US inmate dies after botched execution, second delayed

An American murderer died of a heart attack Tuesday more than 40 minutes after his execution was halted due to a botched lethal injection, leading Oklahoma to postpone the execution of a second inmate.

MSN – AFP, 30 Apr 2014

The execution of a US inmate  -- using an untested lethal injection protocol -- was
 botched, leading authorities to immediately postpone a second execution planned
for two hours later, Oklahoma prisons authorities have said

Convicted murderer and rapist Clayton Lockett was administered a new, untested three-drug protocol that included a sedative, an anesthetic and a lethal dose of potassium chloride in what would have been the central state's first double execution in 80 years.

But Oklahoma Department of Corrections Director Robert Patton ordered the execution of Lockett stopped about three or four minutes after the start of the injection at 6:23 pm (2323 GMT), citing a "vein failure," a prisons spokesman said.

Lockett died of a "massive heart attack" at 7:06 pm after receiving all three drugs, spokesman Jerry Massie said.

Even though he was administered the injection, "the drugs didn't go into the system," the spokesman added.

Patton then immediately ordered a 14-day delay to the execution of Charles Warner, who had been set to be put to death two hours later.

Oklahoma had previously postponed the two executions in March because of a shortage of lethal injection drugs.

But the state managed to get supplies, while changing the execution protocol, and the two inmates exhausted their appeals.

Lockett was convicted in 2000 for the rape and murder of a young woman he kidnapped, beat and buried alive.

Warner was convicted for the 1997 rape and murder of an 11-month-old girl.

Warner's lawyer Madeline Cohen had argued against the new injection combination, saying the "experimental new drug protocol, including a paralytic," would make "it impossible to know whether the executions will comport with the Eighth Amendment's ban on cruel and unusual suffering."

"Despite repeated requests by counsel, the state has refused, again and again, to provide information about the source, purity, testing and efficacy of the drugs to be used. It's not even known whether the drugs were purchased legally," she said.

Both Lockett and Warner had argued they had the constitutional right to know the composition and origin of any drugs used in the lethal injection.

In a judicial twist, Oklahoma's supreme court had first suspended the executions in order to resolve the controversy, but then two days later reversed itself, saying the men had no more right to information on drugs than they would for the electric chair.

Since European manufacturers began refusing to sell the most commonly used anesthetic -- pentobarbital -- for human executions, several US states have found themselves confronted with shortages, and are now seeking an alternative, which has led to an increase in court cases over the issue.

The last time two inmates were executed on the same night in Oklahoma was in 1937.

See Also

• Texas executes man convicted in stabbing murders
• Karpal Singh, true humanitarian – Lee Min Choon
• Indonesian 'blood money' saves maid from Saudi execution
• India court orders first death sentences for multiple rapes
• Three men sentenced to death for gang-rapes in Mumbai

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Botched US execution not 'carried out humanely': WHouse

Clayton Lockett writhed and groaned. After 43 minutes, he was declared dead

E-cigarette bans take effect in Chicago and New York

Laws will make electronic cigarettes subject to same regulations as tobacco, as sellers and users are steadfast in their opposition

theguardian.com, Associated Press in New York, Tuesday 29 April 2014

Talia Eisenberg, co-founder of the Henley Vaporium, uses her vaping
device in New York. Photograph: Frank Franklin II /AP

Laws in New York and Chicago making electronic cigarettes subject to the same regulations as tobacco are taking effect, and their sellers and users are steadfast in their opposition.

The New York ban – along with the measure in Chicago, one that previously went into effect in Los Angeles and federal regulations proposed last week – are keeping the debate smoldering among public health officials, the e-cigarette industry and users.

Proponents of the bans, which began Tuesday, say they are aimed at preventing the re-acceptance of smoking as a societal norm, particularly among teenagers who could see the tobacco-free electronic cigarettes, with their candy-like flavorings and celebrity endorsers, as a gateway to cancer-causing tobacco products.

Dr Thomas Farley, the New York City health commissioner under former Mayor Michael Bloomberg, says allowing electronic cigarettes in bars and restaurants would undermine existing bans on tobacco-based products.

"Imagine for a moment you're at a bar and there are 20 people who are puffing on something that looks like a cigarette and then somebody smells something that smells like tobacco smoke," Farley says. "How's the bartender going to know who to tap on the shoulder and say, 'Put that out'?"

