Western officials suggest NKorean leader is ill

There was no sign of Kim Jong Il at a closely watched parade Tuesday marking the 60th anniversary of North Korea's founding, and Western officials said the all powerful leader _ who has not appeared publicly for a month _ may be gravely ill.

North Korea's state media was silent about his absence from the parade, a relatively low-key ceremony that unexpectedly lacked much of North Korea's trademark military display, though still took on a decidedly martial flavor.

In a broadcast monitored in Seoul, Korean Central Television showed North Korea's No. 2 leader and other officials and military officers atop a viewing stand. Kim Jong Il was not shown.

In …