Kazakhs Stage Chocolate-Eating Protest

A small group of Kazakh activists handed out Ukrainian chocolates and Georgian mineral water in a demonstration to support the products' manufacturers in the face of a potential Russian trade ban on the candy. Russia's consumer rights watchdog, Rospotrebnadzor, has asked Kazakhstan to ban the imports of products from Ukraine's Roshen confectionary company, claiming that the chocolates contain dangerous chemicals. Roshen has denied the allegations. Russia had previously imposed a ban on wine and mineral water imports from Georgia in 2006, citing quality concerns. At the time, Moscow-Tbilisi ties were strained because of Georgia's increasingly closer ties with the West. (RFE/RL's Kazakh Service)