S. Korea on high alert after island attack
SEOUL, Nov. 23 (UPI) -- South Korea's military was on its highest non-wartime alert Tuesday after North Korea fired on Yeonpyeong Island, killing two marines, officials in Seoul said.
South Korea forces went to "crisis status" returning fire, lobbing more than 100 shells toward North Korean positions and scrambling fighter jets to the island, where the shelling injured at least 15 military personnel and 3 civilians, as well as set fire to homes on the island, The New York Times reported.
About 1,600 island residents were evacuated to shelters.
South Korean President Lee Mying-bak huddled with top government ministers Tuesday and ordered attacks on North Korea's missile base if the North made any "indication of further provocation," The Korea Herald reported.
"This firing of coastline artillery by North Korea is clearly an intentional and premeditated attack that violates the Korean War armistice agreement," said Lt. Gen. Lee Hong-ki of the South's Joint Chiefs of Staff. "Currently, our military is focusing on deterring further provocation from the North and managing the situation stably. But if North Korea stages further provocation, we will act sternly against it."
North Korea's attack on Yeonpyeong Island, located just south of the countries' disputed border in the Yellow Sea, came amid new tensions over Pyongyang's claim of having a new uranium enrichment facility and several months after a leadership transition in North Korea became known with the introduction of Kim Jong Un, the youngest son of the country's leader Kim Jong Il.
Some observers said they see the attack as a political strategy to consolidate power around the younger Kim for when he eventually assumes leadership of the reclusive and impoverished country, the Yonhap News Agency said.
Hours after the attack, North Korea's Supreme Command of the Korean People's Army accused Seoul of initiating the firing and threatened "merciless military attacks" if South Korea violates its waters. The attack occurred as 70,000 South Korean troops were starting an annual nationwide military drill.
"Should the South Korean puppet group dare intrude into the territorial waters of (Democratic People's Republic of Korea, North Korea's official name) … the revolutionary armed forces of the DPRK will unhesitatingly continue taking merciless military counter-actions against it," North Korean leaders said through the state-run Korean Central News Agency.
South Korean President Lee Myung-bak ordered the military to be ready with "multiple-fold retaliation" against Pyongyang, saying North Korea's missile base would be struck if there were indications of another attack, Yonhap said.
"We will not in any way tolerate this," Lee's chief spokesman, Hong Sang-pyo, said after the president met with security advisers.
In a statement, the United States condemned the attack and restated its commitment to South Korea.
"The United States strongly condemns this attack and calls on North Korea to halt its belligerent action and to fully abide by the terms of the Armistice Agreement," the statement read. "The United States is firmly committed to the defense of our ally, the Republic of Korea, and to the maintenance of regional peace and stability."
Chinese officials expressed concern about the situation and urged both sides to resume the so-called six-party negotiations on North Korea's denuclearization.
"We hope the relevant the parties will do more (to contribute) to the peace and stability of the Korean peninsula," Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei said.
A Russian Foreign Ministry official urged calm, telling Interfax, "It is important that this not escalate tensions on the Korean peninsula."
Poll: Congress should focus on taxes
PRINCETON, N.J., Nov. 23 (UPI) -- Most U.S. voters say extending tax cuts and addressing the estate tax issue are the key priorities for the lame-duck Congress, Gallup reported Tuesday.
Legislation to prevent the estate tax from increasing next year was considered somewhat to very important for 82 percent of respondents, results indicated.
Close behind at 81 percent was extending some form of the tax cuts passed during George W. Bush's presidency, the Gallup-USA Today poll indicated.
With 76 percent of participants saying the matter was somewhat or very important, extending unemployment for long-term unemployed was third.
Interest in the tax issues could be high because they would change significantly in 2011 if Congress fails to act by the end of this year, the Princeton, N.J., polling agency said.
Most in Congress seem to support at least a temporary extension of the income tax rates, although they disagree about whether extensions should apply to upper-income Americans as well as the middle-income Americans. An estate tax suspension will expire this year and the tax will go back into effect in 2011 at a higher rate than previously unless Congress votes otherwise.
