Sixty per cent (51 businesses) of the total investments target the local market, 29 per cent (25 businesses) traget the export market, and nine per cent service the distribution sector, according to Thilawa SEZ management committee.

Japan accounts for 50.58 per cent of the total investments; Asean countries excluding Myanmar, 22.35 per cent; East Asian countries, excluding Japan, 15.29 per cent; the US and the EU countries, 5.88 per cent, and local companies, 3.52 per cent.

Thirty-six out of the 85 companies have started their operations and the remaining 34 companies are under construction and will launch their operations in the years to come.

The Thilawa SEZ project has drawn the attention of international investors because there are guarantees for tax relief and better infrastructure. The project has seen a lot of progress since it was established two years ago.

Until early October, the total foreign investments in Thilawa SEZ project reached over US$ 1.1 billion. The construction of Zone-A has been completed. About 96 per cent of Zone-A and 26 per cent of the under-construction Zone-B have been sold out.

From November 2014 to July this year, total investments reached $1.14 billion, according to the Directorate of Investment and Company Administration.

Investments in industrial zone reached $ 842.9 million, accounting for more than 73 per cent of the total investments. Investments in good trading sector amounted to more than US$101 million; the service sector, more than $81 million; the transport and logistics sector, more than $77 million; housing development sector, more than $30 million; and hotel sector, more than $12 million.

Asean defence ministers are meeting today to map out a response to possible new threats posed by ISIS as some of its fighters return to Asia to regroup and recruit after its defeat in the Middle East.

Their two-day meeting at a former US air base north of Manila comes as Philippine security forces remained locked in fierce combat with some 30 remaining Muslim militants and their kin in Marawi city.

The latter are holed up in a two-storey structure in the southern Philippine city, which has been wracked by fierce fighting for five months now.

Counter-terrorism experts have warned that Asia’s capitals are facing a more elusive and lethal incarnation of the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS), as the militant group returns to its roots as a guerilla force, following crushing blows in the Middle East and in the Philippines.

A United States-backed coalition of Arab and Kurdish forces last week retook Raqqa, in Syria, marking the symbolic demise of the ISIS caliphate.

Days later, Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte declared Marawi “free of terrorists’ influence”, after security forces killed two top pro-ISIS extremists who led hundreds of militants that stormed the city on May 23, and had held on to parts of it since then.

Following these defeats, ISIS fighters are regrouping in remote areas in Syria and Iraq.

Many battle-hardened ISIS veterans from Asia are expected to head back to their “wilayats”, or provinces”, in South Asia and South-east Asia to recruit more followers, sow violence and inspire lone-wolf attacks.

These are among the new threats expected to be discussed during the 11th Asean Defence Ministers’ Meeting (ADMM), set for today and tomorrow, at the Clark special economic zone.

Singapore’s Ministry of Defence said in a statement that Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen will speak about “Singapore’s plans to continue to strengthen regional counter-terrorism cooperation, and promulgate confidence-building measures to enhance maritime and aviation safety”.

The Philippines will be handing the ADMM chairmanship to Singapore tomorrow.

Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines have already begun joint patrols of terrorist-plagued waters off the Sulu archipelago in Mindanao and Sabah. They recently agreed to complement these with joint air patrols.

Earlier this year, Asean foreign ministers agreed to adopt more measures to stem the flow of militants across South-east Asia and to starve them of terrorist funding. There have also been proposals to crack down on online ISIS propaganda and recruitment efforts.

Asean defence ministers will be meeting as Philippine troops seek to declare an end to the five-month-long Marawi siege, the country’s biggest internal security crisis in years.

Colonel Romeo Brawner, deputy commander of Joint Task Force Ranao, said the army had to clear just one more building.

“There’s just one building and they’re inside,” he told reporters. “We believe these are ones who decided to fight it out, because they believe that if they die there they will go to heaven.”

Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, a former Ethiopian health minister who took charge of the UN agency in July, had earlier this week given Mugabe the honorary role to help combat non-communicable diseases (NCDs) in Africa.

But activists, public health experts and key WHO donors like Britain, Canada and the United States condemned the move, saying Zimbabwe’s healthcare system has collapsed under Mugabe’s 37-year authoritarian rule.

