Analysis of thin-layer chromatograms of paint pigments and dyes by direct microspectrophotometry

The Nanospec 10S microspectrophotometer has been used to produce reflectance spectra over the 380–900 nm range from coloured thin-layer chromatography spots. The method has been applied to extracted paint pigments and to dyes from other materials examined in forensic science.     

Towards universal health coverage in Zambia: impediments and opportunities

Universal health coverage has been given a prominent place in the post-2015 global development agenda, but there are concerns over its feasibility in low- and middle-income countries. This article assesses successive Zambian governments’ efforts to achieve this agenda. We discuss the recent restructuring of health governance to support policies that re-emphasise the social determinants of health and health equity. This includes a new Ministry of Community Development and Mother and Child Health alongside the Ministry of Health. We argue that recent innovations in policy and practice need to be extended to include ministries which focus on economic development.     

The Possibility of Lawful Act Economic Duress: Pakistan International Airlines Corp v Times Travel (UK) Ltd

The voidability of a contract procured by ‘economic duress’ is now well-established, but the precise boundaries of the doctrine remain contested. In Pakistan International Airlines Corp v Times Travel (UK) Ltd [2021] UKSC 40, the Supreme Court confronted the longstanding controversy as to whether a threat to perform a lawful act can provide grounds for a threatened party to avoid a contract for economic duress. This note argues that the Court's decision to affirm the existence of ‘lawful act duress’ is welcome. It is further argued that the specific kind of lawful act duress identified by the majority and relevant to determining the appeal, described as ‘deliberate maneuvering via illegitimate means’, provides helpful (and defensible) clarification of the content of this doctrine, and that the Court was correct to hold that the contract in Times Travel was not voidable on this basis.