Infiniti Q60

From concept to reality, the brand-new Infiniti Q60 marks a brand new turn for Nissan's luxury brand as it readies to "empower the drive" for luxury car buyers looking for a luxury sports coupe that will give the Germans a run for their money. Ready or not, the new Q60 will give the stern Japanese car enthusiasts a taste of what will their new Skyline Coupe will look like.

2017 Infiniti Q60

Although this is an all-new model and a two-door derivative of the Q50 saloon (which is sold in Japan as the Skyline), the Q60 name is not new to us because that was once used on the previous Nissan Skyline Coupe V36, once called the Infiniti G37 Coupe until the name change. Now that the Q60 is the two-door Q50, it features all of the stuff that you get from the Q50 saloon while delivering that sporty feeling that you get from most Germans.

The Q60's exterior design is almost similar to the concept car last year, making it an undeniable proof that the are some good cars trying to inspire its design from concept cars, not like Subaru that features a much exciting concept car at first but made it into production with such bland results.

2017 Infiniti Q60 interior

The interior looks very similar to the Q50; the dashboard, the two monitors, the a/c, everything, but the Q60 is themed to be a sportscar rather than a sports saloon and even though it's got two doors, it's still has room in the back as long as they can survive squeezing through the back. Also, it's boot space is big enough for stuff to go golfing. For a sportscar of such caliber, it's all business as usual for the new Q60 coupe.

2017 Infiniti Q60

For a two-door version of the Q50, the new Q60 still has that clever Direct Adaptive Steering which delivers precise handling and quickly communicates road surface feedback to the driver but this is a brand new update to this clever steering stuff. It can now steer quicker and smoother as before and when driving on unstable roads, it constantly, automatically, making subtle changes for better stability, while decreasing feedback and vibration through the steering wheel. It's got a dynamic digital suspension which can change how it drives at the push of the button or it can adapt through different behaviors while cornering or going through unstable road conditions. It feels somewhat robotic, if you know what I mean?

The Drive Mode Selector offers over 336 customizable driver settings that can tailor your driving style based on its steering, engine, and suspension inputs. It can be very complicated to fiddle it on your own but if you're not sure how to fiddle it, you can select between Standard, Snow, ECO, Sport, and Sport+. This is like changing the settings of your TV set by color, contrast, brightness, warmth, etc.

Under the hood, the Q60 offers a powerhouse cast of turbocharged engines and because these turbocharged engines are proven to be quite a charm for the Q60, they can be carried over to the Q50 as well. There's the 2.0L 4-cylinder turbocharged engine sourced from Mercedes-Benz and the brand new 3.0L V6 Twin Turbo engine featuring friction-reducing technologies, and new cooling and valve timing systems. In the high-end Red Sport 400 variant, that bumps up to 400HP of power while promising a 26MPG HWY fuel consumption. They;re all mated to a 7-speed automatic with Adaptive Shift Control.

2017 Infiniti Q60

The Q60, as a luxury car, offers a wide array of safety tech such as Forward Emergency Braking with Pedestrian Detection, Haptic Feedback, Blind Spot Warning, and the brand new Around View Monitor with Moving Object Detection. This new update alerts the driver to moving objects detected within the display image, delivering a better perspective around the driver.

The starting price for the new Infiniti Q60 is $38,950 for the 2.0L model while the 3.0L model starts at $44,300. The Red Sport 400, the one with the 400HP 3.0L V6 turbo on it, is priced at $51,300. With that pricing, that puts it within reach of rivals such as the BMW 4-Series, Audi A5, Mercedes C-Class Coupe, and the Lexus RC.

What can I say about the Q60? Well, with the concept-turned-reality design inside and out, a wide selection of turbocharged engines with no-nonsense performance, and its dynamics that really cater the driver very well, this could be one of the best luxury sport coupes ever sold to the market today and I believe that Infiniti manage to get things right to deliver a sports coupe that delivers the right amount of performance to please the car enthusiasts everywhere. I am very desperate for one of these right now.