“Over the last few days, I have reflected on my appointment of H.E. President Robert Mugabe as WHO Goodwill Ambassador for NCDs in Africa. As a result, I have decided to rescind the appointment,” Tedros said in a statement.

“I have listened carefully to all who have expressed their concerns,” he added.

“I have also consulted with the government of Zimbabwe and we have concluded that this decision is in the best interests of the World Health Organization.”

In Zimbabwe, Foreign Minister Walter Mzembi said that “the inordinate noise around the designation… does not assist the cause in the first place,” according to state-run broadcaster ZBC.

“So on the balance, it is wiser to let go, and help WHO focus on its mandate,” he added.

British Prime Minister Theresa May’s office tweeted that it welcomed WHO’s “decision to rescind President Mugabe’s appointment & pleased @DrTedros heard concerns”.

Canada’s foreign ministry also applauded the decision, after Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said he thought the nomination was “a bad April fool’s joke” when he first learned of it.

‘An insult’

In announcing the appointment, Tedros had hailed Zimbabwe as “a country that places universal health coverage and health promotion at the centre of its policies to provide health care to all”.

That claim was widely blasted by critics, who noted that the 93-year-old and increasingly frail Mugabe travels abroad for his own medical needs, calling that a sign of the devastation he has wrought on Zimbabwe’s health system.

Zimbabwe’s main opposition MDC party had called the appointment “laughable” and “an insult”.

‘Damage is done’

While the WHO boss’s climbdown was met with immediate approval, the Mugabe storm raised questions about Tedros’s leadership of an agency still emerging from a crisis that led some to question its long-term viability.

In an email to AFP shortly before the announcement of the reversal, the director of the Global Health Institute at Harvard University, Ashish K. Jha, said Tedros faces a massive task in restoring WHO’s credibility and that episodes like the Mugabe affair are not helpful.

“WHO went through an existential crisis with its disastrous handling of the Ebola crisis (in West Africa). Dr Tedros’s election is a chance to reset that narrative,” Jha said.

“The Mugabe appointment, coming at the end of (Tedros’s) first 100 days, was a misstep,” he added, while predicting that the reversal would “actually be a strong sign that the leadership listens and is willing to be responsive to views of the global public.”

Before the withdrawal was announced, the US ambassador to the United Nations during Barack Obama’s administration, Samantha Power, tweeted: “Tedros will surely revoke terrible apptmt of Mugabe as goodwill ambassador, but damage is done.”

– Investigation needed? –

Tedros’s election as the first African director general of WHO was billed as a key moment for the continent, where much of organisation’s work is based.

Tedros is not the first African statesman to be put in a bind over apparent loyalties to Mugabe.

The leaders of South Africa’s government, who counted on Mugabe’s support in the battle to end apartheid, have previously been criticised over their hesitation to condemn human rights abuses in Zimbabwe, including brutal and violent crackdowns on the opposition.

UN Watch, a Geneva-based monitor, called for an investigation into the “absurd” Mugabe appointment.

“There must be more to the story,” UN Watch chief Hillel Neuer said in a statement.

“How could Dr Tedros, a sophisticated political figure, have chosen to honour a man who has brutalised human rights activists, crushed democracy dissidents, and turned the breadbasket of Africa and its health system into a basket-case?”

Authorities advised thousands living in coastal areas or near rivers to evacuate to shelters as Typhoon Lan, described as “very large and very strong”, made landfall in Shizuoka southwest of Tokyo at around 3.00 am (1800 GMT Sunday).

The storm, which had already dumped torrential rain over much of the country during the weekend, packed gusts up to 198 kilometres (123 miles) per hour, the meteorological agency said.

The typhoon was moving northeast as winds slowed slightly, and may hit Tokyo and surrounding regions during Monday morning rush hours.

Train operators in the capital have decided to cancel some express services in the morning, and some “Shinkansen” bullet trains were stalled in central Japan carrying passengers overnight as the typhoon caused a blackout, NHK said.

Nearly 300 flights scheduled for Monday have already been cancelled, the public broadcaster said, after strong winds forced airline companies to ground more than 500 flights Sunday.

Some ferry services in western Japan were also cancelled.

The typhoon claimed its first victims as a male passer-by died when scaffolding collapsed on him at a construction site in Fukuoka, western Japan.

And a 70-year-old man was found dead after he dived into the sea to grab a rope from another vessel as he attempted to escape from his troubled boat, a coastguard told AFP.

