Although the government of Turkmenistan hasn’t confirmed any cases of coronavirus, many senior officials in the eastern Lebap Region aren’t taking any chances: They moved to a local nature reserve along with their families to avoid the outbreak, local media reported on Monday.

Eritrea tops the list of the most censored countries in the world, where sophisticated digital censorship and surveillance have been added to “more traditional methods to silence media,” theCommittee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) said in a special report.

Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan have joined the worst category in the US State Department’s blacklist of countries that have failed to combat human trafficking. 

The Swedish retail giant IKEA has been reported to the US Customs Department for importing duvet covers made in Turkmenistan.

By Ola Westerberg, TT News Agency, Sweden

Duvet covers and pillow shams sold by IKEA are produced in Turkmenistan, a country which has been compared to North Korea because of its seclusion and tight control over its citizens.

Leaked email exchanges indicate Hacking Team gave permission for its spyware to be ‘presented and promoted’ to the secret police of Turkmenistan.

A new report places Azerbaijan in a four-way tie with Russia, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan as the most corrupt countries in Europe and Central Asia.