Zimbabwe has just about the worst-performing economy in the world. Some say the economic problems could soon bring down the government of President Robert Mugabe, although that has been predicted many times before.
People are struggling with soaring inflation, widespread joblessness and the exodus of millions of Zimbabweans, both to neighbouring countries and to Europe and the US.
What's going on with Zimbabwe's economy?
By any measure, Zimbabwe is in deep financial trouble.
In many stores, the shelves are nearly empty much of the time, and prices are skyrocketing for what goods remain as hyperinflation sets in.
About four out of five people are estimated to be out of work - at least as far as the official economy is concerned.
The situation is so bad that about 3,000 people a day are thought to be crossing Zimbabwe's borders into neighbouring countries.
And increasingly, many Zimbabweans are dependent on support from relatives and friends abroad to keep food on the table and roofs over their heads.
Hyperinflation - what's that?
This is what happens when the value of money plummets.
Stampedes have broken out when goods arrive at some stores
In Zimbabwe's case, the near-5,000% annual rate of inflation means that a loaf of bread bought today is about 50 times more expensive - in cash terms - than it was a year ago.
And prices are continuing to accelerate, in some cases doubling in weeks - or even, on occasion, days.
Wages, on the other hand, are nowhere near keeping up.
One correspondent recently told the BBC News website that one candle can cost twice the official government wage for a farm worker, while the price tag for a single banana is 15 times what she paid seven years ago for a four-bedroom house.
Another effect is that people simply do not hang onto money. As soon as it is earned, it must be spent - because prices will have risen sharply even by the following day.
How do people cope?
Barter is increasingly common.
So, too, is a reliance on remittances from abroad - in money but increasingly in goods. Several shopping websites now allow expatriate Zimbabweans to order food supplies to be paid for in foreign currencies and delivered to relatives at home.
Similarly, with petrol shortages endemic and prices spiralling - not to mention power cuts, often for 20 hours in the day - one enterprising firm now allows vouchers to be sent as text messages, to pay for fuel in US dollars.
Wherever possible, people exporting and importing goods do so on the black market, since a sizable slice of foreign currency exchanged at the official rate has to be kept in accounts which the government can use to feed its need for foreign exchange.
In any case, exchange rates on the unofficial or "parallel market" can be 20 times more generous than the official one of Z$15,000 to the US dollar.
How did it get to be like this?
For many people, the key cause of the current problems is Zimbabwe's land reform programme.
Most of the country's most productive farmland remained in white hands after independence in 1979, and through the 1990s the government of President Robert Mugabe worked to shift ownership.
By 1999, however, with little movement, the government unveiled plans to seize land without compensation - a process which started in earnest the following year.
Revaluations and new currency have failed to halt inflation
As hundreds of farms were taken over - sometimes by local people, often by senior government officials - production, and export, of grain and tobacco collapsed.
Huge spending on involvement in the conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo was also a drain on the public purse.
The result was a food crisis, and a battering for the economy as foreign exchange earnings slumped - both from farming and from tourism, amid violence surrounding the land reform programme.
What is the government saying - and doing?
As far as President Mugabe and his ministers are concerned, land reform has nothing to do with the country's economic travails.
Instead, sabotage by the West in general, and the UK - the former colonial power - in particular, is responsible.
They point to sanctions imposed against the country - although these are aimed at leaders, rather than at the economy as a whole.
And the government has also taken a string of measures intended to stem the country's decline.
Among them have been limits on foreign currency movements, a revaluation of the Zimbabwe dollar, the introduction of vouchers instead of banknotes, and - most recently - the imposition of stringent price controls.
Cuts of as much as 50% on many commodities are now required by law, and thousands of businesspeople have been arrested for pricing goods at levels it sees as amounting to profiteering.
Meanwhile, the government is planning to "indigenise" foreign-owned businesses by making sure black Zimbabweans have majority control.
And Mr Mugabe is also promising to print even more money, should government projects require it.
Is any of this working?
