Ashkhabad - Gas-rich Turkmenistan on Saturday hailed the expansion of a Soviet-era power plant that it hopes will become a hub for electricity exports to Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Ashgabat - The ruler of ex-Soviet Turkmenistan has ditched his signature black hair dye -- a move that will be closely analysed in a nation famed for its leadership personality cults.

Ashgabat - The son of Turkmenistan's leader has been appointed deputy foreign minister, state media reported Saturday, just days after he scored a huge victory in a parliamentary election.

Ashgabat - The son of Turkmenistan's authoritarian leader scored a huge victory in tightly controlled parliamentary elections, state media reported Friday, in a result that could indicate a path towards hereditary succession in the gas-rich former Soviet state.

Ashgabat - Voting concluded in Turkmenistan's parliamentary election Sunday, the central election commission said, in a ballot that could indicate a path towards hereditary succession in the gas-rich former Soviet state.

Ashgabat - Tightly controlled Turkmenistan has banned broadcasters from showing sex and encouraging "bad habits" in a law designed to create a "positive image" of the Central Asian country on the air.

Ashgabat - Fans of Coca-Cola in gas-rich Turkmenistan's capital Ashgabat are complaining they can no longer "taste the feeling": their favourite drink has disappeared from shop shelves amidst a sharpening economic crisis.

Ashgabat - Turkmenistan's image-conscious strongman Gurbanguly Berymukhamedov on Sunday kicked off a 10-day regional sporting event the isolated country is hosting despite a slew of economic and rights concerns.

Ashgabat - Turkmenistan claimed Tuesday that the Central Asian country had broken a niche world record by building the world's "largest horse head sculpture" ahead of a sporting event it is preparing to host.

Ashgabat - Reclusive Turkmenistan has banned sales of alcohol until October to ensure "public order" ahead of a key sporting event the country is hosting next month, an official in the trade ministry told AFP Saturday.

Ashgabat - UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres Tuesday urged ex-Soviet Central Asian states to observe human rights in the fight against extremism as he completed a tour of the Muslim-majority region.

- Uzbekistan's President Shavkat Mirziyoyev on Tuesday unveiled a statue of his feared predecessor during his first official trip abroad to neighbouring Turkmenistan.

Ashgabat - In a generous gesture following an electoral victory in which he scooped 97 percent of the vote, Turkmenistan President Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov has promoted his closest electoral rival, state media reported Tuesday.

Ashgabat - Isolated Turkmenistan's strongman Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov was sworn in Friday in a grand ceremony after securing over 97 percent of an almost uncontested vote at the weekend.

Ashgabat - Turkmenistan's reigning strongman Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov bagged a new seven-year term with nearly 98 percent of a weakly contested vote, electoral officials said Monday, following a preliminary count.

Ashgabat - Turkmenistan voted Sunday with a massive announced turnout in a presidential vote expected to tighten strongman Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov's hold over the gas-rich Central Asian country.

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Ashgabat - Every time Meder Jumayev looks at his wristwatch, the pensioner is happy to see a familiar face looking back at him.

Ashgabat - Turkmenistan will hold a presidential vote on February 12 next year, state media reported Saturday, with President Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov likely to compete unencumbered by any serious opposition.

Ashgabat - Isolated Central Asian Turkmenistan on Wednesday passed constitutional changes that could pave the way for authoritarian leader Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov to rule the ex-Soviet nation for life.