Let's Do The News! (October 7, 2024)

           

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

- Acting Bamban, Tarlac mayor Eraño Timbang filed his candidacy for mayorship in his own territory with Joseph Gomez as his running mate.

- South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol arrived in the Philippines for his bilateral meeting with Philippine President Bongbong Marcos.

- Senate Committee on Migrant Workers Chairperson Raffy Tulfo has called on all Filipinos in Lebanon to evacuate and return home to the Philippines.

- Philippine bishop Pablo David was named by Pope Francis as its new cardinal.

- Sue Gray resigns as UK prime minister's chief of staff and will take up a new role as PM's envoy for nations and regions.

- Israel is on a state of high alert on the first anniversary of the Hamas attacks. Several rockets were fired into southern Israel from Gaza. The Israeli offensive continues against Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon. Huge explosions have again struck southern Beirut.

- ICYMI: The Nissan Serena C28 e-POWER received a 4WD e4ORCE variant.

- The McLaren W1 was unveiled. It is the most powerful McLaren road car ever made because of its 1,258bhp 4.0L V8 Twin Turbo hybrid powertrain mated to an all-new 8-speed AT. All 399 units have been sold.

2025 McLaren W1

- Renault showcased its Embleme Concept ahead of its Paris Motor Show premiere.

Renault Embleme Concept

- Future Halo games will be using Unreal Engine 5, according to reports, as multiple projects are in development. 343 Industries was renamed as Halo Studios.

- T-ara member Jiyeon and Hwang Jae Gyun filed for divorce.

- New York Liberty advanced to the WNBA Finals.

TTFN.

2024 NASCAR Cup Series - YellaWood 500

The fight for the final 8 in the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series playoffs heads to Talladega for the YellaWood 500.

As the green flag waved, the action in Dega began. Stage 1 saw Daniel Suarez spinning on Lap 13. As Chris Buescher won Stage 1, Stage 2 saw Alex Bowman making contact with Ryan Blaney as Austin Cindric won this stage. In the finale, here comes The Big One on Lap 185 as Brad Keselowski sent Austin Cindric spinning, triggering a multi-car disaster that triggered the red flag. After several moments of clearing up debris from the 25-car disaster, overtime kicks in and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. is in the lead.

Screengrab from NASCAR

At a rate of .006 seconds, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., who is not in the playoffs, wins the YellaWood 500 of the NASCAR Cup Series. Following the recent results in Dega, William Byron earned his right to be in the Final 8.

Who will be eliminated? Find out as the fight for the Final 8 in the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series playoffs will continue in Charlotte Motor Speedway for the Bank of America ROVAL 400 this Sunday, October 13, 2024.

My FH5 Log: The last 2-door Audi

The Audi RS5 Coupe is the last two-door high-performance Audi you can buy because Audi is no longer building two-door coupes after this. Here in Forza Horizon 5, it's time to pay a little tribute to the last-ever 2-door high-performance Audi from how it started to how it ended.

From the 8T model to the F5 model, the RS5 Coupe can be harshly called a two-door equivalent of the RS4 Avant judging by the fact that both share the same backbones. Anyway, let's get to know how it started and how it ended.

Let's begin with the first RS5 Coupe. Launched at the 2010 Geneva Auto Show, the Audi RS5 is the powerful version of the Audi A5 coupe. It is powered by a 4.2 FSi V8 engine that produces 450PS of power.

Now, let's move on to the last-ever RS5 Coupe, a DLC car in the game. This model is now powered by a 2.9 TFSi V6 BiTurbo engine that produces 450PS of power and 600Nm of torque. The 8-speed Tiptronic transmission allows the RS5 to sprint from 0-100kph in 3.9 seconds with top speed normally limited to 250kph or with a little extra service that will raise the limit to 280kph.

The second-generation RS5 is the last DTM Touring Car to win the championship with Rene Rast behind the wheel. After that, the DTM as we know it is gone. Today's DTM became the equivalent of the GT300 class of the Super GT series with GT3-class machines ruling the pack.

To observe the advancements made by the RS5 from its initial V8-powered model to its final V6-powered iteration, I went to the Horizon Mexico main site to conduct this experiment. Let us proceed with the footage.

Here are the results...

RS5 (8T) - 1m18.195s

RS5 (F5) - 1m16.777s

Despite a two-cylinder gap between them, it took nearly two seconds for evolution. Progress is an Attitude, as Audi says in the commercials.