President Mugabe blames foreign sabotage for Zimbabwe's ills
No.
The hyperinflation affects raw materials and wages as well as retail prices, after all.
So businesses argue that at the prices the government demands, they simply cannot afford to make or buy the goods in the first place.
The result, Zimbabweans report, is hoarding of what goods remain; stampedes whenever a shop acquires a much-needed staple like cooking oil or maize meal; and further hardship.
And the import restrictions may make things worse, since the collapse of domestic output means goods brought across the border are often the only thing on the shelves.
Printing even more money, meanwhile, will simply add to the hyperinflation.
Some analysts say the situation will lead to a complete collapse of the economy and the government by the end of the year but each time people have said in the past that things couldn't get any worse, they have.
So is anyone gaining from this?
A few businesses are making huge profits from the black market - for example those with good connections who can buy hard currency at the official rate and sell it to those who need it at a far higher price.
The Zimbabwe Stock Exchange has also been roaring ahead - it has been one of the best-performing in the world in recent years.
As the government prints money, and interest rates have failed to keep up with the rampant inflation, assets such as stocks have been one of the few places where Zimbabweans have been able to put their money so as to retain its value.
The result: share prices increasing even faster than retail price inflation.
Meanwhile, many South African shops are experiencing their own mini-boom.
As goods become ever scarcer, Zimbabweans are flocking across the frontier to stock up - and not only to stores in towns near the border.
And many of the million or more Zimbabweans already in South Africa are similarly buying up staples to send home.
Zim news article - July
Zimbabwe has 80% unemployment and the world's highest inflation
A barefoot woman in Zimbabwe with a supermarket basket at her feet, toes squeezing the wires to prevent anyone grabbing it, was throwing pots of half-price moisturising cream into it as fast as she could.
Around her desperate shoppers at the Harare supermarket, with trolleys piled high, were lunging at shelves, fighting, shouting to get to products that had suddenly been cut by 50%.
"The staff had all evacuated apart from the till operators. At the back, even the storeroom doors were wide open and the place had been ransacked - there was nothing left, nothing on pallets," a bystander said.
This chaotic scene has been repeated across the capital in the last week following an order by the authorities that the prices of basic goods be halved.
It was mayhem... the riot police had to come because the tills hadn't the chance to sort out the pricing
Eyewitness
With inflation at officially more than 3,700% (some economists put it as high as 9,000%), supermarkets are unwilling to comply, so a price-control unit has been trying to enforce it with instant inspections.
On Sunday, the unit arrived at 0800 at a Bon Marche store in Harare, and gave the staff a list of goods whose prices had to be cut by 50%, including most Nestle products.
"I swear at 0830 (0730 GMT) there were droves of people running, not walking, running to the supermarket through the mall," an eyewitness, who asked to remain anonymous, told the BBC News website.
"It was mayhem in there. By 1030 the riot police had to come and sort it out because the tills hadn't had the chance to sort out the pricing."
Hoarding
She described how people with packed trolleys were accusing each other of hoarding.
They don't make bread because it's a controlled price... they add a few currants or change the shape of it - then it'll be classed as fancy bread - and they can charge what they like
Harare accountant
"I'm going to report you. You should share," one person shouted.
"I will share with you, if you give me half your chicken," the other retorted.
A 25 litre drum of cooking oil was reportedly cut by the officials from 15m Zimbabwe dollars to Z$3m.
"There weren't enough trolleys so people were going to the plastic-ware section and got buckets to carry the stuff in," the eyewitness explained.
When the police arrived, they ordered everyone out of the shop, and then allowed 20 people in at a time.
"But at that stage time was ticking and the doors closed at 2pm, so there was a commotion like you wouldn't believe outside - swearing and shouting," she said.
The next morning, scared shop assistants and managers wore plain clothes to work and began the massive clear up - returning the items piled in trolleys that were abandoned when the police arrived.
However, the prices were back to normal - no bargains were to be found.
Arrests
News of the price cuts have led some people to rush into town, only to discover that the supermarkets they heard about are no longer discounting.
