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http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servl...rnational/home

Western officials say there are signs that North Korea's unpredictable dictator may be gravely ill, after the man North Koreans call the "Dear Leader" apparently failed to show up at an important national celebration Tuesday.

Kim Jong Il's incapacity would have serious implications for the international effort to get North Korea to abandon nuclear weapons.

"There is reason to believe Kim Jong Il has suffered a serious health set back, possibly a stroke," a Western intelligence official said, speaking on condition of anonymity.