M’sian actress’ handbag stolen in Switzerland

Compiled by IYLIA MARSYA ISKANDAR, C. ARUNO and R. ARAVINTHAN

MALAYSIAN actress Tong Bing Yu had her handbag stolen during a train ride in Switzerland, reported Sin Chew Daily.

The 38-year-old former Miss Malaysia Chinese Cosmos International had been invited to attend some promotional events by Switzerland Tourism on April 10.

Little did she expect that she would fall prey to thieves on a train.

“I only realised my handbag went missing when I got back to the hotel. Initially, I was unsure if it was stolen or if I had left it at the train station. I kept hoping that some kind person would send it back to me.

“Not long after, I got a message from my bank saying that someone was trying to use my credit cards to make a purchase,” she said.

According to Tong, the handbag contained €300 (RM1,396), 500 Swiss Franc (RM2,250) and RM500.

What frustrated the actress more was that her identity card, driver’s licence as well as credit cards from Singapore and China were also lost along with the handbag.

“Right now, China has yet to open its borders. It’s so troublesome for me! I hope the one who stole my credit cards and my money will be penniless his whole life! Enjoy your karma!” an angry Tong wrote on her Facebook.

> Not only was a 95-year-old able to escape from a quarantine centre in Shanghai, China, the nonagenarian managed to fight off volunteers in full personal protective equipment (PPE) with a broomstick, reported China Press.

The woman, who tested positive for Covid-19, was filmed unlocking a fence before making her escape.

When the volunteers arrived at her house the next day to take her back, video footage posted on Weibo showed the woman attacking them with a long broomstick.

When she realised that she had been disarmed, the woman began yelling “you are hitting me” while pretending to nurse an arm injury.

Frustrated, the volunteers asked her son to drive his mother to the quarantine centre.

The video was viewed more than 3.75 million times online, with many expressing admiration at the woman’s vitality and stamina despite her advanced age.

“Ninety-five-year-old and managing to escape a fenced area. This grandmother is amazing,” one Internet user wrote.

> Martial arts superstar Donnie Yen braved extreme weather and suffered multiple injuries during the filming of the snow-filled thriller Comeback Home (also known as Polar Search and Rescue), reported China Press.

The 58-year-old actor endured freezing temperatures as low as -30°C just to complete filming the scenes.

“We filmed at -30 in Baishan in the northeast of China for two winters. Our tripods collapsed due to the strong winds and had to be reconstructed again. Snow storms are a common occurrence,” Yen said.

The movie, which is about a father’s attempt to rescue his eight-year-old son, began production in 2020 but had to be delayed due to the pandemic. It is set to be released later this year.

Yen is best known for his role in the Ipman movie series and has won the world wushu tournament championship multiple times.

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.