Let's Do The News! (March 6, 2024)

                        

                                                                        

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

- The PH Department of Justice has issued an immigration lookout bulletin order against Pastor Apollo Quiboloy to monitor his departure from any international airport or seaport in the Philippines.

- About 17 senators signed the manifestor expressing support for PH Senate leader Migz Zubiri amid rumored coup.

- The Philippine National Police allayed the public's concerns on allowing civilians' ownership of semi-automatic firearms, stating that gun owners must still secure a permit to carry firearms outside of residence.

- According to former PH Supreme Court Associate Justice Antonio Carpio, the Philippines should make a different strategy so that it will not end up getting bullied by China to the soldiers who bring supplies to the BRP Sierra Madre in the Ayungin Shoal.

- A SpaceX crew of three US astronauts and one Russian cosmonaut have successfully arrived onboard the ISS. The Endeavour spacecraft docked with the ISS after blasting off from Florida.

- Hundreds of thousands of users worldwide were unable to access Meta apps such as Facebook, Messenger, and Instagram for two hours. Meta says it has resolved a "technical issue" that caused them to go down.

- A 70-year-old male named Donald Gorske became a Guinness World Record holder for eating 34,000 Big Mac sandwiches!

- Audi will unveil the Q6 e-tron SUV this March 18th.

- The eighth-generation Dodge Charger was unveiled. It will be first offered as a two-door electric Daytona variant powered by a 100.5kWh battery pack and AWD with electric drive module on each axle, producing up to 670HP of power on the Scat Pack variant. Petrol variants powered by a 3.0L straight-six twin turbo Hurricane engine and 4-door sedan variants will follow in early 2025.

2025 Dodge Charger

- LEGO unveiled the Speed Champions BMW M Hybrid V8 and Speed Champions BMW M4 GT3 sets.

- Turkish carmaker Togg unveiled the T10F electric sedan. Offered in rear-wheel-drive variants with up to 600km of driving range and AWD variants with up to 435PS of power.

2025 Togg T10F

- Bandai Namco unveiled the newest addition to THE IDOLM@STER line of brands, titled Gakuen IDOLM@STER. The new app game will be out later this Spring 2024.

- aespa member Karina apologizes to fans in her letter following dating news.

- TEMPEST member Hwarang will tentatively halt activities.

TTFN.

Let's Do The News! (March 5, 2024)

                       

                                                                        

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

- Senator Risa Hontiveros orders the arrest of KJC's Pastor Apollo Quiboloy, who snubbed the recent Senate hearing. Quiboloy's camp insisted that compelling him to attend the hearing would be violative of his constitutional rights. Quiboloy is charged by the PH DOJ with child abuse and qualified human trafficking.

- PH President Bongbong Marcos said that the Philippines refuses to be reduced to a mere bystander as geopolitical tensions surrounding China and the United States continue.

- A defense analyst said China's presence in the Philippine Rise may have something to do with an underwater survey to prepare for Beijing's possible invasion of Taiwan.

- The US Supreme Court ruled that Donald Trump stays on the ballot, overturning Colorado state's decision to ban him from running for presidency.

- France made abortion a constitutional right, the first country to do so.

- US airman Jack Teixeira pleads guilty to leaking Pentagon documents in one of the highest-profile national security breaches in years.

- Saab signed a contract with the Polish Ministry of Defence's procurement authority for the delivery of the Carl-Gustaf M4 weapon, ammunition, and training equipment. The order is expected to be booked by Saab before the end of Q2 2024.

- Actress Kim Bo Ra announced her marriage plans.

- Football player Jason Kelce announces retirement after 13 seasons in the NFL. Kelce is one of the key players who led the Philadelphia Eagles to six postseason appearances and two Super Bowl trips over the past seven seasons.

TTFN.

Hyundai IONIQ 5 (2025MY minor change)

The Hyundai IONIQ 5, the electric car that forever changed Hyundai, has been given a minor change for the 2025 model year, and this award-winning electric car is now made even better.

