THREATS FROM NORTH KOREA: UNSC to meet on N. Korea's missile launches

Sourced from NHK WORLD:

The United Nations Security Council will convene an emergency meeting on Tuesday following the latest missile launches by North Korea.

The North fired 3 ballistic missiles on Monday. They are estimated to have flown about 1,000 kilometers before falling in Japan's exclusive economic zone in the Sea of Japan.

It's the second time North Korean missiles have fallen into Japan's EEZ. The first occurred on August 3rd.

The Security Council members are expected to meet at 11:30 AM on Tuesday, local time, at the request of Japan, the United States and South Korea.

It comes after the council unanimously adopted a press statement on August 27th, condemning Pyongyang over a series of missile launches.

The statement called on council members to redouble their efforts to fully implement resolutions against the North.

Let's Do The News! (September 6, 2016)

- On President Rodrigo Duterte's Laos visit for the ASEAN summit, he assured the Filipino community that his administration is stepping up efforts to fight illegal drugs and corruption and to reach a settlement with rebel groups in the Philippines. In there, he met up with the prime ministers of Singapore and Japan, and his harsh comments caught attention at the annual meeting. 

- However, US President Barack Obama cancels his meeting with Duterte, seeking distance from a US ally's leader during a diplomatic tour that puts Obama near an array of contentious world leaders as well as having Duterte's comments about Obama being an "S.O.B."

- The Malacanang officials declared a state of national emergency following lawless violence in Mindanao. President Duterte signed the proclamation before heading to Laos yesterday for the ASEAN summit. The proclamation comes following the deadly Davao bombing last weekend which killed 14 people and 67 others wounded.

- The two presidentiables are heading on a home stretch on the last two months of campaigning for the upcoming November elections as Democrat Hillary Clinton and Republican Donald Trump landed on Ohio with each of their own campaign jet during Labor Day. It's going to be one serious business between those two.

- The European Space Agency says it has located the Philae comet lander, when it went missing after its historic landing on a comet two years ago. On November 2014, the Philae separated from the Rosetta probe and landed on Comet 67P, but several days ago, it was unable to receive enough sunlight to power its batteries and was virtually out of reach. With the Philae's whereabouts was confirmed, there's hope for more analyses to be sent from the lander during its operation two years ago.

- The brand new, seven-seater Land Rover Discovery will make its world debut at next month's Paris Motor Show.

- Following Sony's decision to delay the PS4-exclusive Gran Turismo Sport game to 2017, Sony temporarily stops digital pre-orders for this game until further notice. However, additional info will be revealed at this month's Tokyo Game Show.

- In Pokemon GO-related news, a Russian blogger jailed for playing the app game in church and charged with "enticing religious hatred" files appeal. Last month, the 21-year-old male reportedly posted a video showing him playing the game while at church. He was arrested for the "incitement to hatred and attacks on the liberty of faith". He was ordered to stayed in cells until November pending a trial. If found guilty, he will face a five-year imprisonment.

- Serena Williams overtook Roger Federer for the most number of Grand Slam victories in tennis history with her match wins recorded to 308.

TTFN!!!

Renault Samsung QM6

A few moments ago, Renault uncovered their second-generation Koleos crossover and while it looks bigger than its predecessor, it's becoming one of the new Renaults to incorporate its new signature design since the Espace MPV last year, the Talisman saloon and estate, and the new Megane early this year. It's slated to be sold in most European markets, including France, this 2017, but first, it has to make its presence in Australia, Turkey, the Middle East, some South American countries, and China this year. Also, the second-generation Koleos will make its mark on the South Korean market as the brand new QM6, a larger, more luxurious replacement to the smaller QM5, based on the previous Koleos.

2017 Renault Samsung QM6

Alright, because the QM6 will serve us a preview of the next Renault Koleos, set to hit Europe this next year, time to dive into what to expect in this Korea-spec version sold as a Renault Samsung QM6. Because it has the same look as its sedan brother, the SM6, thanks to the new Renault norm look that has been plastered on new models as part of their "la vie, avec passion" company slogan, there's not much to tell on its design inside and out but take this, while this is exactly bigger than the old QM5, the new QM6's bigger dimensions made this on par with its potential competitors such as Kia's Sorento, Hyundai's Maxcruz, Ssangyong's Rexton, or even Chevrolet's Captiva (note: the one that South Koreans had). How it fares is everyone's guess.

