Across Asia: Turkmenistan

Energy officials ousted

President Kurbanguly Berdymukhamedov has reshuffled the gas-producing Central Asian country's senior energy officials, accusing some of negligence and inefficiency, state media said yesterday.

Berdymukhamedov demoted oil and gas minister Annaguly Deryayev, naming him the head of state oil firm Turkmenneft. Engineer and geologist Oraznur Nurmyradov, 50, has become the new minister.