Thursday, May 22, 2025

Let's Do The News! (May 22, 2025)

                 

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

- Incoming Makati Mayor Nancy Binay will request the courtesy resignation of department heads in the Makati municipality on her first day in office.

- Over 29 cabinet members of the PBBM administration have announced their resignation so far, such as Department of Transportation Secretary Vince Dizon, DILG Sec. Jonvic Remulla, MMDA Chairman Romando Artes,  DENR Sec. Yulo Loyzaga, DND Sec. Gibo Teodoro, and others. As of now, only 10 cabinet members are waiting to tender their resignations.

- More than 100 driving schools suspended for various violations, according to the Land Transportation Office (LTO).

- US President Donald Trump confronts South African leader Cyril Ramaphosa in the White House with the claim of Afrikaners being "persecuted".

 - Team Penske announces leadership departures over "organizational failures".

- Toyota outlines its "dream" driver pathway with Supercars and NASCAR headlining parts of Toyota's plan for "university of motorsport". The WAU and the BJR will race six GR Supra Supercars in the 2026 season.

- The four-door Dodge Charger Daytona was unveiled with its 670HP electric powertrain.

2026 Dodge Charger Daytona Sedan

- Seiyuu Haruka Tomatsu announced the birth of her second child.

- GOODSMILE COMPANY resumes pre-orders in its US store, in compliance with the US tariff regulations.

- Lee Mi Joo and Park Jin Joo will step down from the MBC variety show How Do You Play?

- Longtime Colts owner and CEO Jim Irsay dies at the age of 65.

- GMA-7 files estafa complaint against TAPE Inc. executives.

TTFN

Retrofuture

Yesterday's rivals are now today's allies, the Edel Note tandem of Ceras Yanagida Lilienfeld, and Izumi Katsuragi is here with their first-ever single.

Retrofuture
Retrofuture

The Edel Note tandem, formerly the rival tandem from Mizukawa and now officially one of the Hasunosora Girls High School Idol Club's sub-units, is here with their first single titled "Retrofuture" and this single features the title song that made its world premiere during the 105th Term Opening Fes x LIVE. It's your chance to grab one and listen to the full version of the song.

Not only that, this single features two additional songs titled "天地黎明" and "チリコンカン" as well.

Are you ready to welcome Edel Note with open arms and add one to your ever-growing "Link! Like! Love Live!" music playlist?

Wednesday, May 21, 2025

Let's Do The News! (May 21, 2025)

                

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

- More than 100 representatives from 50 countries are in the Philippines for a three-day meeting themed Indo-Pacific Regional Information Sharing (IORIS) Steering Committee Meeting: Promoting Information-Sharing across the Indo-Pacific. The three-day meeting has begun in Cebu to strengthen the multinational governance of IORIS, or Indo-Pacific Regional Information Sharing, the EU-funded Indo-Pacific regional information-sharing platform, developed and implemented by the EU-funded CRIMARIO project, or Critical Maritime Route Indo-Pacific, since 2018. The three-day steering meeting that began today, May 21, and will last until May 23 was opened by EU Ambassador to the Philippines Massimo Santoro.

- House Deputy Minority Leader and ACT Teachers Party-list Rep. France Castro finds PH Vice President Sara Duterte's desire to have her brother, Davao City Representative Paolo Duterte, become House Speaker in the 20th Congress unacceptable. For Castro, this is a blatant attempt by the Duterte family to establish a monopoly on important government positions that disregards the principles of a democracy.

- Senator-elect Bong Go provided financial aid for families affected by fires in Tondo, Manila. In the latest report, more than 150 families living in 35 houses that burned down on May 18, 2025, were provided with financial assistance and aid by Senator Go earlier today.

- The United Nations reports that no aid has been distributed in Gaza, even though aid trucks have begun crossing the border after an 11-week blockade. This situation comes as international pressure on Israel continues to increase.

- Honda is scaling back its EV sales target/investments to focus on hybrids.

- The Opel Mokka GSE Rally was unveiled. This rally crossover, to be used in the Opel Electric Rally Cup, could preview the upcoming all-electric Mokka GSE.

Opel Mokka GSE Rally

- The all-new sixth-generation Toyota RAV4 was unveiled. The all-new model will be offered with a choice of hybrid for Core and Adventure models and PHEV for Core and GR SPORT models. It will arrive later this year.

2026 Toyota RAV4
2026 Toyota RAV4

- The June 29, 2025 episode of Himitsu no AiPri TV anime will feature Sanrio's My Melody and Kuromi as special guest characters.

- A live-action movie adaptation of Mattel's Whac-a-Mole game is in the works with TriStar Pictures.

- Sesame Street is moving to Netflix following the Trump administration's announcement to slash PBS funding.

- The children's cartoon Peppa Pig unveiled its new character named Baby Evie Pig.

Peppa Pig
Peppa Pig

- Nickelodeon will air a TV movie titled Dora and the Search for Sol Dorado this July 2, 2025. Made to commemorate the Dora series' 25th anniversary, it will be set after the events of the 2019 live-action Dora movie.

- Disney's Zootopia 2 will hit theaters this November 26, 2025.

