cause for restrained optimism

Finally, Lukashenko has backed down like a good little lapdog:

With the European Union voicing alarm and criticism and Russia threatening an all-out trade war against its former ally, the two countries' presidents -- Vladimir Putin and Alexander Lukashenko -- held talks by telephone Wednesday. Soon after, Belarus' government announced the cancellation of the $45 duty, and Prime Minister Sergei Sidorsky announced he would fly to Moscow on Thursday for meetings with his Russian counterpart.A top Kremlin official said the decision was "cause for restrained optimism," but it remained unclear when pumping would resume across the 2,500-mile-long Druzhba pipeline network, which feeds Germany, Poland and other East European nations.

Now we can get back to your regularly scheduled exploitation of the West.

In other news, it looks like Delta may have found a White Knight in Northwest. Also Continental is apparently another United target. Here’s one possible scenario:
Northwest has preferred Continental shares and may be willing to sell them to United if it withdraws its hostile bid for Delta, allowing Northwest and Delta to merge smoothly.