EU foreign ministers yesterday agreed to the immediate introduction of "smart sanctions" against Zimbabwe.

The decision was made after Robert Mugabe's regime refused to accredit Pierre Schori as the head of the EU's election observer group.

Sanctions to be introduced include an arms embargo and a travel ban on Mugabe and his key ministers.

The US now looks set to follow suit - a move described by the Times as leaving Mugabe "reviled and alone".