2025 Hyundai IONIQ 5

Starting at 52.4 million Korean Won, the facelifted Hyundai IONIQ 5 saw some revisions on the award-winning electric car that forever changed Hyundai, keeping it fresh and competitive as the opportunity arises.

2025 Hyundai IONIQ 5

2025 Hyundai IONIQ 5 interior

The IONIQ 5 minor change saw some revisions inside and out. The exterior now sports a V-shaped garnish and revised bumpers, increasing its overall length by 20mm. The rear spoiler's revised as well and a new set of wheels are offered for this minor change. A sporty N Line variant was added to this minor change, mimicking the looks of the high-performance IONIQ 5 N variant and that's it.

The interior is revised with its new center console layout, a new physical button that offers access to frequently used functions, the wireless charging pad repositioned to the upper part, a new steering wheel design, and ccNC implementation with OTA updates, among others. The N Line jams the red ambient lighting, sports seats, metal pedals, red stitching, and the N steering wheel into the mix.

The IONIQ 5's electric powertrain was updated by increasing the size of its Li-ion battery from 77.4kWh to 84kWh, meaning the performance and ecology were updated as well. RWD variants have 229PS of power and up to 485km of driving range while HTRAC AWD variants have 325PS of power and up to 425km of driving range. Apart from the increased battery size, it comes with a new shock absorber, new cowl crossbar, doubled reinforcement at the rear wheels and the lower part of the vehicle, improved body stiffness, and added sound insulation, slightly improving its dynamics for the good of it.

Apart from the reinforced body and eight airbags, the IONIQ 5 minor change features new safety features such as the hands-on detection steering wheel, Lane Keeping Assist 2, Remote Smart Parking Assist 2 (RSPA 2), Forward/Side/Reverse Parking Collision-Avoidance Assist, intelligent front lighting, Digital Key 2, and Built-In Cam 2.

The award-winning Hyundai IONIQ 5 is now made even better with this facelift and it looks like it's on a roll. Will you?

Available colors: Atlas White, Lucid Blue Pearl, Digital Teal Green Pearl, Cyber Grey Metallic, Ecotronic Grey Pearl, Abyss Black Pearl, Atlas White Matte, Ecotronic Grey Matte, Gravity Gold Matte, and Ultimate Red Metallic (N Line only).

Photo: Hyundai Motor Company

Let's Do The News! (March 4, 2024)

                      

                                                                        

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

- According to the Federation of Free Farmers group, former NFA officials need to be investigated over the NFA Rice Scam, including the PH Department of Agriculture Secretary Tiu Laurel.

- The number of obesity cases hits 1 billion worldwide, according to the World Health Organization.

- Parts of Panay and Negros Islands have experienced blackouts again, a month after a massive power outage occurred on New Year's Day. According to the NGCP, it's because of the unplanned shutdown of three units of Panay Energy Development Corp. with 318MW of capacity.

- PH President Bongbong Marcos returns to Australia to attend the ASEAN-Australia Special Summit.

- US Vice-President Kamala Harris urged Israel to let more aid into Gaza. This comes after the US air-dropped goods to the war-torn area.

- Armed gangs in Haiti have stormed a prison, helping up to four thousand inmates escape.

- BAC is teasing its new model coming March 5th.

- A live-action TV drama version of Golden Kamuy is airing on WOWOW this fall.

- THE IDOLM@STER Shiny Colors TV anime airs on TV Tokyo and other networks this April 5th.

- Veteran sportscaster Chris Mortensen dies at the age of 72. Mortensen reported on the NFL for ESPN for over three decades.

- Veteran actress Jaclyn Jose passed away at the age of 60.

- ICYMI: Tahanang Pinakamasaya variety show ends broadcast this March 7. The March 2, 2024 episode is its last. Reruns of the show formerly known as Eat Bulaga by TAPE Inc. will only air until March 7th.

TTFN.

2024 NASCAR Cup Series - Pennzoil 400 presented by Jiffy Lube

The 2024 NASCAR Cup Series continues in Las Vegas for the Pennzoil 400 presented by Jiffy Lube as the drivers are cashing out on who will make it to the top. All bets are off for this one.