Makers of the devices say marketing them as e-cigarettes has confused lawmakers into thinking they are the same as tobacco-based cigarettes. They say the bans ostracize people who want an alternative to tobacco products and will be especially hard on ex-smokers who are being lumped into the same smoking areas as tobacco users.

Their defenders also say they're a good way to quit tobacco, even though science is murky on the claim.

Peter Denholtz, the chief executive and co-founder of the Henley Vaporium in Manhattan, says electronic cigarettes "could be the greatest invention of our lifetime in terms of saving lives" by moving smokers away from traditional cigarettes.

"This law just discourages that," he says.

Chris Jehly, a 31-year-old Brooklyn resident, also defends the devices as a vehicle for quitting.

"The tougher they're going to make it on vapers, the tougher it is people are going to find an actual vehicle for quitting or as a supplement to cigarettes," Jehly says from his perch at the counter at Henley. "There's no need for it. This is working so much better than patches or gum or prescription drugs."

Robin Koval, chief executive of the anti-smoking Legacy Foundation, says that while ingredients in electronic cigarettes are not as harmful as those in tobacco products, they are still a concern because they contain highly addictive nicotine. The National Institutes of Health says users could expose themselves to toxic levels of nicotine while refilling the devices or even use them to smoke other substances.

Since little evidence exists on the effect of the devices on smoking – whether as an aid in quitting, a gateway for non-smokers or a bridge to keep smokers hooked longer – she says she favors a legislative approach that balances public health with the development of safer alternatives.

"The right way forward will be a way that promotes innovation that helps us do everything we possibly can to get combustible tobacco to be history," Koval says. "We want a generation of Americans where, for them, cigarettes are a thing of the past – an artifact like a roll of film or a rotary telephone."

How Biophotons Show That We Are Made of Light

The Spirit Science, Becky Barnica, April 18, 2014

A biophoton or Ultra-weak Photon Emission, (UPE) is a kind of light particle that is emitted by all living things.  Though it exists in the visible and ultraviolet spectrum, in order for us to see it, our eyes would have to be about 1,000 times more sensitive.

While we can’t see them with our eyes alone,  technology has given us a glimpse and what it’s shown us may have a profound impact on us all.

Biophotons were first thought to be merely the byproduct of metabolic chemical reactions.  That idea is being challenged with an exciting theory that claims biophotons have a much larger role to play when it comes to our physiology and quite possibly our consciousness as well.

Experiments are showing that biophotons (UPEs) can be captured and stored inside of cells and  can even travel through our nervous system; suggesting that biophotons might provide a way for cells to transfer energy and communicate information.  It’s has also been suggested that UPEs might even have properties which help us to visualize images.

This makes sense considering how we’re creating computers. All computers are is silicon crystal chips which we pass light through to relay 0′s and 1′s. (Light on, Light Off). The first computer was literally built with a lightbulb and these punch-cards which had holes in them, which is how we would program computers.

Today, our computers are far more advanced, and yet at the core, the electrical information we are passing through computers today is still a form of light. Now our sciences are revealing humans work the same way, and Light carries information through our brain, nervous system, and even our DNA.

Yep! Scientists are finding that our DNA is a strong source of UPEs, it communicates with and is created from light itself!   It’s been observed that DNA produces extremely high biophoton emissions and has excimer laser-like properties.   Excimer lasers (or exciplex lasers)  are special lasers consisting pseudo-molecules that only exist in a highly excited state and emit light in the ultraviolet range.

If that wasn’t cool enough already, scientists have also discovered that not only do we emit light, we have the ability to effect it with our thoughts alone.   In a recent study, participants were placed in a darkened room and asked to visualize a bright light.  When they did this, they were able to increase their levels of biophoton emissions significantly, showing that our intentions have an influence on light itself!

In conclusion, Light appears to be a fundamental part of our being. It’s hard-coded into our very bodies to function directly with, and through – light. On top of that, the fact that we can affect light with our intentions alone… outstanding!  It would appear those new age hippies are right when they say we are all beings of light. 

Related Article:

"The Mysterious Innate" – Aug 31, 2013 (Kryon Channelling by Lee Carroll) - (Text version)

"... Innate

The word innate is part of Human consciousness. All of you have this at the corporeal level and we are going to discuss that today in a way we've never discussed before. We will be telling you only a little bit about it, but hopefully enough to tweak your interest and make you understand that there is more to you than you think - much more.