With the R8 and TT reached their end-of-life status, the RS5 Coupe is the next to be euthanized. Audi has been involved in making race-prepped coupes since the legendary Quattro and with the last two-door Audi heading to the crusher, Audi has nothing to race for as it only focuses on its Formula E involvement and its imminent F1 involvement with Sauber. It's a sad day for speedo boys who have been loyal to the Audi brand since the quattro. As the saying goes, all good things must come to an end.

EPILOGUE

The F5-spec Audi RS5 Coupe completed its mission in this unstable world but I decided to give the last-ever two-door Audi one last hurrah. But first...

Bananice, as one stage girl said. Bananice indeed.

With the "bananice" stage girl's name written all over it, my RS5 Coupe's final salvo takes place in an EventLab re-enactment of a certain racetrack I know. Let's roll the tape.

BANANICE, NANA-CHAN!

Thank you for everything, Audi RS5 Coupe. You may not be as good as the competition but you emerged as the last DTM Touring Car to be crowned as the champion and now that you've served your purpose, all that is left is for me to say...

ABSCHIED, RS5 COUPE. Abschied von der Audi-Zweitürer-Coupé-Familie.

Joker: Folie à Deux

The origin story of one of the deadliest criminals in the Batman universe continues in what was known to be the long-awaited sequel to the 2019 blockbuster movie.

Joker: Folie à Deux

Joaquin Phoenix returns to reprise the role of Joker in the next chapter of Joker's origin story, directed by Todd Phillips, who was responsible for the award-winning 2019 movie.

Set moments after the first film, as Arthur "Joker" Fleck, played by Phoenix, is institutionalized at Arkham awaiting trial for his crimes, he makes a fateful encounter with a mysterious woman, played by singer Lady Gaga, who will break his heart and, ultimately, break him out to freedom.

Gaga's performance as the mysterious woman in the sequel sparked speculations that this is the origin story of Harley Quinn, a femme fatale who is Joker's right-hander but it's extremely complicated to answer.

Despite complicating questions and answers overshadowing the sequel, it's still a credible artisan pick. It might be a worthy contender for next year's Oscars because it still delivers powerful emotions like the previous Joker movie. 

This sequel sure knows how to "face the music" spectacularly and this bigger and bolder sequel is one of the must-watch of the autumn movie season.

My FH5 Log: Legends of the Hidden Junk Cars

Three undesirable old cars have plagued Forza Horizon 5's Hidden Horizons update like disease-carrying rodents.

Let's face it, there's no stopping a game like Forza Horizon 5 from featuring undesirable old cars no one asked for and the Hidden Horizons update is no exception. Time to meet this update's worst offenders.

First, the Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution III from the Hidden Horizons Summer Season Playlist. Launched in 1995, the Lancer Evolution III is the third and the last verse based on the fourth-generation Lancer. It features a revised body style compared to the Evo II while the turbocharged 2.0L 4G63 engine was bumped to 266HP of power output.

Next, the fourth-generation Toyota Chaser, in turbocharged 2.5GT twin-turbo guise, from the Hidden Horizons Winter Season Playlist. Powered by a 2.5L 1JZ-GTE engine, it produces 210PS of power, making it the most powerful of the X80-series Chasers.

Lastly, the facelifted Volvo C30, in T5 R-Design Polestar Limited Edition guise, from the Hidden Horizons Spring Season Playlist. A byproduct of the SCC Concept, the C30 is the last 3-door Volvo ever made.

Let's give the latest batch of junk cars a quick race to prove their worth. Roll the tapes.

These junk cars still know how to funk themselves.

The plague of junk cars in Forza Horizon 5 is far from over because the next update, the Back To The 90s update, sees another plague of junk cars from the 1990s. Brace yourselves, more junk cars are coming.

Speaking of which...

Do you remember the King?

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

          

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

- The withdrawal of St. Timothy from the joint venture has no effect on the 2025 midterm elections, according to the COMELEC.

According to the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology, The eight co-accused of Alice Guo will be transferred to Pasig City Jail from Tarlac Provincial Jail. Meanwhile, Cassandra Li Ong attended the preliminary investigation of the PH DOJ related to the money laundering complaint.

- The PH Department of Agriculture is preparing 164.27 million pesos worth of relief aid in the aftermath of Typhoon Julian.

- NOAA's Space Weather Prediction Center stated about the solar flare that sparked the geomagnetic storm watch earlier this week.

- The United Kingdom has relinquished its sovereignty of the Chago Islands to Mauritius in a historic move. The deal means the joint US and British military base remains on Diego Garcia.

