Let's Do The News! (June 13, 2024)

         

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

- MERALCO is raising the power rates by 64 centavos per kWh this month.

- The National Security Council called the rising POGO industry and its illegal activities a "national concern" but according to National Security Adviser Ed Año, it is not yet at the level of a 'national security threat' and does not need to be handled by the AFP.

- A 28-year-old man was charged after objects were thrown at Nigel Farage while the Reform UK leader was campaigning.

- A fire broke out at a building at al-Mangaf, Kuwait. 49 people were killed in the blaze, including three OFWs.

- Argentine police and protesters clash in Buenos Aires. Demonstrators were protesting against controversial economic reforms. Lawmakers in Congress debated drastic measures President Javier Milei put forward to address the country's dire economic situation.

- US top diplomat Antony Blinken says a deal to end the war in Gaza is still possible.

- EU health officials warn that an invasive mosquito spreads dengue fever in Europe.

- X (formerly Twitter) made users' Likes private for privacy purposes.

- The BMW 2-Series Coupe range and the M2 were updated for the 2025 model year with revamped interior and improved power for the M2's 3.0L biturbo engine producing 480hp.

2025 BMW 2-Series Coupe

2025 BMW M2 Coupe

- The first-ever Alpine A290 was unveiled. Based on the revived Renault 5, the A290 hatchback's electric powertrain is powered by a 52kWh battery with up to 220bhp for the GTS model.

2025 Alpine A290

- The Aspark Owl SP600 has set an unofficial electric vehicle speed record of 272mph.

- Regular Show is getting a new series, as announced by Warner Bros. Animation. Some say the new Regular Show series will include at least some characters from the original show.

- The Netflix original series Sweet Home's third season is coming this July 19.

- SM Entertainment has announced that they are taking legal action against EXO’s Chen, Baekhyun, and Xiumin.

- In Game 4 of the PBA Philippine Cup finals, San Miguel beats Meralco at the score of 111-101. Both teams won 2 games each.

- In Game 3 of the NBA Finals, the Boston Celtics are leading 3-0 after beating the Dallas Mavericks at the score of 106-99, putting the team on the brink of the title.

- BBC's Doctor Who TV series casts Lenny Rush as Morris Gibbons. Rush made his brief appearance as one of the babies from the Space Babies episode. Rush's character will make an appearance in this weekend's first part of the season finale.

TTFN.

My FM Log: Trackside Litters

Two rather unnecessary trackside litterbugs have invaded Forza Motorsport's Update 8, the Porsche 935 and the BMW 1M Coupe. Having fought my way to swat these two down, it's time to have a lowdown with the latest trackside vermins.

Let's begin with the BMW 1-Series M Coupe that I salvaged from the Update 8 Open Class Tour until the June 12, 2024 deadline.

Anyone wondering why the M version of the 1-Series Coupe is called “1-Series M Coupe” instead of “M1” is because it's supposed to avoid confusion with the original BMW M1, the only mid-engined M-developed sportscar from BMW M Power built from the 1970s. 

The BMW 1-Series M Coupe has a turbocharged 3.0L engine with direct injection that produces 335hp of power and 450Nm of torque. It can go 0-60m in 4.7 seconds, and top speed is limited to 155mph. The 6-speed manual gearbox is the only gearbox available for the 1M Coupe.

Now, let's get to know about the Porsche 935 that was salvaged from the time-limited Track Toys tour until the June 26, 2024 deadline.

The reborn 935 is essentially a track-only version of the 991-spec Porsche 911 GT2 RS, although there is already a track-only version of the said car, the 911 GT2 RS Clubsport. However, this is the extreme version of Porsche's Nürburgring beater, and because it isn't homologated, the modern 935 is all about pushing itself to the very limit on the track. It made its world premiere at the 2019 Rennsport Reunion VI at Laguna Seca.

Donning its iconic design, the 935 is bigger than the 911 GT2 RS it was based on, but despite its neo-classic exterior design, it still runs on the same 3.8L twin-turbo flat-six engine from the said car, meaning it produces 700hp of power while mated to a 7-speed PDK. It also packs similar features such as LSD, electromechanical steering with variable ratio, front McPherson struts, and rear multi-link setup. Unlike the 911 GT2 RS, the 935 uses three-way adjustable racing dampers as well as front six-piston aluminum monobloc brake calipers and rear four-piston aluminum monobloc brake calipers.

