The president of energy-rich Turkmenistan has fired almost one-third of his Cabinet and the head of the state oil company in a large-scale reshuffle reminiscent of his eccentric predecessor’s frequent purges.
In a highly charged government meeting televised late on Thursday, President Gurbanguli Berdymukhamedov charged officials with committing “unforgivable mistakes and miscalculations.”
The most prominent casualties included the ministers for energy, communications, sports and tourism. The heads of the state oil firm Turkmenneft and the state geological agency, which explores the country’s vast hydrocarbon resources, were also dismissed.
Berdymukhamedov said significant progress had been made in the central Asian nation’s oil and gas sector, but blasted what he called financial irregularities and the mismanagement of advanced technical equipment, which he said have caused overspending and accidents.
Turkmenistan’s natural gas riches have make it a target of courtship by both Russia and the West, but development of the sector has been hampered by poor management and lack of transparency.
Under autocratic former president Saparmurat Niyazov, who died in December 2006, the dismissal and the subsequent arrest of high-level officials was routine. Thursday’s government purge was the largest since Berdymukhamedov came to power.
Large parts of the capital, Ashgabat, were closed to traffic and security was on high alert on Thursday as government met, ostensibly to review progress made over the previous year.
In a wide-ranging closing speech, Berdymukhamedov again criticized government officials for inefficiency and excessive bureaucracy. Looking forward to the coming year, he stressed the importance of improving democratic standards and the economy.
“We must make great efforts to keep pace with world progress and become full members of the international community,” he said. “Our main task should be to further strengthen the democratic and legal foundations of the state and to enhance the economic strength of our country.”
OPTIMISTIC: A Philippine Air Force spokeswoman said the military believed the crew were safe and were hopeful that they and the jet would be recovered A Philippine Air Force FA-50 jet and its two-person crew are missing after flying in support of ground forces fighting communist rebels in the southern Mindanao region, a military official said yesterday. Philippine Air Force spokeswoman Colonel Consuelo Castillo said the jet was flying “over land” on the way to its target area when it went missing during a “tactical night operation in support of our ground troops.” While she declined to provide mission specifics, Philippine Army spokesman Colonel Louie Dema-ala confirmed that the missing FA-50 was part of a squadron sent “to provide air support” to troops fighting communist rebels in
PROBE: Last week, Romanian prosecutors launched a criminal investigation against presidential candidate Calin Georgescu accusing him of supporting fascist groups Tens of thousands of protesters gathered in Romania’s capital on Saturday in the latest anti-government demonstration by far-right groups after a top court canceled a presidential election in the EU country last year. Protesters converged in front of the government building in Bucharest, waving Romania’s tricolor flags and chanting slogans such as “down with the government” and “thieves.” Many expressed support for Calin Georgescu, who emerged as the frontrunner in December’s canceled election, and demanded they be resumed from the second round. George Simion, the leader of the far-right Alliance for the Unity of Romanians (AUR), which organized the protest,
ECONOMIC DISTORTION? The US commerce secretary’s remarks echoed Elon Musk’s arguments that spending by the government does not create value for the economy US Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick on Sunday said that government spending could be separated from GDP reports, in response to questions about whether the spending cuts pushed by Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency could possibly cause an economic downturn. “You know that governments historically have messed with GDP,” Lutnick said on Fox News Channel’s Sunday Morning Futures. “They count government spending as part of GDP. So I’m going to separate those two and make it transparent.” Doing so could potentially complicate or distort a fundamental measure of the US economy’s health. Government spending is traditionally included in the GDP because
Hundreds of people in rainbow colors gathered on Saturday in South Africa’s tourist magnet Cape Town to honor the world’s first openly gay imam, who was killed last month. Muhsin Hendricks, who ran a mosque for marginalized Muslims, was shot dead last month near the southern city of Gqeberha. “I was heartbroken. I think it’s sad especially how far we’ve come, considering how progressive South Africa has been,” attendee Keisha Jensen said. Led by motorcycle riders, the mostly young crowd walked through the streets of the coastal city, some waving placards emblazoned with Hendricks’s image and reading: “#JUSTICEFORMUHSIN.” No arrest
RSS