Turkmen authorities have prohibited imports and circulation of foreign media printed matters. The ban is especially severe on the press in neighboring countries\' languages, diplomats said to Novosti over the telephone from Ashkhabad, Turkmen capital. The English-language Times of Central Asia, regional periodical published in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, was extremely popular with nonresidents in Turkmenistan. Now, its sellers were ordered to make a direct contract with the Turkmenpochta government postal agency-allegedly, to avoid problems with press deliveries from neighboring countries. When they contacted the agency, it flatly refused to conclude the required contract, and did not even care to explain why.Such editions based in neighboring countries as carry satellite television programs also come under the ban. Turkmenistan has no centralized deliveries of other CIS countries\' press. Subscriptions to foreign-based newspapers were prohibited several years ago. The country has only one Russian-language paper - Neitralny Turkmenistan. The local television broadcasts a Russian-language news program four times a week. Broadcasts from the Moscow-based Mayak radio and all Russian television channels now come under prohibition. (Asia Pulse)