Mr Lee Kuan Yew still warded at SGH, closely monitored by doctors
SINGAPORE - Former prime minister Lee Kuan Yew remains warded in the Intensive Care Unit at the Singapore General Hospital (SGH), according to a statement from the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) on Thursday morning.
Mr Lee is still sedated and on mechanical ventilation, the statement said.
It added that Mr Lee's doctors have restarted him on antibiotics, and are continuing to monitor him closely.
Mr Lee, 91, was admitted to SGH on Feb 5 with severe pneumonia. The PMO had said on Saturday that his condition was stable, although he remained in intensive care.
On Wednesday night, rumours flew on social media that Mr Lee had died, but government sources told The Straits Times that these were untrue.
After Google Glass, Apple Watch, Japan offers wearable tomatoes
TOKYO (AFP) - As the world's electronic companies scramble to set the agenda for wearable devices, one Japanese vegetable juice maker went one better Thursday, unveiling a wearable tomato machine.
The "Tomatan" is a backpack that can be loaded with six mid-sized tomatoes, enough, say the makers, to power runners through this weekend's Tokyo Marathon.
"Tomatoes have lots of nutrition that combats fatigue," said Shigenori Suzuki of maker Kagome.
The Tomatan looks like a small humanoid robot - with a tomato for a head - and sits snugly on the athlete's shoulders.
Tugging a tiny lever in the foot moves the arms to catch a tomato from the shooter. It then rotates the fruit over the runner's head and holds it in front of his mouth.
"We used about 100 tomatoes to complete this machine," said Nomichi Tosa of creator Meiwa Denki, a company known for its off-the-wall devices and musical instruments.
"We focused mostly on its visual design." Despite the eight-kilogramme (18 pound) weight, Kagome's Suzuki said he will don the device for a a five-kilometre (three-mile) fun-run event on Saturday.
"I will run by his side carrying my tools, just like an F1 mechanic," Tosa said.
In Sunday's full Tokyo Marathon, a runner from Kagome will participate with a lighter wearable tomato machine - the Petit-Tomatan - which weighs only about three kilogrammes, Suzuki said.
German nurse says 'sorry' for killing over 30 patients in thrill-seeking game
BERLIN (AFP) - A German former nurse who has admitted killing over 30 hospital patients with lethal injections in a thrill-seeking game to try to revive them apologised on Thursday to relatives of the victims.
"I am honestly sorry," the 38-year-old said at his trial, where he so far faces three murder charges, adding that he had usually acted on impulse when he injected patients with lethal drug doses.
"Usually the decision to do it was relatively spontaneous," the defendant, who was identified only as Niels H. under Germany's strict court reporting rules, said in his first comments to the court.
He said he knew his actions could not be excused and that he hoped that if he is convicted, the verdict would help the victims' loved ones find peace, national news agency DPA reported.
The former nurse went on trial in Oldenburg in northern Germany in September, accused of the murders of three patients and attempted murders of two others, using a heart medication that lowers blood pressure.
A psychiatric expert last month told the trial that the man had admitted to those crimes and that he also claimed to have over-medicated another 90 patients, 30 of whom died.
The court heard his motive was to spark medical emergencies so that he could then demonstrate his resuscitation skills, but that he also acted out of boredom.
The defendant told the court Thursday he was indeed seeking thrills, saying: "There was a tension there, and an expectation of what would happen next."
He said he felt great when he managed to resuscitate a patient, and devastated when he failed.
Each time a patient died, he vowed to never play his lethal game again, but this determination would then slowly fade, he said.
LETHAL INJECTIONS
The deaths occurred at Delmenhorst clinic, near Oldenburg, where the accused worked in the intensive care unit between 2003 and 2005.
The former nurse denied having killed anyone at his previous jobs in other clinics, at an elderly home and for emergency medical services.
A special commission of police and prosecutors dubbed "Kardio" (Cardio) is currently investigating all deaths that occurred in the defendants' previous work places.
The defendant was caught by a colleague in the act of injecting patients in 2005.
In a first trial in Oldenburg, a district court in 2008 sentenced him to seven and a half years in jail for attempted murder, and he has been in detention since.