Available colors: Dynamic Sunstone Red, Midnight Black, Majestic White, Iridium Blue, Hagane Blue, Liquid Platinum, Graphite Shadow, Black Obsidian, and Pure White.

Photo: Infiniti

THREATS FROM NORTH KOREA: North Korea rejects Obama's condemnation

Sourced from NHK World:

North Korea says it will proceed with its nuclear arms development by improving the quality and quantity of its stockpile.

A Foreign Ministry statement released on Sunday reacted sharply to Friday's condemnation of the test by US President Barack Obama.

Obama said the test posed a serious threat to the security of the region and to the peace and stability of the world.

The US president stressed that his government will increase sanctions against the North in cooperation with Japan and South Korea.

The North's statement said the ultimate aim of its nuclear program is to protect the nation's dignity and its right to existence from repeated US nuclear threats.

North Korea is expected to also reject a statement condemning the test issued by the UN Security Council on Friday.

The North is expected to maintain its hardline stance, while the international community tries to increase pressure on the country.

Let's Do The News! (September 12, 2016)

- Typhoon Ferdie (Meranti) has entered the Philippine Area of Responsibility yesterday and expected to bring heavy rains and strong winds over parts of Luzon and the Visayas until Thursday, according to PAGASA. As of 4PM yesterday, Ferdie was located at 1,280km east of Casiguran, Aurora with max sustained winds of 120kph near the center and gustiness of over 150kph.

- Reports told that President Rodrigo Duterte approved the Indonesian government to execute convicted Filipina Mary Jane Veloso. The Jakarta Post reported that Indonesian leader Joko Widowo said Duterte okayed the execution. The legal process will be followed up by Attorney General M. Prasetyo. Last year, Veloso was reprieved as she was scheduled to be executed by firing squad in Indonesia. She was sentenced to death in 2010 for drug trafficking.

- Netizens are drawing flak over the Official Gazette Facebook post on Sunday regarding the 99th birthday of the late strongman Ferdinand Marcos. What provoked them was a part of the original caption that tagged as historical revisionism. It reads "In 1972, he declared martial law to suppress a communist insurgency and secessionism in Mindanao. In 1986, Marcos stepped down from the presidency to avoid bloodshed during the uprising known as "People Power." Edited, and then removed.

- Hillary Clinton, Democrat Presidential Candidate, attended and left the September 11 memorial service prematurely and she was caught almost being collapsed while returning back to the vehicle and when got out from her daughter's apartment two hours later, she felt well. It is revealed that her doctor that she was diagnosed with pneumonia and dehydration. Her doctor said that Clinton was put on antibiotics and advised to rest and modify her schedule. At this morning's event, she became "overheated" and dehydrated. The doctor examined Clinton and she is now re-hydrated and recovering nicely. She will remain at her Chappaqua home to rest and her Californian schedule on Monday and Tuesday was cancelled.

- Fighting continues across Syria on Sunday despite a ceasefire scheduled for the following day. The United States and Russia agreed on a ceasefire in Syria to take effect at sunset on Monday. The US supports opposition rebels while Russia supports the government of President Bashar al-Assad. But fighting and numerous airstrikes were reported across the country on Sunday as the agreement sets no rules prior to the ceasefire.

- Former Top Gear host Jeremy Clarkson blew up his own house to make room for a new one. According to reports, he gained permission from the local town council to explode his home. Reason why he destroyed his house is because he plans to upgrade to a bigger one.

- A crossover variant of the new Opel Karl/Vauxhall Viva called the Rocks and while it looks tough on the exterior, it's still the same Karl/Viva five-door compact we all know about.

2017 Opel Karl Rocks

- MAGES' Idol Incidents multimedia project will be getting a TV anime adaptation set to air on Tokyo MX and BS Fuji this January. Those who are unfamiliar with, 5pb. Games and MAGES had announced the project as a social smartphone game two years ago with a slated release in fall 2014 but it's still in development. We're not really sure why they made an anime out of a game that hadn't came out yet after years of delay.