Innate has been described in the past as the smart part of your cells. Now, that might indicate that there's also a non-smart part, but let us say that it's a more ignorant part, and believe it or not, that ignorant part is your brain. Now the brain perceives many things and it's a most excellent calculator. It's the best memory and relational computational instrument on the earth today. Everything that you have experienced is in your brain. It tempers how you behave, what you do, how you act, what you believe, and how you perceive things. But let me tell you where it falls short. It doesn't know anything about what's going on within your cells or your emotional body. It may send signals to operate your body, but it is blind to what happens after that. It is also easily confused.

Your Brain is Not "In The Loop"

You can intellectualize this for a very long time, yet you will never find out from your brain how your cells are doing. Do you have an allergy to something that your body has not experienced yet? Perhaps it is a food you have never tasted or a chemical you have not seen. How would you know? As you begin to eat the food, or ingest the chemical, shouldn't the brain yell, "Don't do that! You are allergic to it! You will pay the price!" But it does not. It is not connected to cellular structure. But the innate is.

The innate is the smart corporeal body. It knows everything about your overall system. It actually is as smart as your brain, but in a different way. So, what can a Human Being do to find out if he/she is allergic to something? Let's say that is you, so you can ask your brain, but it has no idea. So instead, you place the food or chemistry in your hand and muscle-test it. That is called kinesiology, a big word for something very simple. Muscle-testing is using the body's innate to give you a "yes or no" signal about something it knows about, but that your brain does not.

So in the process of kinesiology, do you understand that you have acknowledged that there is a part of your body system that knows more than your brain? Indeed, this is a process that has been used for centuries, and it's very accurate.

This innate knows a lot more than what you're allergic to, my friend. It is also tuned in completely to the quantum parts of your DNA that know everything about your spiritual and cellular evolvement. Innate handshakes with your Higher-Self at all the three Human group levels, and that is difficult to describe. If you put this information in a circle chart, you can draw the lines between the groups and you'd see what I mean. It's your smart body, and it's connected to everything.

Let me ask you a question, dear one: Don't you find it odd that there are certain kinds of diseases that can lurk within your cells, that can attack you, yet you only know it through your discomfort or through your death! What kind of brain do you have that would not tell you about this? You never have the signal through your brain about any of it except discomfort and pain! But innate knows about it the moment it happens. Innate knows when it entered your body. As your white blood cells go to the places they need to fight, your entire immune system goes into alert! Yet you have no idea about it, since your brain is just doing what it always does - it computes and remembers. But, in this case, it does a very poor job helping you survive.

About Innate

What is innate? Where is it? This is difficult to explain. We told, you dear Human Being, that the elusive Akash information is not in your brain either. You cannot go to your brain to find out who you used to be in a past life. The innate is the same. It's not in your brain, but instead it's in every cell of your body and every molecule of your DNA. The difference between innate and the Akash is that innate is on top (a linear concept for you), and it is always broadcasting, always there. If you know how to listen to it and where it is, you can tune in. Muscle-testing is one way of knowing, a very basic way. Some of you also know that innate responds to acupuncture. Did you know that? Your brain does not.

The Merkabah - Innate's Quantum Field

Innate is aware of all things at the cellular level and is broadcasting all the time. It broadcasts so well that it flows into that which you call the Merkabah of the body. Now, the Merkabah is a quantum field around your body that pulses very strongly with esoteric information, including corporeal health. Many have the ability to see and read this field.

A medical intuitive can stand before you in various degrees of success and read the messages from your innate. This intuitive person does not have to muscle-test to know you've got something going on within your cells. They can see it or sense it within the field around your body. Now, you may have thought that a medical intuitive is looking at your liver or your heart, doing some kind of analysis. That's very linear thinking and is not what is happening. That's your box of belief working overtime. Instead, the medical intuitives are sensing the quantum energy within your field that your innate is broadcasting about your health, of what's going on in the chemistry, and of what might be developing inside you. It's different than you thought, isn't it? That's the innate and that's only one of the things that innate does. ..."

70 New Zealand formula brands may be forced out of China

Want China Times, Staff Reporter 2014-04-29

New Zealand milk powder brand Fonterra products at a supermarket in
Shanxi province. (File photo/CNS)

Around 70 New Zealand infant formula brands may be forced out of the Chinese market even though 13 major milk power exporters passed tests by the authorities which came after Beijing formulated a new law that will take effect next month, reports the Guangdong-based Yangcheng Evening News.

