When Gibson Nyandoro raised his arm and slowly unclenched his fist to make the open-palmed salute of Zimbabwe's opposition at a rally eight weeks ago, it was a moment so loaded with symbolism that it stilled the crowd. This weekend, Nyandoro's body lies rotting near the army barracks where he was tortured to death.
A shift in the pattern of the world's wealth was illustrated last week as the ancient Viking hangout of Oslo gained the dubious title of being the world's most expensive city. Thanks to an offshore oil-fuelled boom, the Norwegian capital, where a pint of beer is R75 and a CD nearly R215, is now the costliest place on the planet.