Mugabe orders a wage and prices freeze. An economist in Harare wonders 'when they will try and reverse the laws of gravity, because this does not work.'
Here's one feature of the present situation in Zimbabwe:
The widespread slaughter of wildlife, domestic pets being eaten and donkey meat passed off as beef - these are some of the effects of the chronic food shortages in Zimbabwe.
There's an mp3 of Morgan Tsvangirai, of the Movement for Democratic Change, speaking about the crisis and the prospects in that country. He has been visiting Australia.
And Mugabe could benefit, some think, by allowing a 'diaspora vote'. How so? '[A]nalysts warn it could be to the authorities' advantage to give ex-pats the vote, as the difficulties of verifying the identity of Zimbabweans scattered around the world would create the potential for vote-rigging.' (Thanks SC / JN.)