New Zealand food safety minister Nikki Kaye and primary industries minister Nathan Guy said last week that the Chinese government has confirmed that the 13 companies, which amount to 90% of exported milk powder in the country, have passed tests and are allowed to register in China.

Four Chinese officials were sent to New Zealand to examine dairy and infant formula factories last month after Beijing decided to ban imports of formula manufactured by overseas companies that do not register with the Chinese government.

Oceanian countries exported US$4.3 billion in dairy products to China last year, of which 4% was infant formula.

Even though the 13 companies got the green light, around 70 brands from New Zealand are likely to be banned under the new rules which require the brand to have direct contact with manufacturers. That suggests these brands have to have clear control and management over manufacturing processes and product formula.

An industrial insider said the figure could exceed 70 since manufacturers have also raised their standards. Now they are only willing to manufacture for brands that have certain amounts of sales, investments and brand influence. Many small brands are likely to be forced out of the market due to the new laws, said a Chinese milk powder trader.

Related Article:

41 foreign formula producers given green light for export to China

'Drinks companies agree to warn pregnant women about risks'

DutchNews.nl, Tuesday 29 April 2014

(Telegraaf.nl)

Most bottles of alcoholic drink sold in the Netherlands will have to carry a health warning for pregnant women in two years' time, the Telegraaf reports on Tuesday.

The paper says the drinks industry has promised junior health minister Martin van Rijn to include a warning on ‘as many bottles as possible’. The logo will appear on 90% of beers, 70% of wine and 60% of spirits, the Telegraaf says.

Related Article:

New Book Urges Teens to ‘Say No Thanks’ to Alcohol

Deal Fever Hits Global Pharmaceutical Sector

Jakarta Globe – AFP, Apr 27, 2014

Customers buying goods in an independent pharmacy in Hong Kong
on Nov. 18, 2013. (AFP Photo/Anthony Wallace)

New York. Global pharmaceutical companies facing major patent expirations have announced billions of dollars of transactions in a wave of deal-making that could ultimately include mega-mergers and hostile takeovers.

On Tuesday, Switzerland’s Novartis, GlaxoSmithKline of Britain and US group Eli Lilly announced nearly $25 billion worth of deals to shift key assets in oncology, vaccines and animal health among the three giants.

The same day, Canadian company Valeant, working with activist investor Bill Ackman, unveiled a bid to acquire Botox-maker Allergan for $45.6 billion. The proposal suggested Valeant would launch a hostile campaign if management does not accede to “productive discussions.”

Both deals were shadowed by the possibility of an even more dramatic outcome: the purchase by US giant Pfizer of Britain’s AstraZeneca for more than $100 billion. Pfizer reportedly approached AstraZeneca about such a deal, although talks are not active.

The stream of activity comes as pharmaceutical giants seek to make up for lost sales as patents expire and as medium–sized firms and generics specialists take steps to grow by acquisition.

“We expect the next few years to be particularly active from a mergers and acquisitions perspective and hence pivotal in the reshaping of the industry,” said Barclays analyst Shubhomoy Mukherjee.

If this week’s transactions are completed, including Valeant-Allergan, that would lift the total on healthcare deals in 2014 to $162.1 billion, making it the second biggest sector in terms of deals after telecommunications, according to Dealogic.

Driving the realignment is pressure on pharma giants to build up specialty businesses and exit lower-priority investments that in some cases have suffered from their second-fiddle status within their companies.

Pharma companies typically enjoy huge profit margins on blockbuster drugs, but the expiration of patents leaves them vulnerable to steep declines in sales.

AstraZeneca chief executive Pascal Soriot said the bulk of the British giant’s research investment focused on three core areas — oncology, cardiovascular and metabolic disease, and respiratory, inflammation and autoimmune problems.

The company, aiming to spend less outside these fields, is exploring “partnering options” for its remaining research in infectious diseases and other areas, Soriot said.

“We’re looking at a variety of options that we hope to conclude very quickly,” he said.

Soriot would not be drawn into a discussion of a Pfizer deal, but the Astra chief argued the company can make it on its own.

