In 1993, after 15 years of rapid growth, China’s exports had barely crept back to where they were in 1928. By 2000 the dollar economy, hailed as the future engine of global growth, was barely bigger than those of Spain and Holland combined. Even now, China’s gross domestic product is less than a quarter of Japan’s. Has China’s the economic miracle been overstated?

South Africa rugby team manager Arthob Petersen has said Springbok administrators will have to accept their share of responsibility for the Tri-Nations champions’ back-to-back defeats on their European tour. Now in Edinburgh, ahead of Saturday’s encounter with Scotland, Petersen said: ”The players are very disappointed — but not despairing.”

When 70-year-old Marie Mangou ran away from her home in Côte d’Ivoire, she trekked for hours through dense jungle and crammed into a creaking canoe to reach the safety of neighbouring Liberia. Now the feisty grandmother cannot manage another step. She is one of at least 10 000 Ivorians who have fled their homeland in the last two weeks.

United States Senator Susan Collins believes in a woman’s right to choose abortion, thinks it is time for urgent action on global climate change, and says the US can’t afford tax breaks for the wealthy right now. Nothing unusual about that, except that she is a Republican in the age of Karl Rove and the ”wedge issue”. ”I’m from a state that voted for John Kerry, they would not accept any other approach.”

Parts of western Johannesburg were plunged into darkness when an electrical sub-station in Hursthill near the Helen Joseph hospital caught fire on Monday evening. City Power spokesperson Sol Masolo said the company suspected one of its transformers had been damaged. The cause of the fire was not known.

Springbok coach Jake White has underlined his confidence that his men will halt their European tour fade-out by snatching revenge over Scotland this weekend — no matter how narrow they make the Murrayfield pitch. An upbeat White — who steered his troops to surprise Tri-Nations glory just two months ago — believes they can atone for their historic loss north of the border in 2002.

Spaniards like to say they live in Europe’s most racially tolerant country. That myth was shattered when soccer fans bellowed out monkey chants last week each time a black English player touched the ball in a friendly match. This and other racist incidents have tarnished Madrid’s image as it bids to host the 2012 Olympics.

Takalani ”The Panther” Ndlovu will have to clobber Willie Mabasa at the Carousel in Hammanskraal on Friday night if he wants to defend his SA featherweight title. Mabasa is fit and ready for the challenge, says his coach, Rob McLeod, adding: ”Mabasa said Takalani will have to kill him for this fight.”