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“Kyrgyzstan is in a terrible economic situation, it totally depends on external support. And the international response will be harsh. If the funding stops, Kyrgyzstan will be in trouble. This country cannot afford to lose it,” the Financial Times quoted an anonymous foreign source working with the government and previously associated with Kumtor as saying.
Kyrgyzstan saw its GDP shrink by over 8% in 2020 amid the impact of the global pandemic and lockdown measures. It is the second poorest country in Central Asia, being only slightly better off than Tajikistan.
EBRD’s “deep concern”
The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) in a statement released on May 16 expressed “deep concern” that the Kyrgyz parliament could decide to begin the
Russian ice cream consumption to hit new record of 3.1kg per person
Ben Aris in Berlin
British Prime Minister Winston Churchill was driving through Moscow during the depths of winter on his way to meet Stalin during WWII. On passing a cluster of Russians on a street corner Churchill asked his aide de camp what the people were doing out in such cold weather.
“They are eating ice cream, sir,” the aide told him.
Churchill paused and replied: “These people will never be defeated.”
Everyone loves ice cream and even in Soviet times the one consumer luxury that remained widely available was the Plombir ice cream cups, beloved by Soviet children and still available today.
Since the fall of the Soviet Union ice cream consumption has risen as a plethora of fancy imported ice creams arrived on the market. It is telling that amongst the very first foreign investors into the newly independent Russia was Baskin Robbins, the world's largest chain of ice cream speciality shops.
process of a state takeover of Kumtor Gold Company.
“We believe that any such decision would put in doubt the commitment of the Kyrgyz Republic to stand by its obligations to its international partners and foreign investors. It risks the country’s economic recovery and its reputation as a secure place for investors to operate,” the EBRD said.
The EBRD said it would work with its shareholders, the foreign and domestic business community and other international financial institutions to highlight the negative consequences
of Kyrgyzstan’s course of action and to mitigate its impact.
“The EBRD is committed to working with the Kyrgyz authorities on improving the business climate and investing to change people’s lives for the better,” the EBRD added.
Russians love ice cream, but who doesn't? This year they are expected to consumer a record 3.1kg per person.
And consumption continues to grow. The amount of ice cream consumed in Russia is expected to grow by 1% by the end of 2021 to 3.1 kg per person, setting a decade-long record, the Centre for Industry Expertise of the Russian Agricultural Bank said on May 4.
"The volume of ice cream consumption in Russia at the end of the current year will increase by 1%, to a record over the past 10 years, that is 448,000 tonnes, or 3.1 kg per capita. The jump in consumption would be a continuation of the gradual increase in demand over the past 10 years. Given the cold Russian climate and the seasonal aspect of ice cream consumption, a further increase in export volumes may become a growth point for Russian producers," the centre said as cited by Tass.
Russia produced 451,000 tonnes of ice cream in 2020, up 8% year on year, which is expected to climb to 463,000 tonnes by the end of this year. And Russia is starting to sell its ice cream abroad, with exports growing eight-fold over the last decade from 3,000 tonnes in 2010 to 26,000 tonnes in 2020,
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