Compiled by SIM LEOI LEOI, C. ARUNO and R. ARAVINTHAN
A BRAND of mineral water in China is flying off the shelves after it was claimed to have helped families give birth to boys, reported Sin Chew Daily.
Chinese social media has been inundated by posts from women claiming that they successfully gave birth to a male infant after drinking the alkaline mineral water.
These claims were based on the belief that a body that has more alkaline would likely pass on the Y chromosome to their progeny.
The brand saw a huge surge in sales over the past month, especially among families planning their second child. The water has been dubbed the “miracle boy-birthing water”.
However, when contacted, the company producing the mineral water said such claims do not have scientific basis and denied promoting their own product in such a manner.
In September last year, the Shenzhen Health Commission refuted claims that alkaline water could affect an infant’s gender.
It was reported that traditional Chinese society has, for thousands of years, preferred having sons over daughters.
Coupled with the 1979 one-child policy, this has led China to having an excess of between 30 to 40 million males today and a severe shortage of brides.
> Taiwanese singer Hebe Tian, who took a five-month hiatus from social media, surprised fans by announcing that a new solo album is in the works, reported Sin Chew Daily.
“On the way!” she wrote on Instagram accompanied by a photo of her meeting with colleagues at her record label.
The 41-year-old is part of the popular girl group S.H.E but began releasing solo albums in 2010.
Her last album, which was released in 2020, won her Best Female Singer at the Golden Melody Awards in 2021.
“I’ve waited so long. It is so heartwarming to see this. What a surprise!” wrote a fan who, like many others, expressed excitement over the news.
Tian had debuted as part of the girl group S.H.E. in 2001 alongside Selina Jen and Ella Chen.
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.
