World View: Austria Quits U.N. Peacekeeping Force on Syria-Israel Border

This morning’s key headlines from GenerationalDynamics.com

• Russia’s president Vladimir Putin is getting a divorce
• Austria quits U.N. peacekeeping force on Syria-Israel border
• North Korea goes on a charm offensive

Russia’s president Vladimir Putin is getting a divorce

Alina Kabaeva relaxes after a tough day at rhythmical gymnastics in this 2008 photo (pravda.ru)

In 2008, I wrote “Putin angrily denies divorce rumors and shuts down newspaper reporting them”, and described how Russia’s president Vladimir Putinterrorized a female reporter at a joint press conference with SilvioBerlusconi when she asked a question about a rumored affair with AlinaKabaeva, while Berlusconi helped out by gesturing with his hadpretending to shoot the reporter. At the 2008 press conference, Putinderided the “snotty noses and erotic fantasies” of the journalistsreporting the rumors, which he denied, saying:

“There is not a word of truth in this story.Politicians live in glass houses, everyone wants to know how theylive, but there are limits and there is a private life and theselimits should be respected. … Other publications of a similarnature have in the past mentioned similar stories about me andwomen entertainers and attractive young girls and it will come asno surprise to you that I don’t like them.”

That’s not the only thing that Putin was lying about in 2008. He wasalso lying by denying that he had an arrangement with Dmitry Medvedevto become President again in 2012.

So now it turns out that Putin, 60, is president again, and he’sdivorcing his wife, and the continuing affair with rhythmical gymnastAlina Kabaeva, 30, may well be the reason. If you have a few minutes,watch this hot 2004 video of Kabaeva’s award-winning performance. You’ll neverlook at a ball the same way again.

Putin was married to Lyudmila Putina for 30 years, and they have twodaughters, 27 and 28. Kabaeva is also rumored to have two children byPutin, though she denies it. Telegraph

Austria quits U.N. peacekeeping force on Syria-Israel border

The entire United Nations peacekeeping effort in the Golan Heights onthe border between Syria and Israel is in jeopardy after Austria’sannouncement that it’s withdrawing its 380 troops from 1,000 memberforce, because the peacekeepers’ lives are in danger. Theannouncement came after fighting broke out on the border on Thursdaybetween Syria’s army troops and opposition rebel fighters, wounding apeacekeeper from the Philippines. The peacekeeping force has been inplace since 1974, and the border has been peaceful until now. TheU.N. is searching for a country that will replace Austria, and Israelis moving additional troops into the border area, preventing someIsraeli farmers from reaching their farms. Reuters and VOA

North Korea goes on a charm offensive

The North Koreans made a surprise proposal on Thursday tohold talks on reopening the Kaesong Industrial Complex.North Korea’s child dictator Kim Jong-un shut down the complextwo months ago when he threw his temper tantrum, threateningto shoot missiles at Japan, South Korea, and America.On Thursday, the North Korean Central News Agency announced:

“We propose holding talks between authorities of thenorth and south for the normalization of operations at Kaesong andthe resumption of tours to Mt. Kumkang on the occasion of theanniversary of the June 15 joint declaration.”

Kaesong was a major source of hard currency for the North Koreans, sothe child dictator’s temper tantrum has cost North Korea a great dealof money. The motivation for the new charm offensive is to stop thebleeding. Yonhap (Seoul)

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