Production is limited to 77 units, each costing 701,948 euros plus additional costs.

Let's push these pests to the limit around Brands Hatch to showcase their trackside potential. Roll the tapes.

These lab rats sure know how to handle a race track like a track toy but still, I'm not satisfied about these two vermins on steroids.

Enjoy your new ride.

THREATS FROM NORTH KOREA: Jin from South Korean K-pop group BTS wraps up military service

 

Jin, a member of the K-pop group BTS has been discharged from South Korea's army. 

Hundreds of thousands of people tuned into a livestream of Jin's military discharge.

BTS, an acronym of Bangtan Sonyeondan or "Beyond the Scene," is a Grammy-nominated South Korean pop phenomenon.

Jin, whose full name is Kim Seouk-jin, had carried out 18 months of duty and is the first member of BTS to wrap up the mandatory national service that put the group's music career on hold.

The 31-year-old is the oldest member of the K-pop group and appeared emotional as he hugged his colleagues at a military base in Yeoncheon, Gyeonggi province.

He was wearing his army uniform and a black beret.

"I cried during the ceremony," he later said.

"But it was so fun for the last year and six months. It's such a relief, I met so many amazing people."

According to South Korean media, several members of BTS applied for leave to celebrate the occasion, including rapper RM, who played the group's hit single Dynamite on a saxophone.

Jin was the first member of the group to enlist in the military in December 2022.

Four other members of the ensemble began their military service a year later in December 2023.

The boy band is expected to be reunited after they all complete their duty in 2025.

Jin has plans to kick off his post-army activities with an hour-long performance in Seoul.

K-pop is one of South Korea's largest cultural exports and BTS have been at the forefront of this after debuting as a group in 2013.

The country requires all able-bodied men aged 18-28 to serve in the military or social service for a minimum of 18 months.

In 2020, it changed the law to accommodate globally recognised K-pop stars, allowing them to delay signing up till the age of 30.

 Source: ABC Australia/Reuters

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

        

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

- Philippine President Bongbong Marcos led the ceremony of Philippine Independence Day in Rizal Park, Manila. PH Vice-President Sara Duterte expresses solidarity on the country's 126th Independence Day. The President said in his Independence Day speech "True spirit of Freedom lives in every Filipino".

- A Magnitude 4.1 quake hits Donsol, Sorsogon. Intensity 2 is felt in parts of Legazip, Albay.

- The Absolute Divorce Bill has reached the PH Senate.

- Hunter Biden, the son of US President Joe Biden, is found guilty of federal gun charges and is now facing a possible prison term.

- Malawi Vice President Saulos Chilima and nine others were killed in a plane crash.

- Judge orders convicted sex offender Gary Glitter to pay more than £500,000 to the victim he abused when she was 12.

- The Superrace Championship adds Alpine Class, a one-make race series featuring the Alpine A110S. It will debut this July 14th, a day after the Yongin Night Race.

- The Mini Cooper F66 range received a five-door variant.

2025 Mini Cooper 5-Door

- The live-action Cells at Work movie will hit cinemas this December and stars Mei Nagano and Takeru Sato.

- Tower of God TV anime's second season will air this July 7th.

- Former Hello Venus member Yoo Ara reveals her cancer diagnosis.

- Rory McIlroy called off the divorce as he and his wife Erica "resolved our differences".

- TTFN.

Let's Do The News! (June 11, 2024)

       

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

- According to the AFP, it is possible that the discovered Chinese military uniforms in Porac, Pampanga is only used as "props", not an indication that Chinese soldiers have entered the Philippines. For Senator Risa Hontiveros, the PLA uniforms found at POGO in Pampanga prove that POGO and foreign intelligence assets are related. She's also clear that POGO has become a "breeding ground" of crimes in the Philippines.

- Japan and the Philippines have signed a loan agreement for an additional five new multi-role response vessels.

- The Philippine Navy says that the number of Chinese warships in the West Philippine Sea has doubled in the past week.

- The UN Security Council has voted 14-1 to support the US-proposed Israel-Gaza ceasefire plan.

- Initial post-mortem in Greece finds that Michael Mosley died of natural causes and there were no injuries that could have caused his death.