“Of course we are always considering options that accelerate shareholder value where it makes sense,” he said. “But at this point in time we are very convinced that our strategy is working. “We are creating value through progressing our pipeline. And we’ll continue doing this on an independent basis.”

Recovering from the ‘patent cliff’

The Novartis-Glaxo-Lilly transactions further Novartis’ efforts to boost its specialties in oncology, Glaxo’s efforts to build vaccines and Lilly’s efforts to become a bigger player in animal health.

Novartis and Glaxo also announced plans to create “a world–leading consumer healthcare business” focused on wellness, oral health, nutrition and skin health. The venture would sell popular remedies to quit smoking and address back pain, and is geared at growing market share in developed and emerging markets.

Valeant too is looking to become a dominant force in choice fields, which include dermatology, aesthetics and ophthalmology. Valeant has said its goal is to become one of the five biggest pharma companies by 2016.

Merck, which has slashed headcount as it contends with the loss of patent exclusivity of its allergy and asthma drug Singular and other best-sellers, is reportedly looking to divest its consumer–brands business for $10 billion or more. The unit includes products like Coppertone and Claritin.

Merck has also streamlined its research efforts to focus on Alzheimer’s, oncology and other choice areas.

Analysts said AstraZeneca could provide Pfizer with some strong products in oncology, cardio-metabolism and other fields, complementing the US giant’s offerings and adding to its product pipeline.

Pfizer, which has faced the challenge of falling off the so-called “patent cliff” for Lipitor and other blockbusters, also has a history large mergers.

“The thought process is that it may be faster and more prudent to buy products through mergers and acquisitions,” said analysts at Credit Suisse. “It takes out uncertainties. It may be more simple and much cheaper than attempting to develop new products.”

But Pfizer’s recent moves have not telegraphed a mega-merger as the most likely course, analysts said.

Pfizer last year spun off its animal-health business into Zoetis and has begun restructuring its operations into three units.

Given these actions, Credit Suisse assessed an Astra deal as “surprising” and less likely than “bolt-on acquisitions.”

Agence France-Presse

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Indian drug maker Sun to buy troubled peer Ranbaxy for $4.0 bln

Bayer to Buy Merck Consumer Business for $14.2B - New

Bayer's net soars thanks to transfusion of new drugs

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"THE BRIDGE OF SWORDS" – Sep 29, 2012 (Kryon channeled by Lee Carroll) - (Text Version)

“…I'm in Canada and I know it, but I will tell those listening and reading in the American audience the following: Get ready! Because there are some institutions that are yet to fall, ones that don't have integrity and that could never be helped with a bail out. Again, we tell you the biggest one is big pharma, and we told you that before. It's inevitable. If not now, then in a decade. It's inevitable and they will fight to stay alive and they will not be crossing the bridge. For on the other side of the bridge is a new way, not just for medicine but for care. Paradigms that have not yet been thought of, which don't represent any system that currently exists, will be created and developed by young minds who have concepts that the seniors don't know about. Things that don't have integrity today will fall over tomorrow. Just get ready. It's all part of what's on the other side of the bridge. And the old energy won't like it, and they will object. …”

Taiwan researcher finds lactic acid bacteria fights depression

Want China Times, 2014-04-26

A young woman drinks probiotic yogurt.
(File photo/Li Sheng-wen)

Consuming lactic acid bacteria may help fight depression and increase the production of chemicals that control emotions, according to a researcher at National Yang Ming University on Friday.

Tsai Ying-chieh, director of the university's Probiotics Research Center and chairperson of the Taiwan Association for Lactic Acid Bacteria, stated that a strain called PS128 helped improve negative emotions in mice during laboratory tests.

The finding is the result of three years of experiments funded by the economics ministry. Tsai subjected mice with depression to forced swimming, maze running and open field movement to monitor changes in neural transmitters such as dopamine and serotonin as well as the stress hormone cortisol.

Dopamine levels more than tripled in depressed mice fed PS128 for two weeks and doubled in regular mice, indicating higher levels of happiness and excitement in both groups, Tsai said.

Serotonin, which eases agitation, fatigue and chronic pain, increased 20% in mice with depression and doubled in mice without, he said.

Cortisol returned to normal levels as well after the two-week treatment, he said.

Tsai said he has applied for patents in Taiwan and the United States in preparation for commercial production.

