice shipments to North Korea until after the communist state discusses food aid from its southern capitalist rival.

14.   South Korea has asked Japan to hold back rice shipment until the North accepts food aid from Seoul.

15.   South Korea wants to send a rice shipment to the North, but says it has to negotiate the handover.

16.   The contact does not mean an immediate rice shipment to the North, South Korean officials said.

17.   The Guyana Rice Development Board confirmed Monday it had received a request from authorities to prepare for a rice shipment to Montserrat by as early as next week.

18.   The North called off a new round of talks, which was to have started in Beijing last Thursday to discuss further rice shipments.

19.   Vietnamese leaders have waged a high-profile publicity campaign against rice shipments to China, where the grain fetches higher prices than in Vietnam.

20.   Hughes said he could smuggle the weapons out of the country of origin in a rice shipment and would suggest the arms come from Thailand, the court heard.