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Obama to speak at Fort Hood memorial

FORT HOOD, Texas, Nov. 10 (UPI) -- U.S. President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama travel to Fort Hood, Texas., Tuesday to participate in a memorial service for 13 massacre victims.

Obama was to speak during the memorial service for the 12 soldiers and one civilian who died Thursday during a shooting spree at Fort Hood's Soldier Readiness Center, where soldiers prepare to be deployed, the White House said.

The Obama also were to meet privately with families of the dead and wounded soldiers before the ceremony then visit with wounded soldiers at Darnall Army Medical Center.

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D.C. Sniper to be executed Tuesday

WASHINGTON, Nov. 10 (UPI) -- The man called the D.C. Sniper, who created fear in Washington for weeks in 2002, will be executed Tuesday unless the Virginia governor steps in, officials say.

John A. Muhammad was to be executed by lethal injection Tuesday night unless Virginia Gov. Tim Keane intervenes, The New York Times reported.

The U.S. Supreme Court Monday refused to halt the scheduled execution.

Muhammad, 48, received the death penalty for the shooting death of Dean Meyers, an engineer shot in the head at a gas station in Manassas, Va.

Meyers was one of 10 people who were killed in Virginia, Maryland and Washington during a three-week period in October 2002 by Muhammad and his partner, Lee B. Malvo, a teenager at the time.

Malvo was sentenced to life in prison without parole.

Kaine said he would review Muhammad's request but indicated he wasn't inclined to intervene.

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Ida's rains drenching S.E. coastal U.S.

MIAMI, Nov. 10 (UPI) -- Tropical Storm Ida's rainfall was soaking the U.S. Gulf coastal states early Tuesday as the system neared landfall near Mobile, Ala., forecasters said.

The National Hurricane Center in Miami said at 3 a.m. CST, Ida was about 60 miles south-southwest of Mobile, Ala., moving north at 9 mph. The former hurricane was packing winds of 50 mph with higher gusts that extended outward as far as 175 miles.

A tropical storm warning was in effect from Grand Isle, La., eastward to the Aucilla River in Florida.

Forecasters warned as much as eight inches of rain was possible along the forecast path.

The center also warned coastal communities "a dangerous storm tide will raise water levels by as much as 3 to 5 feet above ground level along the coast near and to the east of where the center makes landfall."

Forecasters said the storm that developed off Nicaragua last Thursday would turn east after reaching land.

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Korean ships trade fire, accuse each other

SEOUL, Nov. 10 (UPI) -- South and North Korean ships exchanged brief but heavy fire Tuesday which the South later described as "accidental" and the North an "armed provocation."

While South Korea suffered no casualties, the North Korean vessel returned home "wrapped in flames" after the clash which occurred in South Korean waters off the west coast, Seoul officials said, Yonhap news agency reported.

The incident comes as U.S. President Barack Obama prepares for his scheduled visits to Seoul and other Asian capitals.

It began shortly after a North Korean patrol boat crossed the Northern Limit Line, the demarcation line between the two sides, Seoul official said, Yonhap reported. The North does not recognize the line.

North Korea, which claimed its boat was returning to port after a routine patrol, called the incident an "armed provocation" by South Korean forces in the waters of "the north side," said a statement from the Supreme Command of the Korean People's Army carried by the state media.

Xinhua, the official news agency of China which is the North's closest friend, reported Pyongyang did not say if there were any casualties on its side but that it demanded an apology from Seoul.

South Korean Rear Adm. Lee Ki-shik told reporters prior to the incident the South Koreans had fired warning shots, Yonhap reported. He said the exchange of fire lasted about two minutes and the South Korean boat took about 15 out of the about 40 shots fired by the North Koreans.

It was not clear how many shots were fired by the South but Lee said: "This is a regrettable incident in which the North directly aimed at the South. We protest sternly."

South Korean Prime Minister Chung Un-chan, while describing the incident as "accidental," told parliament the North Korean boat returned home "wrapped in flames," Yonhap reported.

The North's People's Army was quoted as saying in a statement that a "group of warships of the South Korean forces hastily took to flight."

The two Koreas remain technically in a state of war as the 1950-53 Korean War only ended in a truce.

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Israel, Jordan complete joint drill

JERUSALEM, Nov. 10 (UPI) -- Israeli and Jordanian military forces concluded a joint one-day exercise simulating an earthquake and drilling rescue and emergency procedures, officials said.

The drill was kept under wraps until its conclusion Monday, Yedioth Aharonoth said Tuesday.

The newspaper said it is the first time the Israeli army has published details of the drill even though it is an annual event between the two countries.

The forces from Israel's Home Front Command and their Jordanian counterparts operated side by side in the Beit Shean area rescuing victims of a simulated earthquake zone, and searching underneath rubble, officials said.

An unnamed Israeli army official praised the Jordanian soldiers who worked effectively and efficiently alongside their Israeli counterparts, the newspaper said.

The joint drill took place the same day Jordan's King Abdullah II warned the lack of progress in peace talks between Israel and the Palestinian Authority could plunge the region into an abyss.