As the green flag waved, the action in Sin City is underway. Stage 1 saw Christopher Bell trigger the first caution of the race with a flat right rear tire followed by Chris Buescher losing his right front wheel and a red flag.

As Kyle Larson won Stage 1, Stage 2 saw Bell spinning at Turn 2 and another stage win for Larson. As the final stage kicks in, the drivers are going all out until Corey LaJoie spins in turn 2 and makes contact with the outside wall.

Screengrab from NASCAR

After the action in Vegas, Kyle Larson wins the Pennzoil 400 of the NASCAR Cup Series!

The next race is at Phoenix for the Shriners Children's 500 this Sunday, March 10th.

My FM Log: King's Weapon

The McLaren Senna and the Aston Martin Valkyrie are British hypercars performing exceptionally well not just on the road, but also on the track. With its track-only equivalents roaring in the Forza Motorsport game, it's time to exploit them further.

How do these two hypercar-turned-track weapons differentiate themselves? Let's begin with the McLaren Senna GTR, the track-only version of the King of McLaren Ultimate Series.

Revealed as a concept in 2018 and spawned into a limited-production model moments later, the Senna GTR transforms the already track-proven hypercar with even more potential.

The 4.0L V8 twin-turbo engine from its road-going equivalent remains the same, meaning it still produces 814hp of power, but it's mated to a racing transmission McLaren says it's faster in a straight line compared to the normal Senna.

In addition to its race-tuned aerodynamics that generate 1000kg of downforce, the Senna GT-R comes with a revised double wishbone suspension and slick Pirelli tires for improved grip.

The track-only Senna GT-R is limited to 75 units sold.

Now, let's get to know the Aston Martin Valkyrie AMR Pro, the closest thing you can get from a Formula 1 car.

Based on the Valkyrie hypercar, the AMR Pro is a track-only version that delivers the same performance and dynamics just like a Formula 1 car.

In addition to its more aggressive aerodynamic upgrades that add more dimension compared to the normal Valkyrie, making it capable of achieving lateral acceleration of more than 3G, the AMR Pro ditches the Valkyrie's hybrid system, trading power for weight loss. The 6.5L Cosworth V12 NA engine remains, producing over 1000PS of power.

During testing, the Valkyrie AMR Pro lapped the Le Mans circuit in 3 minutes 20 seconds, delivering the same performance as an LMP1-class race car.

Only 40 were made and sold. Customers who bought the Valkyrie AMR Pro have gained access to a bespoke track day experience at select FIA-approved circuits worldwide as well as other privileges.

To bring out the anger of the beast from these two track versions of British hypercars, I'm heading to Silverstone and find out which of them is the superior king. Let's roll the tapes.

And now, the results...

Senna GTR - 2m11.792s

Valkyrie AMR Pro - 1m52.599s

Thanks to its F1 know-how carried over from its road-legal equivalent as well as other track-based improvements, the Valkyrie AMR Pro massively sliced the Senna GTR into bits around Silverstone.

Regardless of today's result, I'm extremely satisfied that the Senna GTR and the Valkyrie AMR Pro are truly at home in the new Forza Motorsport game because this game served as a chance to demonstrate their de-restricted track capabilities against the world's most demanding race tracks.

Come try Britain's most extreme track weapons in Forza Motorsport if you're brave enough. You're welcome to do so.

FIA WEC S12 - Qatar 1812km

The 12th season of the FIA World Endurance Championship is unlike the WEC the world knows because this season has been streamlined to two classes; the Hypercar class and the all-new LMGT3 class. With Lamborghini joining in the Hypercar fun, the all-new LMGT3 class adds more fire and fury to this season.

The 12th WEC season kicked off with the Qatar Airways Qatar 1812km endurance race, the ideal litmus test for the new and returning Hypercar machines as well as the all-new LMGT3 machines from the world's top carmakers.

Screengrab from WEC

Porsche made headlines in the season opener as not only the #6 Porsche Penske 963 nailed its first WEC Hypercar win but also the #92 Manthey PureRXCing 911 GT3 R in the new LMGT3 class. A double victory for the German marque in the season opener.

The next race is the 6 Hours of Imola this April 21st.