It is unclear why investigators or the hospital did not pick up on the possible extent of the alleged crimes earlier.
The shocking case is not the first of its kind in Germany.
In 2006, German male nurse Stephan Letter, who became known in the media as "the Angel of Death", was sentenced to life in prison for administering lethal injections to 28 mostly elderly patients in what prosecutors called an "assembly line" killing spree.
A year later, a nurse at Berlin's prestigious Charite hospital was sentenced to life in prison for killing five seriously ill patients with drug overdoses.
TransAsia plane crash: Pilot's body found still clutching joystick of crashed plane; death toll rises to 35 - East Asia News & Top Stories - The Straits Times
TransAsia plane crash: Pilot's body found still clutching joystick of crashed plane; death toll rises to 35
TAIPEI (REUTERS) - The pilot of a doomed TransAsia plane, hailed as a hero for his actions in the final moments before a crash in densely-populated Taipei on Wednesday, was still holding the joystick in the plane's cockpit when his body was found, media reported on Friday.
The death toll of the accident rose to 35 as of Friday afternoon, the airline said in its latest press release, after four more bodies were found. Eight of the 58 onboard the remained missing, it said. Another 15 were injured.
The pilot, identified by TransAsia as 42-year-old Liao Chien-tsung, has been praised by Taipei's mayor for steering the plane between apartment blocks and commercial buildings before ditching the stalled aircraft in a river.
TransAsia Flight GE235 was carrying 58 passengers and crew when it lurched nose-up between buildings, clipped an overpass and a taxi with one of its wings and then crashed upside down into a shallow river after taking off on Wednesday.
The bodies of Liao and his co-pilot were retrieved from the almost-new turboprop ATR 72-600's cockpit still clutching the joystick, with their legs badly broken, investigators said. "They were still trying to save this aircraft until the last minute," Taiwanese media quoted unidentified prosecutors involved in the crash investigation as saying.
Media quoted city officials as saying the death toll would have been much worse if the plane had crashed into any of the buildings it narrowly missed.
Taiwan aviation officials have said they have not given up hope of finding those missing.
The voice and data recorders from the plane have been recovered and a more conclusive picture of the plane's final moments will emerge when information from them is released.
Media reported that some of the information could be released later on Friday.
The last communication from one of the pilots was "Mayday Mayday engine flameout", according to an air traffic control recording on liveatc.net.
A flameout can occur when the fuel supply to an engine is interrupted or when there is faulty combustion, but twin-engined aircraft can usually keep flying with one engine. The plane was powered by two Pratt & Whitney PW127M engines. Pratt & Whitney is part of United Technologies.
The plane took off from Taipei's downtown Songshan airport and was bound for the Taiwan island of Kinmen. Among those on board were 31 tourists from China, mainly from the southwestern city of Xiamen.
Taiwan's aviation regulator has ordered TransAsia and Uni Air, a subsidiary of EVA Airways Corp 2618.TW, to conduct engine and fuel system checks on the remaining 22 ATR aircraft they still operate.
145 deaths this year as deadly flu bug hits Hong Kong
From petitioning people to donate blood, to reminding them of good hygiene habits, Hong Kong is trying to tackle the flu outbreak that has killed nearly 150 people this year.
That is more than the 136 flu fatalities through all of last year.
The Hong Kong Red Cross is appealing for people to donate blood, as demand has increased.
The authorities and doctors are also stepping up calls for those with flu symptoms to seek anti-viral therapy quickly, while urging the population to take precautions, such as washing their hands more frequently.
As of yesterday, 145 people had died in this year's flu outbreak.
"There is no doubt that the outbreak is much bigger than usual because it is a different variant affecting the population," said Professor Malik Peiris, director of the School of Public Health at the University of Hong Kong.
One key reason is that the annual flu vaccine is effective for less than 5 per cent of Hong Kongers hit by the flu this year.
This is even lower than the 23 per cent protected by the jab in the United States.
This, in turn, compares poorly with the 10 per cent to 60 per cent range of the previous decade.
The vaccine was developed by the World Health Organisation before the variant of the H3N2 strain emerged. So, while it covers those who have been infected with the strains of previous years, it does not protect those with the new H3N2 variant.