At least 11 people were injured across the nation, while a 85-year-old man was unaccounted for after his house was hit by landslides, NHK said.

Television footage showed rescuers tugging a rubber boat carrying an elderly woman in a residential area in Chiba southeast of Tokyo as a flooded river engulfed the area.

Toyota Motor said it would suspend operations at all domestic plants on Monday.

Emergency response

Earlier in the day, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe ordered his minister in charge of disasters to be ready to mobilise rescue and evacuation forces, including troops.

“In order to protect people’s lives, the Abe cabinet will unite and do its best to provide an emergency response to a disaster,” he told reporters.

Several local governments in Osaka and other prefectures issued evacuation advisories, urging thousands of residents living near the coast, rivers and hillsides to move to shelters.

The weather agency separately warned of high waves, landslides and floods in central and western Japan.

Voters in the capital braved torrential rain and driving wind on election day, as a projection from NHK said Abe’s ruling conservative coalition was on track to win a two-thirds “super-majority.”

Voting was delayed by some 20 minutes in Kochi in western Japan when landslides blocked a road, while several polling stations closed earlier than scheduled.

Ferries to a remote island in the west were cancelled due to high waves, forcing election officials to suspend the counting of votes there.

On Saturday voters on remote southern islands in the path of the storm had cast their ballots early, heeding a call from Abe.

Voter turnout excluding early voting was at record low levels as of 7:30 pm, although some 20 percent of eligible voters cast early votes, the government said.

As of Sunday morning, the tvN drama’s online viewer board has been bombarded with comments claiming that Choi should take responsibility for the incident by quitting the series. Some of the comments read, “Either drop Choi out of it, or stop filming the drama,” and “It’s insane of him to continue the drama amid the turmoil that involves a death.”

Earlier on Saturday, it was reported that a 53-year-old businesswoman surnamed Kim, who runs an upscale Korean cuisine restaurant Hanilkwan, died of sepsis on Oct. 6 after getting bitten by a French bulldog owned by the Chois at an apartment in Apgujeong-dong, southern Seoul on Sept. 30. The dog was not on a leash. Both Choi and Choi’s father apologized to the bereaved family, who live in the same apartment with the Chois, on social media on Saturday.

Although a family member of the deceased told media that they’ve forgiven the Choi family and don’t plan to take any legal action, the public is still berating them for not being cautious with their dog.

“Revolutionary Love,” which premiered on Oct. 13, marks Choi’s first acting project after he was discharged from his military service in August.

It is not a stark, hot pink, but more a muted, rosy shade that conveys a touch of class.

An article in The Washington Post in August says: “Food is fashion and fashion is food and that’s why pink food became gradually, then suddenly, a thing.”

Last year, colour authority Pantone named Rose Quartz one of its colours of the year. Shades of pink are already on everything from shoes to clothes and bags.

Pink is often used in desserts and cocktails, but food-and-beverage operators and chefs are finding new ways to think pink – from pink tonkotsu ramen to pink cactus smoothies.

They say they picked the colour not because of the trend, but to stand out – preferably using natural ingredients.

At Ramen Champion, it is about being in the pink of health. Its general manager Kensuke Onishi says pink ramen was created for health-conscious diners.

He adds: “The pink tonkotsu ramen broth is infused with fresh beetroot and blueberries, giving it a natural pink hue. The response has been great – with up to 500 bowls of ramen sold in a day – because the ramen is very picture-worthy.”

Among others that have embraced pink is two-month-old A Juicery at 21 Lorong Telok, off Boat Quay. Picking rose pink as the shop’s colour was a no-brainer for its creative director Stephanie Er, 33, as she loves the colour.

It is also the original colour for the cold-pressed juice brand, which started out as an online business. She bought it over last year.

Although she did not plan the colour theme to coincide with the millennial pink trend, she notes that it has helped the store gain attention on social media.

She says: “Guys and girls come into the store, some even dressed specially in pink. They use the space to take photos and it makes me happy. We understand the need for the modern-day person to have both a coffee and a photograph.

“The hype may die after a while, so we’ll see what it’ll be like then.”

Student Cassandra Lim, 19, says: “Pink is my favourite colour and a lot of my clothes and accessories are pink. I wouldn’t purposely look for cafes that serve pink food, but if it’s on the menu – such as a pink macaron or eclair – I’ll definitely order it.”

