Compiled by PANG SHIANG YIH, C. ARUNO and R. ARAVINTHAN

       TAIWANESE-American singer Wang Leehom has apparently rented a house with three children’s bedrooms and a playroom ahead of a custody battle with his ex-wife Lee Jinglei, reported China Press.

       The custody battle is expected to be played out in a New York courtroom from today, in which Wang and Lee are scheduled to meet via videoconference to discuss visitation rights.

       Their three children are currently living with Lee at Wang’s NT$400mil (RM60mil) luxury condominium in Taipei.

       There had been earlier reports that Wang tried to visit his children during the New Year in January but he was denied entry by Lee, who claimed she feared for her life.

       It is believed that Wang rented a bigger house in Taipei where he had equipped the playroom with toys. The house is expected to be used whenever his children visit him.

       About three months ago, Lee laid bare the dirt on their marriage.

       She published a nine-page statement accusing the celebrity of misdeeds ranging from soliciting prostitutes to infidelities and verbal abuse.

       Eventually, Wang apologised to his family and fans for failing to “manage the marriage properly”.

       > A beverage chain in Taiwan was vilified online after its employees dipped a pair of dirty shoes into a pot of boiling liquid, China Press also reported.

       The act was seen in a video showing a man placing a pair of black sports shoes into the boiling pot of water. Another person pushed the shoes deeper into the pot with a pair of tongs.

       The two were heard laughing in the video, which they filmed themselves.

       Eagled-eyed Internet users found that the video was filmed at a shop in Taiwan’s Yunlin county.

       “Whether the pot of water is used to brew tea or not, I just can’t accept (such behaviour),” one user wrote.

       The headquarters of the company, 50 Lan, apologised for “causing discomfort to society”.

       It said the two employees had been fired and that the outlet would be closed to disinfect kitchen utensils and to provide additional training to its employees.

       Yunlin county’s Health Department said on Feb 7 that its investigations showed that the pot and tongs seen in the video had not been used to brew tea or to make boba used in boba tea.

       A department spokesperson said the employees had made use of a pot and a pair of tongs, which were supposed to have been thrown away, to film the video.

       The above articles are 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 a >, it denotes a separate news item.