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[ad_1] A large poster of President Paul Biya hangs like a street sign in Cameroon's western city of Bafoussam. "The force of experience," reads the poster in reference to President Biya's 36 years in power, to which he now hopes to add another seven-year term. A couple of metres from the poster, members of Mr Biya's governing CPDM party are meeting to drum up support for the person they call their hero. "Young people may be eloquent. They may make big promises, but none of them can have the steady hands to run a large country like Cameroon," says party supporter Emmanuel Ndam, 58. Image copyright Getty Images Image caption Young people aged 25 and under make up 60% of Cameroon's population ...

[ad_1] WASHINGTON: Islamabad is seeking an American role in facilitating talks between India and Pakistan because the two South Asian neighbours are not engaging bilaterally, Pakistan's foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi has said, warning that absence of such a facilitation could lead to escalation of tension. But the latest Pakistani request in this regard has again been rejected by the US, the top Pakistani diplomat told a Washington audience on Wednesday, a day after he had meetings with Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and National Security Advisor John Bolton, during which he raised the issue only to be pushed back by the Trump administration. "When we asked the US, to play facilitating role ... Why do we ask? Simply because we are not engaging bilaterally. And that bilateral disengagement is…a distraction. We want to focus, we want to move on the western side of the border, which we are not being able to because we have to watch our back from eastern side (of the borde...

[ad_1] NEW DELHI: Russian President Vladimir Putin arrives in India on Thursday looking to tie up billions of dollars in arms deals with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, likely irking the US, China and Pakistan in one fell swoop. The Kremlin said before the two-day visit that the "key feature" would be the signing of a $5-billion deal for the advanced S-400 air defence system, despite US sanctions against countries buying Russian defence hardware. India will ask the United States for a special waiver for the purchase — as discussed by their defence and foreign ministers in New Delhi last month — but Washington has signalled there is no guarantee it will accede. The US is in a difficult position as it seeks to contain China through better ties with India, which like Washington has been unnerved by Beijing's growing assertiveness. Washington and New Delhi announced plans last month for joint military drills in 2019, and agreed on the exchange of sensitive military information...

[ad_1] ISLAMABAD/KARACHI: Pakistan wants to build an oil refinery near the deep-water port of Gwadar to reduce petroleum product imports, a planning official said on Tuesday as the government hosted a Saudi delegation reported to be considering funding the project. Pakistan is also, during the Saudi visit, expected to seek financial assistance from its oil-rich ally to avoid another bailout by the International Monetary Fund amid a foreign currency crisis fuelled by a widening current accounts deficit. The government of new Prime Minister Imran Khan wants to turn the Chinese-funded Gwadar port into "an oil city" to reduce dependence on imported refined fuel, Khusro Bakhtyar, minister for planning, development and reforms, told reporters. The Saudis were reported by Pakistani newspapers Dawn and The News to be considering investing in what local media say would be a multi-billion-dollar refinery project. Bakhtyar mentioned neither the projected cost nor any confirmed Saudi i...