JAPANESE FOOD ASSISTANCE Kathmandu, 12 Dec.: : The Government of Japan has provided 19,021 metric tonnes of rice in grant through Nepal Food Corporation (NFC) at a programme organised here today [Wednesday], RSS reports,. Deputy Chief of Mission at Japanese Embassy, Shuichi Sakakibara, handed over the support to Secretary at the Ministry of Commerce and Supplies, Lalmani Joshi. The rice provided in grant was of Rs. 8.88 million, it is learnt. On the occasion, Sakakibara expressed the confidence that the assistance provided by Japan will help overcome the food deficit situation facing Nepal and will contribute to current difficulties. Similarly, Secretary Joshi, said that there is diplomatic relations between Nepal and Japan since 1956 and expressed the confidence that the assistance provided by Japan in economic development will further strengthen the bilateral relations of the two countries. General Manager at NFC, Harinarayan Saha, said that out of the total rice received as grant, 45 per cent will be distributed in Birgunj, 25 per cent in Nepalgunj and 15 per cent in Surkhet and Kathmandu each. Chairman of NFC Board Committee, Ananda Bahadur Chand, said that people of remote districts will be benefited from the assistance. Japan has been providing food assistance to Nepal since 1970 Nnnn NEW SPECIES BIRD SPOTTED IN CHITWAN Kathmandu, 12 Dec. The most extinct bird species ´Fuchche Rani Chari´ has been found for the first time in Chitwan, RSS reports from Ratnanagar.. One pair of these birds was found in Chitwan, said convenor of the Nepal Bird Experts´ Association, Central Region, Basu Bidari. It was seen at Gaida Lodge premises in Sauraha of Chitwan, and was first in Chitwan and second in whole of Nepal, he said. Earlier, this bird was found in Koshi region in eastern Nepal. The bird was spotted by a team led by bird expert Tika Giri this week. Nnnn UML MEET ADJOURNED UPDATE Kathmandu, 12 Dec, In the midst of its central committee meet Wednesday, further meetings were adjourned until 23 December. The opposition party was discussing a political report of Chairman Jhalanath Khanal.Wednesday. Youth leader Yugesh Bhattarai said the committee members were busy d discussing forging consensus for a new prime minister with other parties and party convention in districts, CC member Yogesh Bhattarai said. nnnn 75,000 BHUTANESE FROM EAST NEPAL RESETTLED MAINLY IN USA Kathmandu, 12 Dec.; Altogether 75,000 Bhutanese refugees of Nepali ethnicity Have been resettled mainly in United Statess, according to figures releasesd Wednesday by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) Yagandra Kami is the 75,000th refugee to be resettled in a programme thatwas launched November 2007. "Today we celebrate this turning point and look back the long way we have come from number one,” said Maurizio Busatti, Chief of Mission of the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) in Nepal. “Our efforts will continue unabated to prepare the last refugee to settle into his/her new life. IOM is committed to nurturing the team spirit and the model partnership that has marked this program from the start and is at the basis of today’s result,” Busatti said. More than 63,400 of the refugees have begun new lives in the United States, said UNCHR and IOM in a joint statement. Mainly western countries have accepted refugees--Australia (3,837), Canada (5,296), Denmark (724), New Zealand (710), the Netherlands (326), Norway (546), and the United Kingdom (257). The refugees were resettled from seven camps in Jhapa and Morang. They were forcibly evicted from the Buddhist state on the southern lap of the Hmalaya in an ethnic cleansing drive. nnnn