(2020-02-14). Russia and Saudi Arabia fight for share of India's huge oil market. rt.com 
Russia has put India on top of its priority list as it looks to ramp up crude exports and expand its downstream presence. | One of the last bulwarks of global crude demand, India has been in the thick of national NOCs' attention — Saudi Arabia will from now on participate in India's Strategic Reserves and has signed up to build a greenfield 1.2mbpd refinery in the state of Maharashtra, the UAE-based ADNOC has joined Saudi Aramco in its refinery project and is seeking further investment opportunities. Ever since Rosneft bought the 400kbpd Vadinar Refinery (now known as Nayara) from Essar Oil in 2017, Russi…
(2020-02-14). Yemen: UN Medical Air Bridge Little More Than Saudi PR Stunt Say Desperate Patients. mintpressnews.com 
Many Yemenis have described the much-lauded UN medical air bridge as little more than a public relations stunt aimed at improving Saudi Arabia's image in the world.
(2020-02-14). Erdogan to help Pakistan stay off terrorism financing blacklist. rt.com 
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Friday said he would help Pakistan stay off a terrorism financing blacklist at a meeting of a global finance watchdog. The move, he said, would counter "political pressure" from Islamabad's critics. | The Financial Action Task Force (FATF), which tackles money laundering, told Islamabad late last year that it could face blacklisting if it continued to apply inadequate controls over terrorism financing. The FATF is meeting next week in France. Support from Turkey and longtime allies like China, Malaysia and Saudi Arabia could help Pakistan remain off the blacklist, Reut…
(2020-02-14). Houthis drop 'tax' threat that jeopardized Yemen aid — report. rt.com 
Houthi rebels have dropped a threat to tax aid in Yemen, AFP quoted a UN official as saying on Friday. The move is seen as a significant step towards resolving a crisis that has jeopardized the world's biggest humanitarian operation. | UN leaders and humanitarian groups held talks in Brussels on Thursday to address obstruction by the Houthi militia that has threatened to sever the lifeline to millions at risk of starvation. They heard that vital supplies could be cut off, after humanitarian agencies complained of a deteriorating situation in the Houthi-controlled north where aid workers face arrest and intimid…
(2020-02-10). Hospitals in Yemen attacked, disrupting healthcare for thousands of vulnerable civilians. news.un.org Attacks on health facilities in Yemen's Marib province, East of the capital Sana'a, have left some 15,000 people — many of them displaced from other parts of the country — with severely limited options for medical care, the UN said on Monday.