2017 Renault Samsung QM6 interior

2017 Renault Samsung QM6 interior

Of course, even though you can expect typical Renault interior on the new QM6 (Korea's version of the next generation Koleos), its big dimension resulted to a much generous interior space for five people as well as better boot space big enough to fit most of your garage sale haul on the weekends. The QM6 offers luxury car features in a not-so-expensive crossover such as BOSE Surround Sound System and it even comes with Samsung's S-Link multimedia tablet screen on the dashboard, like the SM6 had, serving as a control center for functions like infotainment, navigation, communications, radio, and driver aids.

2017 Renault Samsung QM6

As a crossover made to challenge the rules, the QM6 feels like it's not your average full-size crossover at this caliber. In fact, it uses the same underpinnings used in crossovers like the smaller Renault Kadjar and the Nissan X-Trail, and platform aside, the QM6, as to be expect on the next Koleos, features ALL MODE 4x4-i, which constantly optimizes torque to all four wheels for stability on snowy and other slippery surfaces, as reminiscent to today's Nissan X-TRAIL done to its consumers. It can be switched to front-wheel drive or permanent all-wheel drive, depending on the conditions the road calls on it. No matter the weather calls on this car, it's always ready with its 4WD technology at its disposal. Not bad for a clever multirole.

Under the hood, the QM6 is available only with a 2.0L dCi engine that produces 177PS of power and 38.7kg-m of torque. Much to the dismay of being a European crossover with a Korean citizenship, the QM6 is mated to a new-generation XTRONIC CVT. Doesn't say much but it promises a combined fuel efficiency of 12.8km/L and CO2 emission of around 148g/km, although Renault Samsung were declined to explain the full story about the QM6's performance and ecology. What I did know that while they didn't disclose about its safety tech, it will theoretically had a large Array of Driver Aids (ADAS), which can be controlled from its S-Link tablet.

The asking price? It starts from 27,400,000 up to 34,700,000 Korean Won, which is more costly than the QM5 it replaces but that puts it near the spot where the Kia Sorento and the Hyundai Santa Fe sit beneath their laurels. Even though this is a brand new SUV from the Renault Samsung lineup, this is just a fresh taste of what the next Renault Koleos can do when it hits Europe by next year, if they get all the paperwork done to do so.

Available colors: Cloud Pearl, Golden Beige, Ultra Silver, Urban Grey, Meissen Blue, and Metallic Black.

Photo: Renault Samsung Motors

F1 2016: Italian GP

Photo: Associated Press

Monza, the venue of this season's Italian GP, has becoming a battleground for the Mercedes-AMG team, which involves between Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg. In the end of this speed-fueled battle in Monza, Rosberg's the winner of the race while Hamilton's placed 2nd. Behind the Mercedes rivalry comes a three-four finish from Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel and Kimi Raikkonen, probably from tire usage issues that kept between them.

Other finishers include Red Bull's Daniel Ricciardo and Max Verstappen, Williams' Valtteri Bottas and Felipe Massa, and Force India's Sergio Perez and Nico Hulkenberg.

With Rosberg's win, the gap between him and Hamilton in the overall standings has been narrowed to just two points.

The next race will be at Singapore on the 18th of September.

Let's Do The News! (September 5, 2016)

- President Rodrigo Duterte signed on Monday a formal document on the declaration of lawlessness before he flew to Laos for the ASEAN summit. Executive Secretary confirmed that Duterte signed the declaration, which is a call of the president to the Armed Forces to prevent or suppress lawless violence following the deadly Davao bombing last week.

- Meanwhile, the Davao City government set a two-million peso bounty for who can provide leads to identify and arrest the perpetrators behind last Friday's deadly blast. Davao Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio said the government wants to see the suspects alive so they can gain information from them.

- The Department of Health confirmed that a woman from Iloilo City was tested positive for the Zika virus, the sixth case recorded in the country. DOH Undersecretary Gerardo Bayugo said that the 45-year-old victim, has no record of travel to countries where the virus has been detected.