The Courtyard’s afternoon tea set at The Fullerton Hotel has items such as rose layer cake. PHOTO: THE FULLERTON HOTEL SINGAPORE

Go millennial pink for a good cause, in support of Breast Cancer Awareness Month this month.

At least three hotels – Goodwood Park Hotel, The Fullerton Hotel and Singapore Marriott Tang Plaza Hotel – are rolling out pink-themed meals until Oct 31.

Three restaurants in Goodwood Park Hotel are on board. The Shades Of Pink three-course daily set lunch ($42) at Gordon Grill includes watermelon gazpacho with smoked salmon, crab, compressed cucumber and berry foam; and US beef tenderloin with brussels sprouts, pickled beetroot and pink peppercorn sauce.

L’Espresso amps up its spread with a Pink English Afternoon Tea ($48 to $52), which features items such as beetroot quail egg, Parma ham and edamame hummus on parmesan shortbread; and pink somen with sakura ebi and sesame dressing.

For dim sum, head to Min Jiang, which offers a dim sum trio ($13) of rice roll with deep-fried vermicelli and mushrooms; glutinous rice with shrimp and peanuts; and mochi with strawberry fresh cream and strawberry bits.

At Singapore Marriott Tang Plaza Hotel’s Lobby Lounge, the Perfect In Pink English Afternoon Tea ($33++ or $59++ with free-flow Belstar Cuvee Rose Sparkling NV) includes an array of finger sandwiches, scones and sweet treats such as rose macarons, lychee rose cake and raspberry doughnuts.

Afternoon tea ($50) is available at The Fullerton Hotel’s The Courtyard, with items such as rose layer cake, bandung macarons and rosella-flavoured scones.

For each three-tier tea set sold, the hotel donates $5 nett to the Breast Cancer Foundation.

WHERE TO GET TICKLED PINK

FOOD

Tonkotsu Pink Ramen

Ramen Champion’s Special Tonkotsu Pink Ramen (right, $15.80) comes with noodles, sliced char siu, ajitama egg, black fungus and scallions. Its hue is the result of infusing beetroot and blueberries in the rich tonkotsu broth for several hours.

Where: All Ramen Champion outlets, including Bugis+ and Changi Airport Terminal 3

Open: 11am to 11pm daily

Info: www.facebook.com/RamenChampionSingapore

Rose Almond Cream Bird’s Nest

Rose Almond Cream Bird’s Nest. PHOTO: NESTBLOOM

Bird’s nest brand NestBloom’s Rose Almond Cream (right, $21 promotion price, $27 after Nov 9) is infused with rose and fresh almonds. To eat, place the rose-shaped bird’s nest in a bowl, pour hot water over it and steep for five minutes.

Where: 13 Bussorah Street

Open: 11am to 8pm (Tuesdays to Saturdays), closed on Sundays and Mondays

Info: www.nestbloom.com

Keep On Shrimpin’

Keep On Shrimpin’. ST PHOTO: EUNICE QUEK

One of Maki-San chain’s signature rolls, Keep On Shrimpin’ (left, $9.90) comes with rice, tempura ebi, mixed vegetables, sweet corn and wasabi mayonnaise wrapped in a pink soya wrap.

Where: All Maki-San outlets including White Sands, Jem and The Cathay

Open: 11.30am to 9.30pm (Sundays to Thursdays), 11.30am to 10pm (Fridays and Saturdays)

Info: www.facebook.com/rollwithmakisan

DRINKS

Strawberry latte

Strawberry latte. ST PHOTO: ALPHONSUS CHERN

From the floor to rose-pink tiled walls, two-month-old A Juicery is Instagram-worthy from every angle.

It specialises in cold-pressed juices (from $4 for 100ml), but the off-menuitems are what complement the decor.

Get the cold strawberry latte (above, $7), which comes with a layer of Meiji strawberry milk. It tastes as good as it looks, with a nice balance of coffee and sweetness from the milk.

The red velvet latte ($6 for hot, $7 for cold) is a seasonal item for Christmas (available till end of December). Get the hot version – after the milk is swirled in, you get an ombre effect of pink to red hues.