As the Hong Kong flu season arrives later - after the November to January flu season in the US and other parts of the northern hemisphere - H3N2 would have developed and had a stronger grip, he explained.
"So by the time the virus reaches Hong Kong, more than 95 per cent of those infected are infected by the new strain."
Hong Kong's population density is another reason why the city has been hit hard compared with other cities along the same latitude, such as Taipei.
The flu season usually hits Hong Kong from January to March, and the concern now is over how much longer it will last. There is a "distinct possibility" it will extend to April or even May, warned Hong Kong Food and Health Secretary Ko Wing Man.
For now, the authorities are "doubling our effort in sourcing vaccines", said Dr Ko.
"Hopefully, the vaccine could arrive in April to help us in preventing an excessive outbreak in summer this year."
The worst-case scenario is if the winter and summer flu seasons - the latter usually begins in July or August - merge, as has happened in previous years.
Much will depend on the weather, said Professor David Hui of the Chinese University of Hong Kong. "If it warms up a bit, the virus may become less active."
TransAsia plane crash: Pilot's body found still clutching joystick of crashed plane; death toll rises to 35 - East Asia News & Top Stories - The Straits Times
TransAsia plane crash: Pilot's body found still clutching joystick of crashed plane; death toll rises to 35
TAIPEI (REUTERS) - The pilot of a doomed TransAsia plane, hailed as a hero for his actions in the final moments before a crash in densely-populated Taipei on Wednesday, was still holding the joystick in the plane's cockpit when his body was found, media reported on Friday.
The death toll of the accident rose to 35 as of Friday afternoon, the airline said in its latest press release, after four more bodies were found. Eight of the 58 onboard the remained missing, it said. Another 15 were injured.
The pilot, identified by TransAsia as 42-year-old Liao Chien-tsung, has been praised by Taipei's mayor for steering the plane between apartment blocks and commercial buildings before ditching the stalled aircraft in a river.
TransAsia Flight GE235 was carrying 58 passengers and crew when it lurched nose-up between buildings, clipped an overpass and a taxi with one of its wings and then crashed upside down into a shallow river after taking off on Wednesday.
The bodies of Liao and his co-pilot were retrieved from the almost-new turboprop ATR 72-600's cockpit still clutching the joystick, with their legs badly broken, investigators said. "They were still trying to save this aircraft until the last minute," Taiwanese media quoted unidentified prosecutors involved in the crash investigation as saying.
Media quoted city officials as saying the death toll would have been much worse if the plane had crashed into any of the buildings it narrowly missed.
Taiwan aviation officials have said they have not given up hope of finding those missing.
The voice and data recorders from the plane have been recovered and a more conclusive picture of the plane's final moments will emerge when information from them is released.
Media reported that some of the information could be released later on Friday.
The last communication from one of the pilots was "Mayday Mayday engine flameout", according to an air traffic control recording on liveatc.net.
A flameout can occur when the fuel supply to an engine is interrupted or when there is faulty combustion, but twin-engined aircraft can usually keep flying with one engine. The plane was powered by two Pratt & Whitney PW127M engines. Pratt & Whitney is part of United Technologies.
The plane took off from Taipei's downtown Songshan airport and was bound for the Taiwan island of Kinmen. Among those on board were 31 tourists from China, mainly from the southwestern city of Xiamen.
Taiwan's aviation regulator has ordered TransAsia and Uni Air, a subsidiary of EVA Airways Corp 2618.TW, to conduct engine and fuel system checks on the remaining 22 ATR aircraft they still operate.
TransAsia plane crash in Taipei: At least 26 killed, plane's tail lifted ashore
At least 26 people were killed and 17 remain missing after a TransAsia Airways plane crashed into a river in New Taipei City on Wednesday.
The ATR-72-600 turboprop aircraft with 58 onboard, of whom 31 are tourists from mainland China, was flying from Taipei to the offshore island of Kinmen when it crashed into the Keelung River at about 11am, CNA and Reuters said. The plane apparently rammed into the Nanyang Bridge elevated highway in New Taipei City, which encircles Taipei, before falling into the river, the Central News Agency (CNA) said.
