RFE/RL's Turkmen Service is the only international Turkmen-language media reporting independently on political, economic, cultural, and security issues from inside one of the the world’s most reclusive countries.
Authorities in the Turkmen capital, Ashgabat, have begun removing benches from the courtyards of apartment buildings, where neighbors get together to socialize. No official explanation has been given, but a municipal worker said it was to prevent people from gathering in large groups.
Authorities in Turkmenistan's Balkan Province have imposed an unofficial nighttime curfew, which bars locals from leaving home after 9 p.m. Officials say the measure is aimed at "maintaining peace and quiet."
Female students in western Turkmenistan are being forced to take virginity tests to check their “morality” and prevent teen pregnancies. Those who “fail” the controversial examination are being reported to security services.
Officials in western Turkmenistan have ordered locals to play ex-President Gurbanguly Berdymukhammedov's songs at their wedding receptions and to banish foreign music from the playlists.
The Turkmen president’s cousin, Shamyrat Rejepov, reportedly punched a bartender and a woman at an Ashgabat bar. The incident has dashed hopes that President Serdar Berdymukhammedov had sidelined Rejepov, who was previously known for having immense influence and thuggish behavior.
Turkmenistan is known for throwing extravagant parties to celebrate the New Year, often forcing workers to contribute money for state-organized events. This year, however, the celebrations are being scaled back in some provinces.
Independent websites monitoring developments in Turkmenistan quoted friends and colleagues of noted Turkmen opposition activist Malikberdi Allamyradov as saying that he has been missing since December 4.
Police in the northern Turkmen city of Koneurgench have arrested Hudaiberdy Allashov, a former correspondent for RFE/RL in the Central Asian country, on unknown charges.
A group of young Turkmen returning home after graduating from Russian universities were met at the airport by law enforcement officers who immediately enlisted them into the army. The grads were not even allowed to greet their parents waiting at the airport, families said.
Food prices have gone up again and subsidized staples have all but disappeared from state stores in Turkmenistan's Balkan region on the Caspian Sea since the summer holiday season ended.
Thousands of Turkmen migrants have left Turkey or been deported in recent weeks amid Ankara’s renewed crackdown on foreign workers. The returnees return to widespread poverty and a lack of freedom, civil rights, and economic opportunities that caused them to leave Turkmenistan in the first place.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and five Central Asian nations' leaders have discussed cooperation and ties as Berlin looks to gain influence in the region that has been traditionally a sphere of dominance for Russia.
Turkmen state workers have been ordered to pick cotton to help the authoritarian government achieve its goal of harvesting 1.25 million tons of cotton this year. Despite compelling evidence, Ashgabat continues to deny using forced labor in its annual cotton harvest.
Many Turkmen are seeking medical treatment in neighboring Iran because of the low-quality health care in Turkmenistan. Though Turkmenistan has built many hospitals and bought modern equipment, people say there are not enough qualified medical specialists in the country.
Growing protests over subsidized food shortages, conflicts over scarce irrigation water, and power cuts in major cities should give Turkmenistan's officials plenty to think about as they take their beach holidays on the Caspian Sea.
Hundreds of people, mostly women, gathered on August 7 in the Turkmen city of Turkmenbashi to protest food shortages amid Turkmenistan's severe economic crisis.
The last existing messaging app in Turkmenistan, IMO, can no longer be used in the country as the Internet speed -- already the slowest in the world -- has become even slower in recent weeks. All other messaging apps and social-media platforms have been blocked by the government.
Turkmenistan Airlines has suspended flights from Ashgabat to Moscow due what it called "a situation in Moscow's airspace," an apparent reference to recent drone attacks in the capital.
Turkmenistan's latest census results claim that the country's population has increased to 7 million. But many Turkmen doubt the results and believe the authorities are trying to cover up an unprecedented population decline.
Turkmenistan's authoritarian President Serdar Berdymukhammedov sacked several top officials of the isolated nation last week for "poor job performance," state media outlets reported over the weekend.
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