1.   He had lived largely on meager rice rations until the last weeks of captivity, when he got some bread and a little meat.

2.   But he receives rice rations good for about one serving a day, plus some beans, some oil, a bit of ground meat.

3.   Diplomats said the North Korean government has cut rice rations by close to one third.

4.   Many families stretch their rice rations by making thin porridge out of it.

5.   North Korea is worried about how it will feed its people after severe flooding forced the government to reduce rice rations nationwide, a Red Cross official said Monday.

6.   The government cut in half the June rice ration for Iraqis, blaming the United States on Thursday for the reduction.

7.   The report added that the five received only a third of the normal rice ration while drinking water was restricted to one liter per day, it added.