The crash happened only two minutes after flight GE235 took off from Songshan Airport in Taipei at 10.52am, and was suspected to be due to insufficient propelling force, according to United Daily News (UDN) website. The aircraft's cockpit-voice recorder and flight-data recorder have been recovered for analysis.
As time ticked away for those inside the fuselage, rescue boats surrounded the wreckage which remains in the middle of the river, with 400 soldiers drafted in to help.
Emergency crews standing on sections of wreckage tried to pull passengers out of the plane with ropes. Those who were rescued were put in dinghies and taken to the shore.
By 9pm, about 10 hours after the crash, a 700-tonne crane lifted the tail of the plane ashore, leaving the other half still stuck in the riverbed. The latest death toll has hit 25, as rescuers continue to search for 17 missing victims.
TransAsia said 16 survivors had been pulled out of the wreckage.
Taipei City Fire Department acting commissioner Wu Chun-hong told reporters that efforts to reach the victims are slow as the passengers seats are mangled and the front section of the plane - where some of the missing victims are believed to be - is stuck in the riverbed, according to UDN.
The jet was carrying five crew members and 53 passengers.
Authorities cannot ascertain if all the missing people are still inside the plane as eye witnesses claimed to have seen passengers being flung out of the plane as it plunged into the river.
Mr Wang Hsing-chung, an Aviation Safety Council spokesman, said the plane's black boxes have been recovered and investigators will begin reading the data on Wednesday night.
TransAsia's chief executive, Mr Peter Chen, bowed deeply at a televised news conference on Wednesday afternoon as he apologised to passengers and crew.
-- PHOTO: XINHUA
The pilot radioed a "Mayday, Mayday" distress call at 10:54am but did not respond when air traffic controllers answered, the Civil Aeronautics Administration said at a press conference on Wednesday afternoon.
A CNN report said the pilot can be heard saying, "GE235. Mayday, mayday. Engine flameout," according to a recording verified by LiveATC.net, which records air traffic control feeds.
The pilot lost contact with the ground within four minutes, the airline's Chief Executive Officer Peter Chen said.
Eyewitness on the ground was cited as saying the aircraft was flying "almost 90 degrees on its side" and going increasingly lower until it hit the highway bridge and crashed into the river.
CNA posted on its website dramatic photos of the plane hitting the highway, as a taxi on the highway apparently swerved to avoid being hit.
Footage taken from a dashboard-mounted camera in a car showed the plane's wings tilted at a steep angle as it swerved over a bridge, with one tip clipping a taxi and the railing before plunging into the Keelung River.
The taxi driver and his passenger were slightly hurt in the crash and have been hospitalised for observation, the report said.
The weather appeared to be clear when the plane took off. Television pictures also showed some damage to a bridge next to the river, with small pieces of the aircraft scattered along the road.
In a statement issued by TransAsia on Wednesday afternoon, the airline said four children are among those injured and currently receiving treatment at hospitals. Among the 31 Chinese passengers, three are children. All remaining people on the plane, including three pilots and two flight attendants, are locals.
The statement added that the damaged plane, the ATR-72-600, was delivered to TransAsia just last April. It was last serviced only a week ago on Jan 26.
TransAsia, a privately-owned airline founded in 1951, suffered a serious crash last July when flight GE222 crashed near the airport at Magong on the Penghu island chain during a rainstorm, killing 48 people and injuring 10 others. That aircraft was also an ATR-72.
The Singapore Trade Office in Taipei said on Wednesday it is " shocked and deeply saddened" by the crash of flight GE235.
"We have contacted TransAsia and confirmed that no Singaporeans were on board," it said in a statement.
TransAsia is Taiwan's third-largest carrier. The plane involved in Wednesday's mishap was among the first of the ATR 72-600s, the latest variant of the turboprop aircraft, that TransAsia received in 2014.
They are among an order of eight placed by TransAsia in 2012. The aircraft have 72 seats each. The planes are mainly used to connect Taiwan's capital, Taipei, to the island's smaller cities.
The airline also operates Airbus A320 and A330 planes on domestic and international services.
ATR is a joint venture between Airbus and Alenia Aermacchi, a subsidiary of Italy's Finmeccanica services.
