The leader of Turkmenistan has honoured himself with a giant gold-and-marble statue. The statue depicts the president, Gurbanguly Berdymukhammedov, astride a golden horse holding a dove. The statue is projected into the air on a towering marble platform. Berdymukhammedov took power in Turkmenistan in 2008 and has maintained many of the bizarre and narcissistic habits of his predecessor, Saparmurat Niyazov. rferl.org