Compiled by LIEW JIA XIAN, JUNAID IBRAHIM and R. ARAVINTHAN

       A MALAYSIAN “confinement lady” who was stuck in Singapore due to the Covid-19 travel restrictions managed to take care of 12 babies within a span of 18 months, China Press reported.

       The 57-year-old woman, who wished to be known only as Lee, has been a confinement lady for the past 16 years.

       A confinement lady takes care of both mother and baby during the confinement period after childbirth.

       Lee went to Singapore on March 17 last year as one of her customers was ready to give birth, and she had to take care of her during her first month post-delivery.

       Initially, she had planned to head back to Malaysia after a month, but since the movement control order was implemented on March 18 last year, she had been staying in the republic since.

       With the recommendation of her previous customers and her sharing on Facebook, she managed to get hired and has taken care of 12 babies in 18 months.

       Lee, who is a single mother herself, has three sons and a daughter.

       “Only my eldest child is in Singapore and my other children are in Malaysia,” she said.

       “We can only keep in touch through video calls,” she said, adding that she is thankful that her customers are nice and considerate.

       “They treated me like family and some even wrote thank-you cards when I left.

       “Being a confinement lady can be tiring and stressful, but I am grateful to meet many kind customers who eased my burden.

       “When I am not working, I will meet up with other confinement ladies from Malaysia,” she added.

       > Malaysian actress Lin Min Chen could not help it and burst into tears as she missed her family when she celebrated Chinese New Year alone in Taiwan early this year, reported Oriental Daily.

       With her high popularity overseas, the 31-year-old showbiz star has spent most of her time in Hong Kong and Taiwan for work.

       As she had to undergo the compulsory quarantine most of the time, she jokingly dubbed herself the “queen of quarantine”.

       Due to her busy schedule, she has not returned to Malaysia for almost a year.

       Even though she was busy and homesick, she faced that time with a positive mindset.

       She admitted that it is hard for her to head home as she has many jobs in Hong Kong and Taiwan, in addition to the serious Covid-19 situation in Malaysia.

       However, she said she feels more relieved as her family is fully vaccinated and have been isolating at home.

       The actress said that she communicates with her family through video chats to relieve her homesickness.

       She hopes to make it home for a reunion dinner with her family next year.

       > Taiwanese pop sensation Jay Chou, 42, was spotted shopping with his wife Hannah Quinlivan at a branded shop in Paris, France.

       Chou was seen putting his arm around Quinlivan when they were nearing a corner, Sin Chew Daily reported.

       Fans were over the moon seeing how affectionate they were with each other.

       It is learnt that the Chou family had been travelling in France since last month, and fans saw the two of them enjoying a date without their two children. Since they’re overseas, they can go out shopping without being easily recognised.

       The couple, who married in 2015, has two children and is a “model couple” in showbiz.

       ● The above article is compiled from the vernacular newspapers (Bahasa Malaysia, Chinese and Tamil dailies). As such, stories are grouped according to the respective language/medium. Where a paragraph begins with this ' >'sign, it denotes a separate news item.