Ex-Turkmen leader's statue moved

President Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov of Turkmenistan has ordered the removal of a gold statue of his predecessor from the centre of the capital, Ashgabat.

The rotating statue of Saparmurat Niyazov, which towers over the city, will be moved to a highway near the edge of the city, officials say.

Mr Berdymukhamedov has sought to end the Niyazov personality cult.

Last month he reversed a decree renaming days of the week and months after the late leader and his family.

Mr Niyazov - who died in 2006 after ruling Turkmenistan for 20 years - used the country's oil and gas wealth to build statues of himself around the country.

The gold statue dominating central Ashgabat is the most prominent of them.

Correspondents say it reflected the total control Mr Niyazov had over cultural and political life.

He also built a theme park based on Turkmen folk tales, and made his book - a "spiritual guide" called the Rukhnama - compulsory reading for students and workers.