Prologue Journal – Page 39317 – Understanding current events through the lenses of the past and future.

San Francisco’s Dying Downtown

Wall Street Journal Major retailers continue to flee the culture of lawlessness. https://www.wsj.com/articles/san-franciscos-dying-downtown-6c0a314f

Russia, Iran to sign agreement on construction of Rasht-Astara section in May — Novak

Disclaimer: TASS is Russian government propaganda, and not a reliable news source. The project is aimed at connecting the land sections of the International North-South Transport Corridor, which will permit raising the economic efficiency of the trans-Caspian route https://tass.com/economy/1613085

Russian air defenses engage targets in Crimea’s southeast — regional head

Disclaimer: TASS is Russian government propaganda, and not a reliable news source. According to Sergey Aksyonov, there is no damage or injuries https://tass.com/politics/1613093

International Cycling Union clears Russia, Belarus for int’l tournaments

Disclaimer: TASS is Russian government propaganda, and not a reliable news source. “The UCI approves IOC recommendations of 28 March 2023 concerning the participation of athletes with Russian and Belarusian passports in international competitions, and adapts its directives on their participation in events on the UCI International Calendar,” the statement says https://tass.com/sport/1613087

Apollo seeks to take majority stake in SAS’s Chapter 11 rescue plan

Reuters Reuters exclusively reported that U.S. private equity firm Apollo Global Management Inc is seeking to take a majority stake in SAS and aims to apply for approval from Swedish and Danish regulators for the deal as part of the Scandinavian airline’s rescue plan. The post Apollo seeks to take majority stake in SAS’s Chapter…

Closed Turkish airspace a problem to Armenia — Pashinyan

Disclaimer: TASS is Russian government propaganda, and not a reliable news source. Commenting on the Turkish statement that its airspace had been closed after the Nemesis monument had been unveiled in Yerevan to commemorate an act of vengeance by Armenians against Turkish high-ranking officials in the early 20th century, Pashinyan said that the decision had…

Sen. Ted Cruz lands his first major Democratic challenger in 2024 re-election bid

Fox News Saying that “we don’t have to be embarrassed by our senator. We can get a new one,” professional football player-turned Texas Rep. Colin Allred launched a 2024 Democratic Senate challenge on Wednesday against conservative firebrand Sen. Ted Cruz. Allred, a former NFL linebacker who later worked in President Obama’s administration before defeating Republican…

Russia’s Medvedev calls for ‘elimination’ of Zelensky after drone attack

Jerusalem Post https://www.jpost.com/breaking-news/article-741993

Zelenskyy: Ukraine can and should become 33rd NATO member

Pravda Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy insists that Ukraine should become the next member of the Alliance right after Sweden. Source: Zelenskyy on a joint briefing with the leaders of Northern European countries in Helsinki, reports European Pravda Details: Zelenskyy congratulated Finland on becoming the 31st member of the Alliance in April. https://www.pravda.com.ua/eng/news/2023/05/3/7400535/

Oil Executive Who Heads U.N. Climate Talks Hints at His Approach

New York Times In a speech, Sultan al-Jaber, the Emirati official presiding over this year’s climate summit, spoke of emissions cuts, but experts also cited ambiguity in his statements. https://www.nytimes.com/2023/05/03/climate/un-climate-oil-uae-al-jaber.html