Iranian mother who spared her son's killer: 'Vengeance has left my heart'

Interview Samereh Alinejad tells the Guardian she had no intention of sparing her son's killer, Balal, until the moment she asked for the noose to be removed from his neck

The Guardian, Saeed Kamali Dehghan,  Friday 25 April 2014

Samereh Alinejad, right, slapping blindfolded Balal, who was convicted
of murdering her son Abdollah. Photograph: Arash Khamoushi/AP

The idea she might pardon her son's killer first came to Samereh Alinejad in a dream. It was a message she didn't want to hear.

Abdollah Hosseinzadeh was stabbed and killed in a street brawl in the autumn of 2007 when he was only 18. He had known his killer, Balal. The two, barely out of their teens at the time, had played football together. Abdollah was the second son Alinejad had lost, her youngest died as a boy in a motorbike accident when he was 11. Furious in her grief, she was determined Balal would hang.

But as Balal's execution date drew nearer, Abdollah appeared to his mother in a series of vivid dreams.

"Ten days before the execution was due, I saw my son in a dream asking me not to take revenge, but I couldn't convince myself to forgive," she told the Guardian. "Two nights before that day, I saw him in the dream once again, but this time he refused to speak to me."

Speaking by phone from Iran's northern Mazandaran province, on the Caspian Sea, Alinejad said she had no intention of sparing Balal's life until the moment she asked for the noose to be removed from his neck. Her last-minute pardon was a remarkable act of humanity that moved hearts across Iran – and the world – but it took Alinejad by surprise as much as it did Balal, his relatives and her own family.

A stream of relatives, her brother and her mother, flowed through her house the night before the execution. Painfully aware of the grief she had carried in the seven years since her son was killed, none of them attempted to change her mind. "I stood very firm in my belief that I want him punished, so they didn't expect me to forgive."

As Abdollah's legal guardian, Alinejad's husband Abdolghani had the power under Iranian law to overturn the death penalty, but he had relinquished that responsibility to his wife.

"We couldn't sleep that night, we were all awake until morning. Until the last minute, I didn't want to forgive. I had told my husband just two days before that I can't forgive this man, but maybe there would be a possibility, but I couldn't persuade myself to forgive." Alinejad had been assured: "My husband said, look to God and let's see what happens."

In the early hours of last Tuesday, Alinejad was outside the gates of Nour prison, among the crowd gathered for Balal's execution.

"You have the final say, my husband had said," she recalled. "He said you've suffered too much, we'll do as you say."

After recitation from the Qur'an was read, prison guards had hooked a rope around Balal's neck as he stood on a chair blindfolded, his hands tied behind his back. Iran's Islamic penal code allows the victim's heir – "walli-ye-dam" – to personally execute the condemned man as Qisas (retribution) – in this case by pushing away the chair he was standing on.

Seconds away from what could have been his final breath, Balal pleaded for his life and called out for mercy. "Please forgive," he shouted, "if only for my mum and dad," Alinejad recalled. "I was angry, I shouted back how can I forgive, did you show mercy to my son's mum and dad?"

Others in the crowd watching the scene in anguish also called out for the family to spare Balal's life. "Amoo Ghani (uncle Ghani), forgive," they shouted, calling the victim's father by his first name.

Balal's fate then took an unexpected turn. Alinejad clambered up on a stool and rather than pushing away his chair, slapped him across the face.

"After that, I felt as if rage vanished within my heart. I felt as if the blood in my veins began to flow again," she said. "I burst into tears and I called my husband and asked him to come up and remove the noose." Within seconds, as Abdolghani unhooked the rope from Balal's neck, he was declared pardoned.

Balal's mother Kobra, sobbing, reached across the fence separating the crowd from the execution site, and embraced Alinejad before reaching to kiss her feet – a gesture of respect and gratitude. "I didn't allow her to do that, I took her arm and made her stand up … she was just a mother like me, after all."

Arash Khamoushi, a photographer for Iranian news agency Isna, captured the extraordinary scene in a series of pictures that flooded internet sites, newspapers and television sets across the world. Among the most poignant images is of the mothers, facing each other for the first time, holding one another in their arms.

"She was extremely happy, it was as if someone had given her wings to fly," Alinejad said. Hours ulater, after sparing one woman's child, she went to visit her own son's grave.

