The court was furnished in blond wood. There were no wigs and the accused man wore a jersey. But the informality was in contrast to the gravity of the charges. An army officer was on trial for a war crime: the killing of 11 innocent women and children in Afghanistan.

What have we done? That’s what Hawick housewife Carol Martin said when she realised her lottery ticket had scooped £33 million.

How desperate would you have to be to put your child onto a rubber dinghy and wave them off to the mercy of the world? It beggars belief that people are doing it but they are. Some are parents who can afford only one fare so they buy a way out for their child.

“I AM an Asian Tiger Mum, for whom education is the only way to success for my children, and excellence in music, sport and ballet is a prerequisite to living any sort of life at all.”

THE surge in hobbies and home improvements during lockdown has led to a rise in injuries, with optometrists in particular issuing a warning to lockdown Brits to take extra care.

EUGENE Cairns (Herald Letters, May 6) feels that a fitting tribute to our NHS heroes would be to name hospitals and wards after those who have died in our service during the pandemic crisis.

VE DAY in 1945 was obviously an occasion for major celebration in Britain and throughout Europe. But there is reasonable debate as to what we should make of it now.

It is true, as the Education Secretary John Swinney said this week, that it “takes time” to implement reforms in education, and natural that, since the effects must be seen as a cohort of students moves through the various stages, any improvement will take a while to evaluate.

THE primary and ultimate responsibility for the parlous state of the high street lies with its customers, or former customers, since we are increasingly giving our custom to online retailers instead.

AMID the terrible personal losses and hardships provoked by the coronavirus crisis, and its huge impact on the global economy and the lives and welfare of even those not directly touched by the disease, there are some small consolations.

IN THE five days since Scotland and the rest of the UK effectively went into lockdown, it is heartening to see the ways in which the vast majority of the population has responded, not merely with compliance and resilience, but with a community spirit and a great many acts of personal service and sacrifice.

THE Government’s ambition to reach a daily target of 100,000 tests across the UK by the end of the month will, as Matt Hancock admitted, require a “huge amount of work”.

When the Coronavirus Health Protection Regulations were introduced by the UK’s governments on March 26 (two days later, in Northern Ireland), they included the provision that they be reviewed after 21 days, a deadline now approaching.

AS expected, the UK and Scottish governments have decided, after the first three weeks of restrictions to contain the spread of coronavirus, that they should remain in place. Strictly speaking, that is not an extension, but the default position; the legislation allows for the lockdown to continue for six months (when it must then be renewed by the parliaments). Interim reviews are to see whether the circumstances allow for relaxation, or indeed, require tightening of the measures.

As Westminster’s Health Secretary, Matt Hancock, pointed out yesterday – and as the First Minister readily agreed – Nicola Sturgeon’s comments on the likely steps to be taken in easing lockdown are hardly out of line with the UK government’ s approach to the coronavirus emergency.

THE fact that Scotland’s testing figures have fallen well behind the strategy outlined by the First Minister on April 3 of “proportionately” matching those of the UK government is a cause for concern, and the reasons for it certainly merit examination, but it would be hasty to regard it as an indictment of overall policy.

WE should be wary of comparing the crisis of war with the crisis of coronavirus, but the 75th anniversary of VE Day is a reminder of what a national emergency can do to a leader. It can reveal their weaknesses and end their career, or it can highlight the qualities and skills that are needed in a time of trouble.

IN pre-lockdown days I had a much-ridiculed addiction. Using Snapchat Maps online, I would click all over the map to see the ‘stories’ of random people I didn’t know in all corners of the world.

IN the years BC (Before Covid), my morning routine was consistent. First, perusal of the paper, starting with the sport followed by the death notices. Continued absence from the latter represented a pretty good start to the day. Omnipresent coronavirus has reversed that order. Now, my first port of call is the ever-expanding family notices. Worryingly, for a man in his eighth decade, the deaths section lengthens daily. Equally concerning, is my proximity to the average age of those whose demise

MY after work walk on Wednesday was a zig zag, following the sun as she headed west.

IT was impossible to escape a heart-sinking feeling this week when reading reports that a senior UK Government source believed people were “addicted” to the furlough scheme.