Many workers are unable to afford to get buses to work
According to state media, at least 20 businessmen have been arrested in the ongoing crackdown.
Among them was the manager of a TM supermarket branch in Harare, detained on Sunday morning when he asked price-control officials, who had arrived at the shop, to give him an hour to re-programme the tills.
He was immediately handcuffed and taken into police custody.
An accountant in the capital told the BBC News website that sometimes inspectors force shopkeepers to cut the price of just one product.
"You'll be standing in the shop, when suddenly the price for something will go down - there'll be a mad dash, a free-for-all, and it'll all be gone within seconds," she said.
Smaller shops are suffering the most in the crackdown.
"A lot of the butchers are closing down because they've been told they've got to sell below cost," she says.
Meanwhile, buyers are reluctant to restock in case they are forced to slash prices again and this had led to some shortages.
Some people are profiteering
Harare accountant
"There're shortages of bread because now. They don't make bread because it's a controlled price. The bakeries make buns or something with a few currants in or change the shape of it - then it'll be classed as fancy bread - and they can charge what they like," the accountant said.
A Harare resident said she had been looking for eggs and milk since Thursday and another told the BBC there were rumours that goods were being moved from warehouses to residential houses to hide them from inspectors.
'Half-price war'
Petrol queues have formed again as garages are confused about what price to sell at.
A couple of fuel pumps opened on Monday night selling at Z$140,000 (just over $1 on the black market; $560 at the official rate), down from Z$200,000.
Mr Mugabe has said price hikes are unjustified
One family contacted by the BBC, who was cooking supper outside over a fire because of the now daily electricity cuts, said the fuel prices had not been reflected in lower transport fares.
The "half-price war" is not limited to basic products. Mobile phone companies have also been threatened, and Econet top-up cards were nowhere to be found in Harare on Monday.
Earlier this year, President Robert Mugabe blamed "unbridled greed" for the country's economic woes.
"Some people are profiteering," agreed the accountant, "but there must be a more logical way of tackling it. Asking to see invoices and working out the profit, perhaps."
Businessmen complain that it is a full-time job trying to keep abreast of new regulations that change daily.
Because of the chronic shortage of cash, employers have been told to pay staff who earn over Z$1m a month (a subsistence wage) by cheque, which means people have to open up bank accounts.
This is proving difficult as many do not have the correct identification documents and will face bank charges that shrink their meagre earnings still further.
No cheques of Z$50m or above ($416 on the black market) are acknowledged by the banks and there are limits on the amount of cheques that can be drawn each day.
When the ATM machines work, only Z$3m ($21) can be withdrawn.
It seems beating rampant inflation will prove a long-fought battle.
This report was compiled by the BBC's Lucy Fleming from the accounts of several Harare residents.
A barefoot woman in Zimbabwe with a supermarket basket at her feet, toes squeezing the wires to prevent anyone grabbing it, was throwing pots of half-price moisturising cream into it as fast as she could.
Around her desperate shoppers at the Harare supermarket, with trolleys piled high, were lunging at shelves, fighting, shouting to get to products that had suddenly been cut by 50%.
"The staff had all evacuated apart from the till operators. At the back, even the storeroom doors were wide open and the place had been ransacked - there was nothing left, nothing on pallets," a bystander said.
This chaotic scene has been repeated across the capital in the last week following an order by the authorities that the prices of basic goods be halved.
It was mayhem... the riot police had to come because the tills hadn't the chance to sort out the pricing
Eyewitness
With inflation at officially more than 3,700% (some economists put it as high as 9,000%), supermarkets are unwilling to comply, so a price-control unit has been trying to enforce it with instant inspections.
On Sunday, the unit arrived at 0800 at a Bon Marche store in Harare, and gave the staff a list of goods whose prices had to be cut by 50%, including most Nestle products.
"I swear at 0830 (0730 GMT) there were droves of people running, not walking, running to the supermarket through the mall," an eyewitness, who asked to remain anonymous, told the BBC News website.
