White rabbit candies are a copy of British Toffees. They were first produced in 1943, and they had Mickey Mouse on the rapper. In 1950s, that kind of Americana was just completely out. And so Mickey Mouse was replaced by a big white rabbit, which gave the brand its name. Joe Enlai gave them to Richard Nixon when he first visited in China in the 1970s. But then obviously as the economy started to open up in the 1980s, there were other foreign brands coming into China.
Its leader is in exile and its future is uncertain. But the Wagner Group will be loth to abandon the influence and the cashflow that its murky African operations bring. The striking down of affirmative-action university-admissions policies in America may counterintuitively spur more-progressive and more-efficient alternatives (9:56). And the reinvention (again) of a beloved Chinese sweet treat (17:08).
For full access to print, digital and audio editions of The Economist, try a free 30-day digital subscription by going to www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer