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/ 21 December 2006

‘Turkmenbashi’, the Central Asian idol, dies

Turkmenistan’s leader Saparmurat Niyazov, who died on Thursday, ruled his Central Asian state for more than 20 years with a relentless personality cult. Niyazov (66) whose country has the world’s fifth-biggest reserves of natural gas, was an ex-Soviet apparatchik who got rid of elections and declared himself president-for-life

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/ 7 September 2005

Penguins in desert for Turkmenistan’s leader

Turkmenistan’s President-for-life, Saparmurat Niyazov, has ordered a zoo be built for 300 species of birds and animals, including penguins, in the Central Asian republic’s Kara Kum desert, state television announced on Tuesday. A year ago, Niyazov announced construction of an ice palace capable of holding 1 000 people.