Wednesday, February 15, 2012

Turkmenistan

Niyazov Gives Cash To Turkmen Women

Turkmen President Niyazov (right) opens an exhibition center in the capital, Ashgabat (file photo) (ITAR-TASS)

PRAGUE, March 17, 2006 (RFE/RL) -- Turkmen President Saparmurat Niyazov says he will give all female pensioners, workers, and students -- including girls attending pre-school -- the equivalent of $38 as a cash gift to mark the country's national spring holiday, on March 20-22.

TEXT SIZE - +

March 17, 2006

Niyazov said on state television on March 16 that the gift rewards the efforts of Turkmen women to "strengthen families and to raise a younger generation devoted to the homeland."

RFE/RL Central Asia Report

SUBSCRIBE For regular news and analysis on all five Central Asian countries by e-mail, subscribe to "RFE/RL Central Asia Report."

A vendor in the central Bosnian town of Zenica sells heart-shaped cushions with proclamations of love for 1 euro each.

Love It (Or Hate It), It's Valentine's Day

Valentine's Day, the Western holiday celebrating love, has become a global phenomenon over the past two decades. The fall of communism and the emergence of the Internet have helped February 14 become something of an unofficial international day of romance. However, not all the passions the holiday stirs are related to love. While some countries have openly embraced the holiday, others are attempting to ban it or replace it with local customs. More

Production and distribution of rap music is not officially banned, but it

Yo! Turkmen Rappers Flip The Script On Repression

For a growing number of Turkmen youth, rap music has become a way to express their daily struggles and inspire political change in one of the world's most oppressive countries. More