Abdollah was brought up in a religious family. Alinejad is a housewife, Abdolghani is a retired labourer who works as football coach in the local club where both Abdollah and Balal used to play. Having lost both their sons, the couple now have only their daughter. Balal remains in jail. A victim's family can only save a killer's life, they can't lift a jail sentence, which is at the discretion of the judiciary in Iran, which has the worst record for executions worldwide after China.

Alinejad has not spoken to Balal's family other than when they met at Nour prison. "I didn't utter a single word to them in all these years, nor complain directly about why their son killed mine," she said. "But they're in touch with our relatives.

"Balal was naive. He didn't want to kill, it wasn't in his nature, he was angry in seconds and had a knife in his hand."

Finding herself suddenly a figure of inspiration for people across the world, Alinejad has one lesson she hopes her tragedy will help others to learn: "For young people not to carry knives when they're going out. When they kill a person, they don't just kill that person, mums and dads die too as a result."

She is pleased, she said, so many people were happy with her decision: "I'm glad when people now call me their mum."

One week after pardoning Balal, Alinejad has found a peace lost since her son's death. "Losing a child is like losing a part of your body. All these years, I felt like a moving dead body," she said. "But now, I feel very calm, I feel I'm at peace. I feel that vengeance has left my heart."

Balal's mother, left and Hosseinzadeh's mother embrace after

the execution was halted. Photograph: Arash Khamooshi/Isna

Related Article:

Iranian killer's execution halted at last minute by victim's parents

'Tortured' Indonesian maid listed on Time's top 100

Yahoo – AFP, 25 April 2014

Indonesian maid Erwiana Sulistyaningsih leaves the hospital in Sragen

district in central Java island on February 5, 2014 (AFP Photo/Anwar Mustafa)

Hong Kong (AFP) - Time magazine has named an Indonesian maid allegedly tortured by her Hong Kong employer as one of the world's 100 most influential people, putting the spotlight on the city's treatment of its migrant workers.

Erwiana Sulistyaningsih, 23, reportedly suffered months of abuse in a case which has renewed concerns over the treatment of domestic helpers in the southern Chinese city and sparked angry protests.

Time magazine hailed Sulistyaningsih's bravery in speaking out against her employer and pushing for laws that better protect maids in Hong Kong.

A member of a support group for Erwiana

 Sulistyaningsih, an Indonesian maid allegedly

 tortured by her Hong Kong employer, holds a

 placard during a rally outside the Indonesian

consulate in Hong Kong on April 8, 2014

(AFP Photo/Philippe Lopez)

"It is brave women like her who speak up for the voiceless who will create lasting change," Cambodian activist Somaly Mam said of Sulistyaningsih in the list published on Thursday.

"Erwiana is advocating for better laws to protect others who may share her fate, placing a spotlight on the plight of a vulnerable and often invisible population," Mam said.

Time's recognition of Sulistyaningsih brings international attention to the treatment of migrant domestic workers in the city, Hong Kong-based Asian Migrants' Coordinating Body spokesman Eman Villanueva told AFP on Friday.

"The inclusion itself only proves that the issue of migrant domestic workers, the slavery, the exploitation and abuse is something that the international community should pay attention to," Villanueva said.

He described the situation as "ripe for abuse" in the city, where maids are required to live with their employers.

Villanueva also said Erwiana's actions and her inclusion on the list will help empower more victims to speak out.

"This would encourage and would strengthen the resolve of many other victims to come out in the open and fight for their rights and seek justice," he said.

Law Wan-tung, a 44-year-old Hong Kong mother-of-two has been charged with causing grievous bodily harm to Sulistyaningsih.

Prosecutors have alleged that Law turned household items such as a mop, a ruler and a clothes hanger into "weapons" against Sulistyaningsih.

She was also charged with common assault and four counts of criminal intimidation -- charges related either to Sulistyaningsih or to her two previous Indonesian domestic helpers.

Indonesian maid Erwiana Sulistyaningsih

 looks on from a hospital bed in Sragen

district in central Java island on February 5,

 2014 (AFP Photo/Anwar Mustafa)

The trial has been adjourned to April 29, with officials awaiting the maid's medical records from Indonesia.

Sulistyaningsih was admitted to hospital in Sragen, on Indonesia's main island of Java, in critical condition after returning from Hong Kong in January.

The Asian financial hub is home to nearly 300,000 maids, mainly from Indonesia and the Philippines, and criticism from rights groups over their treatment is growing.