CAN I tell you how I feel? I feel, sometimes, like everyone in my life has suddenly been reduced to flat, distant images on a computer screen, like we’re in Star Trek. And I don’t like it.

Rocker’s bum note

THE most recent onslaught on Scotland’s farmed salmon industry has come from The Sustainable Inshore Fisheries Trust, who commissioned a report from Salmon & Trout Conservation Scotland claiming that the value of farmed salmon to the Scottish economy, and the number of people it employs, are both massively overestimated by a staggering 251%. The success of Scotland’s aquaculture industry and its employment of large numbers in remote, rural parts, has always rankled with the industry’s crit

GLUMNESS settles on a large part of the nation whenever the subject of comedy comes up now. The lockdown has led to a more frenetic search for entertainment, and the current state of humour hasn’t wanted for critics. This week, Royle Family star Ricky Tomlinson, 80, said it was dire, and listed several comedians, adding: “They should be done under the Trade Description Act.”

Allon Raiz is CEO of business incubator Raizcorp. In this series of articles, he offers entrepreneurs advice on surviving a crisis.

Banks can be as powerful and valued as the big technology firms. Yes, those trillion-dollar titans.

Stokvels are an important strategy for financial survival, so it's crucial to find a way to make them work during the pandemic, says Dr Norman Chivasa.

Now, more than ever, we need to be listening for market signals and ensuring that our businesses are primed to both take advantage of opportunities and to mitigate risks, says Allon Raiz.

For companies to survive and even thrive beyond the coronavirus pandemic, they’re going to have think more like the millennial generation, says Dr Anushka Bogdanov.

Authorities unable or unwilling to face up to a reality that might reveal their own shortcomings and ineptitude, usually resort to pinpointing a scapegoat. This year, Covid-19 fits that bill, says Terry Bell.

There’s always been massive inequality in South Africa, but those who have the money and power still aren’t getting it, says Carmen Williams.

As editor Wilhelm Crous puts it, "We haven't seen this movie before."

The future choices made by airlines matter a great deal for the oil market, say Liam Denning and Brooke Sutherland.

The furore surrounding the arrival of over 200 Cuban medical doctors in South Africa to fight the coronavirus has highlighted a failure on the part of the SA government to explain the nature and drivers of our country’s relationship with Cuba, says Mills Soko.

For the first time in 130 years, there will be no rallies and marches to celebrate what began as a campaign for an eight-hour working day.

Handyman Vincenzo Perugia walked out of the Louvre with a rolled-up painting under his smock. What ensured should be a lesson to us all, says Hannes Viljoen.

Where businesses are fighting to survive, agility is the name of the game, says Mignon Reynecke.

Read an extract from business author and coach Douglas Kruger's latest book, Virus-proof your small business.

Strategic partnerships could be used to create win-win outcomes, says Sifiso Skenjana.

To history buffs, the Covid-19 pandemic must seem eerily familiar, says Noah Smith.

A team of social media analysts at an SA business school is tracking misinformation, disinformation, distortion and lies online.

Government went to war against Covid-19 with very low supplies in citizen trust and financial reserves, says Solly Moeng.

Argentina is a case study in what happens when an economy already on its knees implements an aggressive lockdown, says Mac Margolis.

Our economy is in deep trouble, from whichever perspective you look at it. The economic battering taken by economically strong countries is frightening, leaving us in South Africa to fear the worst.

CONTEXT:

Several antiemetics have been used in children with acute gastroenteritis. However, there is still controversy over their use.

CONTEXT:

Pneumococcal conjugate vaccines (PCVs) (pneumococcal 13-valent conjugate vaccine [PCV-13] and pneumococcal 10-valent conjugate vaccine [PCV-10]) are available for prevention of pneumococcal infections in children.

In India and China, indigenous drug manufacturers market arbitrarily combined parenteral β-lactam and β-lactamase inhibitors (BL-BLIs). In these fixed-dose combinations, sulbactam or tazobactam is indiscriminately combined with parenteral cephalosporins, with BLI doses kept in ratios similar to those for the approved BL-BLIs. Such combinations have been introduced into clinical practice without mandatory drug development studies involving pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic, safety, and efficacy assessments being undertaken. Such unorthodox combinations compromise clinical outcomes and also potentially contribute to resistance development.