- Oil prices surge after US President Joe Biden says he's "discussing" Israeli strikes on Iran. Oil prices rose after Joe Biden said he was discussing possible Israeli strikes on Iran’s oil infrastructure.

- Lebanon says two soldiers have been killed by Israel, as Israel continues its Hezbollah offensive.

- Labour Party MPs are getting the chance to vote on proposals to give the terminally ill people in England and Wales the right to assisted dying.

- Alpine Endurance team Hypercar driver Nicolas Lapierre has announced his retirement from racing.

- The Mercedes-AMG One re-attempted its Nurburgring Nordschleife time attack and set a new production car lap record in 6m29.090, beating its previous 2022 record.

- The fifth-generation Ford Expedition was unveiled. Powered by a 3.5L EcoBoost engine, it produces up to 440HP of power.

2025 Ford Expedition

- The FIA World RX adds Canada to its 2025 race calendar.

- Actor Daniel Quinn-Toye to star in the live-action Voltron movie as filming begins this fall.

- TAPE Inc. names Malou Choa-Fagar as the company's new president and CEO.

- Chris Martin announces Coldplay retirement after the band releases its 12th studio album.

TTFN.

BMW 1-Series F70

The BMW 1-Series F70 may look new but it's a rehashed version of its F40 predecessor. The front-wheel-drive Bimmer just got improved and ready to draw some more flak from Bimmer purists everywhere...or will they?

2025 BMW 1-Series

Starting at 32,900 Euros plus additional costs, the F70 BMW 1-Series is a rehashed version of its F40 predecessor in the same way the Mini F66 model is a heavily revised F56 model. Long story short, here comes the real kicker; the F70 model rewrites the rules of BMW's trim naming scheme. Starting with this model, all petrol-powered BMW models will ditch the letter "i" at the end of the trim name because the letter "i" is officially exclusive to all-electric models such as the i4, the i5, and the i7. It's complicated but it goes a long way.

2025 BMW 1-Series

Beginning with the design, the F70 1-Series features a sharper front face compared to its predecessor and donning rear lamps shaped like the one from the Nissan Skyline V37, although the side view from the previous F40 model remains. The front grille can be configured to either weird or weirder but either way, this is still a Bimmer not suitable for purists wailing over the fact that this is a front-wheel-drive car with bits from the current Mini.

2025 BMW 1-Series interior

2025 BMW 1-Series interior

The revised interior features the new dashboard and center console, including a 10.25-inch digital instrument display and a 10.7-inch infotainment touchscreen powered by the latest Android-based BMW Operating System 9. Although more user-friendly than the previous model, some would have a hard time mastering it just like a newly-bought smartphone with advanced features. As for space and comfort, it accommodates up to five people. With the rear seats folded down, it has up to 1135L of boot space. Nice.

2025 BMW 1-Series

Like the F40 predecessor, the F70 1-Series still runs on the front-wheel-drive FAAR platform, making it mild on the corners and easy to drive everywhere.

As told earlier, the F70 model rewrites the BMW rules for time names as it is the first BMW model to ditch the "i" lettering at the end of the trim name for petrol-powered models while the "d" for diesel and "e" for PHEV models remain. There's no PHEV model for now. Only the 1.5L petrol and the 2.0L diesel are available in this model with various configurations.

The range-topper of the F70 1-Series is the M135 with 300PS of power and 400Nm of torque. With the available xDrive all-wheel-drive system, it does 0-100kph in 4.9 seconds and has an electronically limited top speed of 250kph. This is your go-to hot hatch worthy of redemption from its purist-unfriendly platform.

As for safety, the new 1-Series features the Driving Assistant package and Parking Assist with a reversing assist that is now part of the standard specification. Customers can opt for the Driving Assistant Professional which adds adaptive cruise control with stop and go, lane centering assist, and speed limit assist, while the Parking Assist Professional enables remote park assist.

The previous F40 1-Series was one of the worst offenders from BMW because of the un-BMW-ish dynamics that upset longtime fans. With the F70 model, BMW's worst offender just got slightly improved for better and for worse.

Available colors: M Brooklyn Grau metallic, Skyscraper Grau metallic, Thundernight metallic, Fire Red metallic, Saphirschwarz metallic, M Portimao Blau metallic, BMW Individual Storm Bay metallic, BMW Individual Tansanitblau metallic, BMW Individual Frozen Portimao Blau metallic, BMW Individual Frozen Pure Grey metallic, and Alpinweiß uni.

Photo: BMW AG