Gallup said results indicated Americans were slightly less enthusiastic about repealing the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy that bars openly gay men and women from serving in the U.S. military, at 56 percent; passing immigration legislation that would provide a pathway to citizenship for illegal immigrants brought to the United States as children, at 60 percent; and ratification of the new nuclear arms reduction treaty between the United States and Russia, at 77 percent.
Results are based on nationwide telephone interviews with 1,037 adults conducted Saturday and Sunday. The margin of error is 4 percentage points.
Terror-alert campaign expands in N.J.
TRENTON, N.J., Nov. 23 (UPI) -- U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano kicked off an expansion of a terror alert campaign just before the holiday travel season begins.
Appearing at a Trenton, N.J., train station with U.S. Sen. Frank Lautenberg and law enforcement officials Monday, Napolitano announced the expansion of the "If You See Something, Say Something" ad campaign across the Garden State, The (Trenton) Times reported Tuesday.
"As we head into this year's busy holiday traveling season, we're talking about the role each individual can play to keep us safe and secure," she said.
The "If You See Something, Say Something" campaign began in New York but the Department of Homeland Security began expanding it nationwide since summer, The Times said.
The broadened New Jersey promotion will include more postings in the state's train and bus stations, materials in movie theaters and gas stations, and advertising on local radio stations, Napolitano said.
"The threat is as real as ever," Lautenberg said. "We have to roll up our sleeves, do what it takes, before a terrorist threat becomes a reality."
Twenty seek to replace Chicago mayor
CHICAGO, Nov. 23 (UPI) -- Chicago election officials said the number of candidates seeking to succeed Mayor Richard M. Daley is the largest in more than 50 years.
Nominating petitions for 20 candidates, each with a minimum of 12,500 signatures, have been turned in to the Chicago Board of Elections, the Chicago Tribune reported Tuesday.
Among the 20 seeking to lead Chicago is former interim U.S. Sen. Roland Burris whose candidate petitions were filed by a group of supporters just ahead of Monday's deadline.
Burris, was appointed by former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich to fill the vacant U.S. Senate seat of President Barack Obama. It is unclear whether he will actually respond to the draft movement.
If he does, he will face a field of candidates next February that includes former White House chief of staff Rahm Emanuel.
Also seeking to fill Daley's seat is developer Rob Halpin, the man renting Emanuel's Chicago house who has refused to break his lease.
Other mayoral candidates include former Democratic U.S. Sen. Carol Moseley Braun and U.S. Rep. Danny Davis, D-Ill.
Saudi's king arrives in U.S. for treatment
NEW YORK, Nov. 23 (UPI) -- Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah has arrived in the United States for treatment of a herniated disc and blood clot, the U.S. State Department said.
"We hope for his speedy recovery," the State Department said in a message posted on its official Twitter page Monday.
Saudi officials met the 86-year-old king when he arrived late Monday at New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport, CNN reported. The specific hospital where Abdullah would be treated was not revealed.
"The medical team recommended that he leaves for the U.S. to visit a spine-specialized medical center in order to complete medical examinations and for follow-up treatment," Health Minister Abdullah al-Rabeeah said during a weekend interview on Saudi state television. "But I assure everyone that he is in a stable condition, and that he is enjoying health and well-being, and God willing, he will be back safe and sound to lead this proud nation."
The king named his brother, Crown Prince Sultan, to run the kingdom in his absence, the state-run Saudi Press Agency said.
Prince William sets April wedding date
LONDON, Nov. 23 (UPI) -- Britain's Prince William and Kate Middleton are to marry April 29 at Westminster Abbey in London, royal officials confirmed Tuesday.
The couple became engaged in October during a private vacation in Kenya. The prince and his bride-to-be, both 28, have been together for eight years.
People.com said the date is in keeping with their wishes to have a short engagement and a spring wedding.
The Royal Family is to pay for the church service, the music and parties, while security will be covered by the British taxpayers, People.com said.
The historic site where William and Kate are to exchange vows was the scene for Queen Elizabeth II's 1947 wedding to Prince Philip, as well as the 1997 funeral of Princess Diana, William's mother.
His father is Charles, the Prince of Wales, son of the Queen.
