Let's Do The News! (February 12, 2024)

    

                                                                        

Your daily round-up of today's news...

- The Department of National Defense has cautioned China for issuing “provocative rhetoric” related to efforts by the Armed Forces of the Philippines to increase its presence in Batanes, the country’s northernmost province that is less than 200 kilometers from Taiwan.

- Mayor Janice Degamo, the widow of the slain governor Roel Degamo, welcomed the cancellation of the passport of former Negros Oriental congressman Arnie Teves, saying the decision will make his world even smaller. It will also provide closure to the orphaned families of those killed by Teves along with their families. The court first ordered the DFA to immediately cancel the passport of Teves who is believed to be hiding in Timor Leste.

- The DENR headquarters in Visayas Avenue, Quezon City, got alarmed by a "bomb threat".

- Bacolod City Mayor Albee Benitez strongly denied that he had a relationship with sexy actress Ivana Alawi. Benitez knew about the circulating video that they were on a flight together, but the mayor also denied it and said he went to Japan for a business trip.

- NATO says Donald Trump's comments would "undermine all of our society" as the Republican presidential frontrunner said Washington will not protect Nato allies if they fail to meet defense spending targets.

- US President Joe Biden says Israel must have a safety plan for civilians in Rafah.

- French authorities announced a controversial plan to amend the Constitution to revoke birthplace citizenship on the French Indian Ocean island of Mayotte, which has been struggling with social unrest and a crippling migration crisis.

- Former Finnish prime minister Alexander Stubb won the country's presidential election, assuming a role that has gained importance in light of the country's NATO membership and rising tensions with neighboring Russia.

- Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s political advertisement was aired during Super Bowl LVIII. Last year, Kennedy announced he was running as an independent candidate for the 2024 US Presidential Elections.

- The Aston Martin Vantage received a minor change for the 2025 model year. It features a DB12-inspired front face and a renewed interior. The 4.0L V8 Twin Turbo engine has been improved to produce 656bhp. It does 0-60mph in 3.4 seconds and a top speed of 205mph.

2025 Aston Martin Vantage

- Production at Daihatsu's Kyushu Oita plant will resume on February 26th.

- Comedian Rowan Atkinson blames low EV sales in the UK, according to reports. Atkinson was name-checked during an environment and climate change committee meeting in the House of Lords earlier this week, with the Green Alliance think tank saying a comment piece by Atkinson was damaging to EV sales in the country. 

- Marathon world record holder Kelvin Kiptum was killed in a car crash in Kenya. He was 24. Kiptum had the world record he set last year at the Chicago Marathon ratified by the international track federation World Athletics just last week.

- In Game 5 of the PBA Commissioner's Cup Finals, San Miguel leads 3-2 after defeating Magnolia at the score of 108-98.

TTFN.

Driving Music Vol. 124

 

So, the Kansas City Chiefs are now three-time Super Bowl champions with Patrick Mahomes as the MVP, congratulations to them. Do you know what are the real MVPs of this year's Super Bowl? The Game Day ads.

Anyway, with the Super Bowl well and truly over, you good "neighbaaas" deserved a Super Bowl-inspired batch of Driving Music to jam to your driving playlist.

1) Express Yourself by Charles Wright & The Watts 103 Street Rhythm Band - from the BMW USA "Talkin Like Walken" ad

2) Elephant by Tame Impala - from the Lexus GS "Secret Entrance" commercial

3) Wish I Was Here by Cat Power & Coldplay - from the Kia EV9 "Perfect 10" commercial

4) I Am...I Said by Neil Diamond - from the VW USA "An American Love Story" commercial

5) Electrify Me by ZHU - from the Honda USA Prologue ad

Driving Music from Leopaul's Blog is the segment that solves every car enthusiast's questions about the title of the song of car commercials...with the risk of MATCHED THIRD PARTY CONTENT on their status. It's your jam. Drive to the Music You Love.

Kansas City Chiefs win Super Bowl LVIII

Las Vegas Allegiant Stadium has plunged into a football frenzy as the NFL's Super Bowl LVIII saw the San Francisco 49ers and the Kansas City Chiefs face each other again, a rematch of their Super Bowl LIV bout four years ago.

