New appointments set to reinforce the Singapore BMDP’s tireless efforts to educate the public, increase donor pool in the register and find matching donors for patients in its 25th year of saving lives. The Bone Marrow Donor Programme (BMDP) now has both a Board President, Dr Lim Zi Yi and a new CEO, Mr Charles Loh, to helm Singapore’s only …

A company director was convicted and fined a record $57,000 for 38 charges ($1,500 per charge) in the State Courts on Tuesday (17 July). In a press release on Thursday, Accounting and Corporate Regulatory Authority (ACRA) stated that Lawrence Fong Kok Liong pleaded guilty to the charges for offences under section 175 and 197 of the Companies Act (CA) for …

by Irene Choo For over 70 decades, Gross domestic product (GDP) has been the global elite’s go-to number, despite all the cautions statisticians offered against seeing GDP growth as an indicator of economic success and wealth.  Even the key architect behind GDP, Simon Kuznets, was adamant against equating GDP growth with economic and social wellbeing. As reported by the Organisation …

Mindef has appeared to defend its decision in rejecting teenager Benjamin Davis’ request for deferment of his National Service (NS) by stating that “Mr Davis’ actions are meant to further his own professional career, not national interest.” As his father openly admitted, he is looking out for his son’s future, not Singapore’s.” What is wrong with a father looking out …

by James Lee The back and forth saga between MINDEF and the Davis family, as well as the many articles and polarised opinions on whether Ben Davis should be allowed to defer brings a very fundamental question to mind: National Service – what exactly defines it. I looked up the Enlistment Act (Chapter 93) and the definition of ‘National Service’ …

I refer to the article “Ben Davis has no intention to fulfil NS duties; actions meant to further his professional career: MINDEF” (Channel NewsAsia, Jul 18). It states that “The Ministry of Defence (MINDEF) revealed on Wednesday (Jul 18) that Harvey Davis, the father of Fulham footballer Benjamin Davis, “would not commit to a date” on when his son intended to return …

Two of Singapore’s most prominent swimmers – Joscelin Yeo and Joseph Schooling – have thrown their weight behind Singaporean footballer Ben Davis. In a Facebook and Instagram post, Joscelin Yeo asked Ben to “keep setting high goals” for himself and to “go after your dreams”. She said: “I fully support National Service (NS). Would Joseph Schooling have won a historic …

The Ministry of Defence (MINDEF) has issued a second statement regarding Fulham footballer Benjamin Davis’ application for the deferment of his National Service (NS) duties. In an official reply to media queries dated 18 July, MINDEF declared that granting the exemption to him “would severely undermine the ethos and sacrifice of Singaporeans who have all put aside their personal interests …

The father of Singaporean footballer Benjamin Davis, who has signed a two-year contract with English Premier League club Fulham, stated that his son will be carrying out his National Service (NS) duties, contrary to the Ministry of Defence (Mindef)’s assumption regarding the issue. Yesterday, Harvey Davis said that he found it “unfortunate that MINDEF has an impression that Ben would not …

MINDEF yesterday (18 Jul) now said that it rejected teenage footballer Ben Davis’ deferment request because there was no intention by the family to ensure that the 17-year-old will fulfil his national service (NS) duties. This was reported in ST today (19 Jul). Replying to media queries, MINDEF explained that “when asked during the deferment application process when Mr Davis …