Where: 21 Lorong Telok

Open: 8.30am to 5pm (weekdays), closed on weekends

Info: Call 6533-1301 or go to www.facebook.com/ajuicery. Order juices at ajuicery.com

Bandung Babycino In A Cone

Bandung Babycino In A Cone. PHOTO: THE COFFEE ACADEMICS

The Coffee Academics cafe is giving its Coffee In A Cone a local twist with the Bandung Babycino In A Cone (left, $8.90), which it launched last week.

The hot milk is infused with rose syrup and poured into a chocolate-coated ice cream cone.

It is a caffeine-free option good for children. Available for a limited period only.

Where: The Coffee Academics outlets, 02-01 Scotts Square and B1-12 Raffles City; various opening hours

Info: www.facebook.com/TheCoffeeAcademicsSg

Codigo 1530 Rosa

Codigo 1530 Rosa. PHOTO: CODIGO 1530

Move over rose wine. The all-natural pink tequila Codigo 1530 Rosa (above) is the pink tipple to look out for. Its colour comes from ageing the spirit for a month in uncharred French white oak Cabernet barrels from wineries in Napa Valley, California. This process enriches the natural agave juice while imparting soft floral Cabernet notes to produce a distinctive taste.

The Rosa is one of five in the Codigo 1530 family of premium tequilas, which includes Blanco, Reposado (aged for six months), Anejo (aged for 18 months) and Origen (aged for six years).

Where: Rosa available at Lulu’s Lounge, Pan Pacific Singapore, 7 Raffles Boulevard, open: 7pm to 4am (Wednesdays), 9pm to 6am (Fridays and Saturdays), closed on other days; full Codigo 1530 range available at Club Street Social, 5 Gemmill Lane, open: 11am to midnight (Mondays to Saturdays), 11am to 4pm (Sundays)

Info: Buy the full range at www.boutiquespirits.asia/store/c14/Tequila.html

Pink cactus smoothie with pink cactus pearls

Pink cactus smoothie with pink cactus pearls. PHOTO: PLAYMADE

Three-week-old bubble tea brand PlayMade by One Zo from Taiwan offers some unusual options.

Its pink cactus smoothie ($4.60, right) is made from the pink pulp of the cactus from Penghu County. The cactus is indigenous to Taiwan. The pulp is also used to make chewy pink pearls (add 80 cents) to complement your drink of choice.

Where: 01-59 Tampines 1, 10 Tampines Central 1

Open: 10am to 10pm daily

Info: www.facebook.com/playmadeonezo

Rose Milk Tea

Rose Milk Tea. ST PHOTO: EUNICE QUEK

Popular Thai tea brand Cha Tra Mue offers a range of rose tea – lychee rose tea, honey rose tea and rose milk tea ($4.50 each). The rose milk tea is the one that is pink. But do not drink it before an important meeting, a date or a flight. The staff will warn you of rose tea’s laxative effects and they are not joking.

Where: Cha Tra Mue outlets, 01-31 Savourworld, B1-35 Tanjong Pagar Xchange, B1-K3 Clifford Centre FoodFare and 01-05 Far East Square; various opening hours

Info: www.facebook.com/ChaTraMueSg

In a Facebook post on Friday (Oct 20), Mr Natthapon Asswisessiwakul thanked the train captain – whom he identified as Mr Sai Yusoff – for handing the wallet over to staff at Tanah Merah MRT station.

The Bangkok-based Mr Natthapon was on a business trip on Tuesday, but it turned into a “nightmare” when he dropped his wallet, which contained credit cards, shortly after landing at Changi Airport.

‎”Could you imagine, losing wallet, credit cards and other necessary belongings overseas upon arrival – and a serious meeting is waiting for you in the next hour,” he wrote.

SMRT told The Straits Times on Friday that the train captain in question is Mr Muhammad Faisal Mohd Yusoff, who has been with SMRT Trains for four years.

Mr Natthapon said Mr Faisal’s actions made his day and “the whole trip became wonderful”.

“In addition, you make me really trust the country of Singapore,” he added.

Responding to to Mr Natthapon’s Facebook post, SMRT thanked him for taking the time to share his appreciation for Mr Faisal.

Several netizens praised the train captain, including Facebook user Cheong Kit, who wrote: “Mr Sai Yusoff, all Singaporeans are very proud of you! Well done!”