It became a Super Bowl like no other because not only CBS but also Nickelodeon for the first time with the "Super Bowl LVIII Live at the Bikini Bottom" event where characters SpongeBob SquarePants and Patrick Star became commentators for the football finale event. 

From the return of the Sweet Victory song from the SpongeBob episode "Band Geeks" to special appearances by Dora the Explorer, TMNT's Mikey, The Loud Family, and even Sonic and friends, it became a slime-tastic grand finale to another breakthrough football season.

In the first half, the 49ers are off to a slow-and-steady lead 10-3. As the second half emerged, the Chiefs pulled a comeback and they fought ferociously until they hit overtime after both teams scored 19 points. 

Courtesy: NFL/Nick

The odds are in the Chiefs' favor and a decisive pass by Patrick Mahomes to Mecole Hardman spells SWEET VICTORY for the Kansas City Chiefs as they nail its third title and two Super Bowl win streak against the 49ers at a razor-thin score of 25-22. Mahomes was crowned MVP for the third time.

Congratulations to the Kansas City Chiefs for winning Super Bowl LVIII!

Guinness Six Nations 2024 ROUND 2

As the world eyes on the Super Bowl, the 2024 Guinness Men's Six Nations championship grabs attention with its second round.

Screengrab from Six Nations

Focusing on the England v Wales match, the decisive penalty kick by George Ford in the second half gave the game-stealing England Rugby another win after barely defeating Wales at the close score of 16-14.

Meanwhile, France beat Scotland at the score of 20-16 and Ireland left Italy scoreless after winning the game with 36 points.

The next round is at Saturday, February 24, with Ireland v Wales, Scotland v England, and a day later, France v Italy.

Let's Do The News! (February 10, 2024)

   

                                                                        

Your daily round-up of today's news...

- Voter registration for the 2025 midterm elections in the Philippines resumes this Monday.

- A magnitude 5.9 quake hits Esperanza, Agusan Del Sur.

- London police said that the Clapham chemical attack suspect, Abdul Shokoor Ezedi, is presumed dead after going into the River Thames.

- The PML-N party of former Pakistan leader Nawaz Sharif reportedly won the most seats after the elections as candidates linked to ousted Prime Minister Imran Khan are said to be leading the count.

- Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu ordered his military to plan evacuation at Gaza's Rafah crossing ahead of its planned offensive. This comes after the US warned against an unplanned invasion of the Gazan city.

- Webtoon Viral Hit gets TV anime airing this April.

- The Hideo Kojima documentary, which first premiered at last year's Tribeca Festival, will be streamed on Disney+ this February 23rd.

- In Game 4 of the PBA Commissioner's Cup finals, Magnolia evens the series with two wins each after beating San Miguel at the score of 96-85.

- Amazon Prime Video will carry an NFL postseason game next season, according to multiple reports.

TTFN.

My FH5 Log: I'M ON IT

In the early days of the COVID pandemic, Hyundai showcased the Prophecy concept which previews the company's first fully-electric saloon sized to Sonata proportions. When Hyundai announced the creation of the IONIQ sub-brand of electric vehicles, the Prophecy Concept starred in a music video with BTS performing the IONIQ brand's anthem, IONIQ: I'M ON IT. Two years after the Prophecy Concept showcase, its production equivalent came to life.

Obtained after hitting a total of 80 points throughout Forza Horizon 5's Lunar New Year series update, here comes another Hyundai that will make the ARMY thrilled to bits since the Prophecy Concept popped up in the IONIQ: I'M ON IT music video starring BTS.

This is the IONIQ 6, the first fully-electric executive midsize sedan from Hyundai.

Before getting my ARMY vibes with this car, let's have a quick info with this car now that I got my hands on it.

Launched in 2022, the Hyundai IONIQ 6 is the second part of the IONIQ trilogy of electric cars since the IONIQ 5 crossover of 2021. With styling inspired by the Prophecy Concept, the IONIQ 6 is one of the most aerodynamic electric cars ever made thanks to its streamlined silhouette.

Running on the same E-GMP platform as the IONIQ 5, the IONIQ 6 is packed with a 77.4kWh battery capacity. In Long Range variants, it produces a high-performance class 228PS of power, or with 4WD variants, a sports car-like 325PS of power.