- After the success of the first KING of PRISM by PrettyRhythm film, another film is set to release in Japan in the summer of 2017, titled called KING of PRISM: PRIDE the HERO. The KING of PRISM movie was the spinoff of the Pretty Rhythm franchise that highlights on the story of the boy group "Over the Rainbow". It was shown in theaters last January 2016.

- TV personality Kris Aquino has officially left ABS-CBN.

- Actress Isabelle Daza and Adrien Semblat were finally married.

TTFN!!!

September 11, 2001, 15 years later...

September 11, 2001...I'll never forget it...

It all started as an ordinary day back in downtown New York City, but hours later, terrorists hijacked four jet airliners filled with passengers. They crashed two planes into the World Trade Center in New York City, while a third plane hit a wing of the Pentagon, the American military HQ, in Washington D.C., and a fourth airplane crash landed somewhere near Pittsburgh. Over 3,000 people have died in that tragedy. Following the WTC incident, it is believed to be the work of the so-called al-Qaeda mastermind named Osama Bin Laden, who allegedly staged the attack on New York, although some reports say the terrorists behind the attack are Saudi-based but they are deeply connected to it.

Not taking any chances, then-President George W. Bush, a Republican who won the 2000 election against Democrat Al Gore with the most number of electoral votes following problems in electoral votes in Florida, declared war on terrorism but his so-called war against terrorism led the United States to nigh nowhere including the war on Afghanistan and Iraq two years later. It even gave birth to the Department of Homeland Security, which maintains national security by any means.

15 years had passed since the horrendous incident and it's been five years since the US troops killed Osama Bin Laden, the whole topic of "war on terror" has been around with us when we talked about global affairs. The terrorist organization Al-Qaeda may be decimated following Bin Laden's death but terrorism keeps on growing like a viral outbreak, thanks to the infamous Islamic State militants that caused havoc not just in the Middle East but also the rest in the world; including Paris, San Bernardino, Brussels, name any city where terrorists staged attacks that were inspired by the Islamic State militants.

Islamophobia has been with us following the attacks caused by the terrorists who want to radicalize the Islamic religion for nefarious purposes and everybody likes to blame Islamic people for everything but in my mind, Islamic people are not the bad guys because these terrorists have unleashed attacks on Islamic nations too. Whatever that is, those infamous extremists really want this world to burn just to radicalize the Islamic religion and praise the Prophet Muhammad for nothing but slaughter.

A lot of good people, even soldiers fighting for their homeland, have died fighting against the harsh realities of terrorism. Even today, people like us are trying to brace the unpredictability terrorism thrown on us and how to deal with the aftermath. Right now, the pain we felt post-9/11, both physically, mentally, socially, psychologically, and politically, are still in our minds today and we are still very unsure what possible consequences will be facing on us if the world keeps on changing.

Bubble Gang -September 9, 2016 #BGImpossibleMission

On the September 9, 2016 episode of Bubble Gang...

- Spy gags

- Mang Tañong thinks he's a big fan of Pokemon.

- The boys are getting pervy on their house visit...

- Hugot lines in jail

- Hassles at the X-Ray appointment...

- An interview with nothing but thoughts...

- In this week's Enkangtodo, the Bubble Gang spoof of Encantadia, Hangre Damihan won the duel against Pireto but another fight's brewing between the two. This time it's a game of Trip to Jerusalem.

- More news for moms in Balitang Ina!

- Basa-Basa-Pik!

THREATS FROM NORTH KOREA: North Korea conducted its fifth nuclear test

North Korea conducted their fifth nuclear test in their act of defiance against the international community's calls to halt its nuclear and missile programs, marking the second time they conducted such test this year since January 2016, when the Korean Peninsula did their fourth nuclear test.

North Korea confirmed the test four hours after seismic waves from a magnitude-5 artificial earthquake were detected around 0930 hours local time near the Punggye-ri nuclear test site. The North said through its state-run media that the successful test has advanced its technology of mounting a nuclear warhead on a ballistic missile to a higher level.

The South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff analyzed the nuclear test as the North's biggest test to date with the device giving an explosive yield reaching 10 kilotons, four more than what they did last January.