- In the G20 Summit in China, US President Barack Obama and British PM Theresa May have agreed to work together to limit the adverse effects the so-called Brexit will have on the global economy. It was their first meeting since May took office after David Cameron's resignation following the Brexit vote.

- Meanwhile, Chinese President Xi Jinping called on his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, to step up lateral military cooperation, The two nations will conduct joint naval exercises in the South China Sea from the 12th of September.

- Turkish military has expelled the Islamic State group fro the last strip of territory it controlled along the Turkish-Syrian border. Turkish PM Binali Yildirim said in Sunday that Turkish forces and allied Syrian rebels have cleared the militants from a 90km stretch of the border.

- Good news! Zag Entertainment confirmed that the hit animated TV series Miraculous gets renewed for another season! What does that means? More Ladybug, more Cat Noir, more new baddies, and more secrets are yet to be discovered. Pound it!

- In an upcoming Pokemon GO update, Buddy Pokemon will be added, meaning players will be able to select one of the Pokemon they've caught to appear alongside the trainer, resulting for better rewards and experiences. It can be changed any time.

- In case you missed it, presenter Paolo Ballesteros has returned to Eat Bulaga!

- Actress Liza Soberano responded to a basher pertaining to the recently concluded TV drama Dolce Amore and comparing it to its replacement show, Till I Met You.

TTFN!!!

Jubilee of Mercy: Jubilee for workers and volunteers of Mercy

Jubilee of Mercy logo

Part of the ongoing Extraordinary Jubilee Year of Mercy, the Jubilee for workers and volunteers of Mercy is not just about the Catholic church honoring the goodwill of the workers and volunteers who find mercy from God but it became a historic moment for the Catholic religion as they officially canonized Mother Teresa as a saint.

Mother Teresa, whose real name was Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu, was born in 1910 in the former Yugoslav nation. She first established her Missionaries of Charity in the slums of Kolkata (Calcutta), India, in 1950, after she left her missionary. Known by her white-and-blue sari and sandals, Mother Teresa was well-respected and admired by many Catholics from around the world. However, behind her spiritual success, she was heavily criticized by some, including atheists who believed she was a fraud. Despite all that, Mother Teresa, thanks to her unbiased miracles from God, awarded her a Nobel Peace Prize in 1979 and upon her death in Calcutta in 1997 at the age of 87, her miracles was still inspired by her followers, including Blessed John Paul II, who beatified her in 2002.

In that very event, Pope Francis, during a very special mass in St. Peter's Basilica, finally given Mother Teresa the title of Saint and she was therefore known to the Catholic world as Blessed Teresa of Calcutta.

Full Report: http://www.cnn.com/2016/09/04/europe/mother-teresa-canonization/

Pripara: Minna no Akogare Let's Go Pri Paris

Before the third season of the hit TV series PriPara hit TV Tokyo on April, there was a third movie based on the popular franchise that will up the ante in the PriPara craze. For this third PriPara movie, it's one heck of an adventurous ride for our favorite idols.

Pripara: Minna no Akogare
Let's Go Pri Paris

Minna no Akogare Let's Go Pri Pari is the third PriPara film made in honor of the third season of PriPara, aired on TV Tokyo since April, and in this movie, Laala and the gang set off to a wonderful city called Pri Paris, which is loosely a PriPara equivalent of Paris, France. They're not here for all the glitz and glam, oh no. They're here because Falulu needs their help as she's fallen to an indefinite slumber and it's up to them to save the day.

In typical PriPara fashion, this movie still grinds our Tuesday blues in the same way we enjoyed this TV show every Tuesday nights but in contrast to the previous PriPara movies, it's colorful, vivid, down-to-earth funny, and positive enough for some good vibes in store in the movie.

Of course, even in movies, they're still delighted with moments from their favorite PriPara idols such as Laala, Mirei, Sophy, Sion, Dorothy, Reona, and the others, but rest assured, what overshadows the whole movie is the musical performance in store in this film, just like every PriPara episode with some musical performance in store but for PriPara fans, it's great to see more from them.

My rating: 3.4 out of 5