Smooth like butter, you say? Because of the aerodynamics being smooth like butter, traveling through the straights is a breeze for the IONIQ 6. However, in terms of dynamics, because the IONIQ 6 featured in-game has 4WD, it feels clinically mild to drive. On the bright side, since this is Horizon, you are free to exploit whatever capabilities this fully-electric Korean executive saloon offers. I'm planning to do some stuff with this K-Pop superstar but in the meantime...

...the IONIQ 6 is transported to an EventLab creation where it will face a couple of ICE-powered competitions in a re-enactment of a certain city course from a certain video game. I don't know what that is but for the IONIQ 6, it just feels like home. Flush in the VTR.

A little rough on the competition but like I said, it just feels like home.

A prophecy turned reality, a BTS favorite turned into a Spiderverse favorite, the IONIQ 6 is proof that Hyundai's EV gamble really paid off and here in Forza Horizon 5, players are starting to behave like the ARMY while sampling this Korean EV saloon. Yes, whenever they got their hands on the IONIQ 6, they reminded them of the Prophecy Concept from the BTS music video of the IONIQ brand anthem.

♪IONIQ, IONIQ, IONIQ, IONIQ, IONIQ, IONIQ...♪

Let's Do The News! (February 9, 2024)

  

                                                                        

Your daily round-up of today's news...

- Nedy Tantoco, the chairman and CEO of Rustan Commercial Corp. and Stores Specialists Inc. has passed away at the age of 78.

- The US warns that Israel's offensive to the Rafah crossing "could be a disaster". The warning comes a day after Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu instructed Israeli forces to prepare to operate in that part of Gaza.

- Nicaragua has asked to formally join South Africa's genocide case against Israel, the UN's top court said, with Managua claiming it had "interests of a legal nature" in the highly contested hearings.

- The special counsel finds that US President Joe Biden "willfully retained and disclosed classified materials" but he will not face charges. Classified info reveals that the president's memory appeared to have "significant limitations" and forgot key dates. "My memory is fine", President Biden says after the special counsel questioned his ability to recall key dates.

- Keir Starmer revealed that the UK Labour Party will not spend 28 billion pounds yearly on the green plan, blaming Conservatives for "crashing the economy".

- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky sacked the head of the country's armed forces, General Valerii Zaluzhnyl, saying a new approach is needed.

- Pakistan counts ballots with former prime minister Imran Khan's in jail and mobile outage nationwide.

- India's interior minister said that he had "recommended the immediate suspension" of a free movement border agreement with Myanmar, from where thousands have fled since fighting between the junta and its opponents surged last year.

- Chip Ganassi Racing announced that they will not join Extreme E for the 2024 season. This marks the second team to leave the series following Cupra.

- The British Grand Prix will remain on the Formula 1 calendar until 2034 thanks to a new contract agreement.

- The Pagani Huayra R Evo was unveiled and it's basically the roofless version of the track-only Huayra R.

2024 Pagani Huayra R Evo

- The Abarth 600e was previewed. It's the first five-door Abarth vehicle and the most powerful in the range with its 240hp electric drivetrain.

2025 Abarth 600e Scorpionissima

- Suzuki is reportedly planning to import a new crossover from India to Japan this year as the replacement for the Escudo, which is set to be discontinued this spring. A new EV based on the eVX Concept and the five-door version of the Jimny are also planned to be imported to Japan as well.

- Sonic the Hedgehog's six-episode Knuckles mini-series hits Paramount+ this April 26.

- A new Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles cartoon is coming to Paramount+ this summer. Titled Tales of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, the new series is set following the events of 2023's Mutant Mayhem movie.

- Aleksander Ceferin said he would not seek a fourth term as UEFA president in 2027 despite the approval of controversial reforms that would allow him to extend his mandate.

- Teofimo Lopez controversially defended his title in his match against Jamaine Ortiz by unanimous decision despite jeers from the audience.

- Baltimore Ravens' Lamar Jackson was named The Associated Press' NFL Most Valuable Player award for a second time.

- A 19-inch bronze statue of the late NBA legend Kobe Bryant was unveiled at the Crypto.com Arena.

TTFN.