After the man-made tremor, South Korea' military held an emergency video conference headed by JCS Chairman Lee Sun-jin and placed its military forces on full alert so Seoul can react "sternly and strongly" in case of further threats.

Meanwhile, President Park Geun-hye will convene a meeting of high-ranking officials to discuss follow-up measures to respond to the Korean Peninsula's fifth nuclear test. The meeting is to be convened shortly after her arrival from her eight-day trip to Russia, China, and Laos. During her visit, the president called for a stronger unity against North Korea's nuclear and missile programs. It will be attended by the ministers of defense, foreign affairs and unification, and senior presidential secretaries in charge of security and foreign policy.

Close cooperation between South Korea, the United States, and Japan will take center stage in tackling North Korea's fifth nuclear test, which came as the deepening US-China relationship threatens to weaken efforts to pressure Pyongyang to give up its nuclear program.

The test occurred on Friday had coincided when members of the key six-party denuclearization talks came together at the G20 Summit in China and East Asia Summit in Laos to denounce North Korea's nuclear program. Despite problems with China, the surprise test showed at least Seoul, Washington, and Tokyo were determined to deal with the latest threats from North Korea. Following the test, the three countries asked for an emergency session of the United Nations Security Council to swiftly address the provocation.

Unification Minister Hong Yong-pyo said on Friday that the South Korean government will not rule out the possibility that North Korea may carry out another nuclear test. During a meeting at the Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee of the National Assembly today, a lawmaker underlined the need to acknowledge the grave reality that North Korea's nuclear weapons program can't be destroyed with the current sanctions and pressure and it's time for a new strategy. In response, Hong said the government is fully aware that it failed to stop the North from advancing its nuclear weapons technology despite various efforts. Also, the government will consider diverse options to deal with the current situation.

Source: Arirang News

Let's Do The News! (September 9, 2016)

- At the closing ceremony of this year's ASEAN Summit in Vientiane, Laos, it is announced that the Philippines will be the next to lead next year's summit, along with an imprint of President Duterte's campaign. The theme for next year's summit "Partnering for change, engaging the world" is broadly similar to Duterte's election slogan "Change is Coming".

- Meanwhile, US President Barack Obama said that he does not take President Duterte's comments seriously as it seems to be just a habit. The scheduled meeting between them was moved to a later date following the harsh comments against the US President. Earlier this week, Duterte said that he will not bow down to Obama if he ever asks him about the rising extrajudicial killings of drug suspects in the Philippines.

- Four US swimmers, including gold medalist Ryan Lochte, have been suspended from competition for falsely claiming they were robbed in Rio de Janeiro. The United States Olympic Committee and USA Swimming announced on Thursday that they had suspended Lochte for 10 months and three others for four months for violating a code of conduct. The athletes reportedly accepted the sanctions.

- Following the death of Uzbekistan leader Islam Karimov, Prime Minister Shavkat Mirziyoyev was named as the interim president. The parliament told the Russian media on Thursday that the decision was reached at a joint meeting of both chambers. 

- The European Union leader has urged British PM Theresa May to begin negotiations for Britain to leave the EU as soon as possible. European Council President Donald Tusk met with May in London on Thursday. Tusk said that the ball is now in British court and stressed that initiating the procedure would reduce and eventually end the uncertainty. He said this is everybody's best interests.

- The US has successfully launched a spacecraft with a mission to collect sand and rock samples from an near-earth asteroid. It is the first such attempt since Japan's Hayabusa carried back particles from a different asteroid six years ago. The Atlas 5 rocket carrying Osiris-Rex lifted off at 2305 UTC on Thursday at Cape Canaveral, Florida. The Osiris-Rex will head to the asteroid Bennu within next year and it will observe for around two years. After that, the spacecraft will return to earth within 2023.

- Jaguar returns to motorsports with its Formula E entry, called the I-Type 1. It will be driven by Adam Carroll and Mitch Evans, with Ho-Pin Tung as the reserve driver.

- A new E-Hybrid variant on the brand-new Porsche Panamera was launched, packed with controlled AWD and an electric range of 50km. It produces 462HP of combined power output and fuel economy of 2.5L/100km.

TTFN!!!