Amnesty International in November condemned the "slavery-like" conditions faced by thousands of Indonesian domestic helpers in Hong Kong and accused authorities of "inexcusable" inaction.

Time magazine's list also included Pakistan's Malala Yousafzai, who survived a Taliban attack in 2012 when she was shot in the head by the militants for campaigning for girls' education.

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Vermont passes bill to require warning labels for genetically modified foods

Governor Peter Shumlin says 'I am proud of Vermont being the first state to ensure Vermonters will know what is in their food'

theguardian.com, Associated Press in Montpelier, Vermont, Thursday 24 April 2014

The use of GM food has stirred concerns about the dominance of big agribusiness and the effect on the environment. Photograph: Robyn Beck/AFP/Getty Images

Vermont lawmakers have passed the country's first state bill to require the labeling of genetically modified foods, underscoring a division between powerful lobbyists for the US food industry and an American public that overwhelmingly says it approves of the idea.

The Vermont House approved the measure Wednesday evening, about a week after the state Senate, and Governor Peter Shumlin said he plans to sign it. The requirements would take effect July 1, 2016, giving food producers time to comply.

Shumlin praised the vote. "I am proud of Vermont for being the first state in the nation to ensure that Vermonters will know what is in their food," he said in a statement.

Genetically modified organisms — often used in crop plants — have been changed at their genetic roots to be resistant to insects, germs or herbicides. The development in Vermont is important because it now puts the US on the map of governments taking a stance against a practice that has led to bountiful crops and food production but has stirred concerns about the dominance of big agribusiness and the potential for unforeseen effects on the natural environment. Some scientists and activists worry about potential effects on soil health and pollination of neighboring crops.

Twenty-nine other states have proposed bills this year and last to require genetically modified organism — or GMO — labeling, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. Two other New England states have passed laws to require GMO labeling, but the legislation takes effect only when neighboring states also approve the requirement. They are Maine and Connecticut; neither neighbor Vermont.

The European Union already has restricted the regulation, labeling and sale of GMO foods. Several credible polls have found that Americans overwhelmingly favor the notion of labeling genetically modified foods. Organic farmers and others are praising Vermont's move, while the Washington, D.C.-based Grocery Manufacturers Association, which represents food producers, called it a step in the wrong direction.

As farmers, Katie Spring and her husband are proud of how they grow their greens, carrots, potatoes, peppers and herbs and raise their chickens and pigs at their Worcester, Vermont, farm and are willing to answer questions from customers. As eaters, Spring feels like she and her customers have the right to know what's in their food, whether it's saturated fat or genetically modified organisms, which they don't use on their farm.

But the industry is opposed.

"It sets the nation on a costly and misguided path toward a 50-state patchwork of GMO labeling policies that will do nothing to advance the safety of consumers," the grocers' association said in a statement.

The association is disappointed that Vermont is going at it alone and had hoped for a regional approach. Trying to have 50 different state rules about what goes on food packaging "gets very costly, very confusing and very difficult for the entire food industry to comply with," said the association's president, Jim Harrison.

But others are praising Vermont as a leader, even though they expect the law to spark lawsuits. The bill includes a $1.5 million fund to be used to implement the law and provide legal defense against lawsuits expected to be brought by food and biotech industries.

"Every Vermonter has a right to know what is in their food," said Shap Smith, speaker of the Vermont House. "Genetically engineered foods potentially pose risks to human health and the environment. I am proud to be the first state in the nation to recognize that people deserve to know whether the food they consume is genetically modified or engineered."

But the federal Food and Drug Administration and an industry group known as BIO, for Biotechnology Industry Organization, say there's no material difference between food produced with genetic engineering.

The Vermont legislation says there is a lack of consensus among scientific studies on the safety of genetically modified foods, and no long-term epidemiological studies in the United States examining their effects. Genetically modified foods "potentially pose risks to health, safety, agriculture, and the environment," the legislation says.

The Grocery Manufacturers Association is urging policymakers to support federal legislation that would require a label on foods containing such ingredients if the FDA finds there is a health or safety risk. But many farmers see it as a David v Goliath victory.

"This vote is a reflection of years of work from a strong grassroots base of Vermonters who take their food and food sovereignty seriously and do not take kindly to corporate bullies," Will Allen, manager of Cedar Circle Farm in Thetford, said in a statement Wednesday after the House approved the bill.

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