"It was mayhem in there. By 1030 the riot police had to come and sort it out because the tills hadn't had the chance to sort out the pricing."
Hoarding
She described how people with packed trolleys were accusing each other of hoarding.
They don't make bread because it's a controlled price... they add a few currants or change the shape of it - then it'll be classed as fancy bread - and they can charge what they like
Harare accountant
"I'm going to report you. You should share," one person shouted.
"I will share with you, if you give me half your chicken," the other retorted.
A 25 litre drum of cooking oil was reportedly cut by the officials from 15m Zimbabwe dollars to Z$3m.
"There weren't enough trolleys so people were going to the plastic-ware section and got buckets to carry the stuff in," the eyewitness explained.
When the police arrived, they ordered everyone out of the shop, and then allowed 20 people in at a time.
"But at that stage time was ticking and the doors closed at 2pm, so there was a commotion like you wouldn't believe outside - swearing and shouting," she said.
The next morning, scared shop assistants and managers wore plain clothes to work and began the massive clear up - returning the items piled in trolleys that were abandoned when the police arrived.
However, the prices were back to normal - no bargains were to be found.
Arrests
News of the price cuts have led some people to rush into town, only to discover that the supermarkets they heard about are no longer discounting.
Many workers are unable to afford to get buses to work
According to state media, at least 20 businessmen have been arrested in the ongoing crackdown.
Among them was the manager of a TM supermarket branch in Harare, detained on Sunday morning when he asked price-control officials, who had arrived at the shop, to give him an hour to re-programme the tills.
He was immediately handcuffed and taken into police custody.
An accountant in the capital told the BBC News website that sometimes inspectors force shopkeepers to cut the price of just one product.
"You'll be standing in the shop, when suddenly the price for something will go down - there'll be a mad dash, a free-for-all, and it'll all be gone within seconds," she said.
Smaller shops are suffering the most in the crackdown.
"A lot of the butchers are closing down because they've been told they've got to sell below cost," she says.
Meanwhile, buyers are reluctant to restock in case they are forced to slash prices again and this had led to some shortages.
Some people are profiteering
Harare accountant
"There're shortages of bread because now. They don't make bread because it's a controlled price. The bakeries make buns or something with a few currants in or change the shape of it - then it'll be classed as fancy bread - and they can charge what they like," the accountant said.
A Harare resident said she had been looking for eggs and milk since Thursday and another told the BBC there were rumours that goods were being moved from warehouses to residential houses to hide them from inspectors.
'Half-price war'
Petrol queues have formed again as garages are confused about what price to sell at.
A couple of fuel pumps opened on Monday night selling at Z$140,000 (just over $1 on the black market; $560 at the official rate), down from Z$200,000.
Mr Mugabe has said price hikes are unjustified
One family contacted by the BBC, who was cooking supper outside over a fire because of the now daily electricity cuts, said the fuel prices had not been reflected in lower transport fares.
The "half-price war" is not limited to basic products. Mobile phone companies have also been threatened, and Econet top-up cards were nowhere to be found in Harare on Monday.
Earlier this year, President Robert Mugabe blamed "unbridled greed" for the country's economic woes.
"Some people are profiteering," agreed the accountant, "but there must be a more logical way of tackling it. Asking to see invoices and working out the profit, perhaps."
Businessmen complain that it is a full-time job trying to keep abreast of new regulations that change daily.
Because of the chronic shortage of cash, employers have been told to pay staff who earn over Z$1m a month (a subsistence wage) by cheque, which means people have to open up bank accounts.
This is proving difficult as many do not have the correct identification documents and will face bank charges that shrink their meagre earnings still further.
No cheques of Z$50m or above ($416 on the black market) are acknowledged by the banks and there are limits on the amount of cheques that can be drawn each day.
When the ATM machines work, only Z$3m ($21) can be withdrawn.
It seems beating rampant inflation will prove a long-fought battle.
This report was compiled by the BBC's Lucy Fleming from the accounts of several Harare residents.
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