- Elon Musk threatens to block all Apple devices at his companies if Apple integrates OpenAI at the OS level.

- Hyundai teases their upcoming electric variant of the Casper compact crossover.

- Sime Darby presses ahead with its takeover of Toyota's Malaysian operations, making it the leading automobile player in the ASEAN country.

- The recent Ubisoft Forward livestream showcased some upcoming games such as Assassin's Creed Shadows, Star Wars Outlaws, and more, plus updates on existing titles such as The Division 2, Skull & Bones, and The Crew Motorfest.

- SM Entertainment released a statement in response to claims by EXO's Chen, Baekhyun, and Xiumin regarding breach of settlement terms. Chen, Baekhyun, and Xiumin clarified that they will continue group activities as EXO under SM.

TTFN.

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

      

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

- The Manila Broadcasting Company strongly condemned the recent attack by members of the transport group Manibela on DZRH reporter Val Gonzales. The incident occurred while the reporter was in the middle of a coverage of Manibela's protest movement at East Avenue, Quezon City. The Justice Reporters' Organization also condemns the assault as well. 600 Manibela members staged a protest at five locations across Metro Manila.

- The Makabayan bloc says that the requirement of reciting the Bagong Pilipinas hymn and pledge in schools became a "remnant" of martial rule. The Bagong Pilipinas hymn and pledge were sung and recited at most flag-raising ceremonies.

- A Kingdom of Jesus Christ compound of Pastor Apollo Quiboloy at Davao City was raided by the PNP but the pastor is nowhere to be found.

- France's National Rally on course to trounce President Macron's party in European elections, exit polls say. Far-right parties are on course for substantial EU election gains in Austria and Germany.

- Israeli war cabinet minister Benny Gantz quits emergency government in a row over Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's post-conflict plans for Gaza.

- Indian PM Narendra Modi was sworn in for his third term in a grand ceremony in Delhi after barely winning last weekend's elections.

- Volkswagen previews its affordable electric car for the masses coming soon.

- The recent Xbox Games Showcase previewed new games such as the new Perfect Dark game, Dragon Age: The Veilguard, Doom: The Dark Age, and more, as well as updates on Diablo IV, Fallout 76, STARFIELD, The Elder Scrolls Online, and more. It also unveiled three new Xbox Series X|S consoles coming this Holiday season with the all-digital Xbox Series X 1TB variant, the Xbox Series S 1TB variant, and the Xbox Series X (with disc drive) 2TB Special Edition.

Three new Xbox Series X|S variants coming
this Christmas

- Kang Daniel has personally announced the end of his tenure with KONNECT Entertainment, the agency he established five years ago.

- In Game 3 of the PBA Philippine Cup Finals Meralco regains the lead at 2-1 after beating San Miguel at the score of 93-89.

- In Game 2 of the NBA Finals, the Boston Celtics leads 2-0 after beating the Dallas Mavericks at the score of 105-98.

- Actor Carlo Aquino has officially tied the knot with Charlie Dizon, a year after confirming their relationship.

The historical drama Pulang Araw will be seen first on Netflix this July 26. The drama stars Barbie Forteza, Sanya Lopez, David Licauco, and Alden Richards with Dennis Trillo.

TTFN.

2024 NASCAR Cup Series - Toyota/Save Mart 350

The 2024 NASCAR Cup Series continues in Sonoma Raceway for another road course action of the season with the Toyota/Save Mart 350.

As the green flag waved, the action in Sonoma began with the first stage where Denny Hamlin's engine failure led to an oil spill on Lap 4. Martin Truex Jr went off track in turn 2 on Lap 8, William Byron went to the pits over a left rear tire,  Ty Gibbs crashed to the wall because of a flat right rear tire, and a Lap 19 disaster.

As Tyler Reddick wins Stage 1, Stage 2 saw a Lap 35 chain reaction triggered by Erik Jones pushing Josh Berry out of control. As Chris Buescher wins Stage 2, the last stage saw trouble for Michael McDowell as he lost a tire in Lap 105, and a Final Lap disaster for MTJ as he ran out of fuel.

Screengrab from NASCAR

After a wild wild race day in Sonoma, Kyle Larson wins the Toyota/Save Mart 350 of the NASCAR Cup Series!

The next race is at Iowa Speedway for the Iowa Corn 350 Powered by Ethanol this June 16th.