- KBS briefly comments on reported plans for its upcoming drama lineup.

- Noranians have gathered to celebrate the 72nd birthday of the late National Artist Nora Aunor.

TTFN.

Tuesday, May 20, 2025

Final Destination: Bloodlines

 After 14 years of waiting, the Final Destination series of disaster horror flicks is back with an all-new installment that picks up after the horrifying events of FD5.

Final Destination: Bloodlines


Final Destination: Bloodlines, the latest chapter of the Final Destination saga of disaster horror movies centers on college student Stefanie as she races against time to find someone who will be able to end the cycle and save her family from an imminent disaster that will kill them all.

True to the tropes of the Final Destination series, this chapter is filled with calamities reminiscent of a disaster movie, complete with a suspenseful time limit as the main character races against the clock to avert a deadly disaster. No one is prepared for the worst, and this latest installment delivers on that promise.

From the cataclysmic opening to the very end, this film proves that the Final Destination series is here to stay. Much like its previous installments, it emphasizes that life is a death trap. Be ready for everything this movie has to offer because nothing is safe from its chaotic events.

Let's Do The News! (May 20, 2025)

               

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

- Senator-elect Ping Lacson warned that Philippine President Bongbong Marcos' openness to compromise with the Dutertes could be misinterpreted as a weakness in his leadership. According to Lacson, PBBM is inherently good, but his openness to compromise with Vice President Sara Duterte and the Dutertes could be misinterpreted by his allies and opponents as a weakness.

- Senators Joel Villanueva and Sherwin Gatchalian commend the approval of 16,000 new teaching positions in the PH Department of Education.

- The PH Department of Agriculture sees no shortage in the supply of poultry products despite the import ban in Brazil.

- The PBBM administration led the commissioning of the Philippine Navy's new assets ahead of its anniversary. According to the President, the unwavering and wholehearted service of the personnel in the face of various challenges at sea is admirable, especially in guarding the West Philippine Sea and other maritime posts of the country. The President reiterated that government troops will not tolerate any threat to security, and he also said that the government will not surrender or abandon any territory.

- The COMELEC is already preparing for the holding of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) parliamentary elections.

- The no-contact apprehension program was resumed following the Supreme Court's decision to lift the temporary restraining order on the program in the wake of multiple car accidents.

- The Myanmar junta chief says the US is yet to deliver $9 million pledged for earthquake aid but the US Government says the money was being spent.

- US President Donald Trump says Russia will "immediately" work toward a ceasefire after a phone call, but Vladimir Putin seems unfazed.

- Josef Newgarden and Will Power will start at the back of the Indy 500 grid following their infringement for using illegally modified components.

- Zak Best returns to Supercars for the first time after two years. Best secures his return with the Blanchard Racing Team.

- The Infiniti QX60 received a minor change for the 2026 model year.

2026 Infiniti QX60
2026 Infiniti QX60

- Kadokawa is acquiring 70% of the shares to make Edizioni BD its subsidiary.

- The Peppa Pig cartoon series is teasing a new character coming next month under the "Pig Changes Are Coming" banner.

- Actress Lee Si Won gave birth to her first child.

TTFN.

Suzuki Jimny Nomade

Never in the 55-year history of the Suzuki Jimny has there been a five-door variant of this world's smallest off-roader—until now. The leader in fuel-efficient cars has decided to make a significant change that hasn't been done to the Jimny in a very long time. Say hello to the first-ever Jimny Nomade, the five-door take on the legend.

2025 Suzuki Jimny Nomade
2025 Suzuki Jimny Nomade

The first-ever five-door Suzuki Jimny, the Nomade, starts at 2,651,000 Japanese Yen plus additional costs, and unlike its three-door equivalents, the Jimny Nomade marks the third time Suzuki imported something from India's Maruti Suzuki manufacturing line since the defunct Baleno and last year's Fronx crossover.

2025 Suzuki Jimny Nomade
2025 Suzuki Jimny Nomade interior

To differentiate the Nomade from the Sierra, the extra doors resulted in increased dimensions, and it's not just the increased dimensions that made the Nomade unique; it's the front chrome grille that makes it easy to differentiate. Despite the added dimensions, it's still the Jimny every Japanese offroading addict knows.

As for the interior, it's still pretty much as old-school as all of the previous Jimny generations, judging by its steering wheel integrated switches, a touch-screen sat-nav with smartphone connectivity, a front console box, and USB accessory sockets, but since this is the Nomade, the extra doors made it easier for anyone to get through the rear seats. It's common sense, and then there's the boot space, which is more than doubled in size from the Sierra's 85 to 211 liters. #32 liters with the rear seats folded.

The Nomade still uses the same K15B 1.5L petrol engine from the 3-door equivalent, the Jimny Sierra. It produces 102PS of power and 130Nm of torque. The 5-speed manual gearbox gives the Nomade about 15.4km/L of fuel economy while the 4-speed automatic has 14.3km/L, based on WLTC Mode standards.

Being the smallest SUV with a ladder frame, the Nomade's ladder frame features a center cross member and side frame reinforcements slotted above the X member while retaining the body mount rubbers and three-link rigid axle suspension from the Sierra. As a result, the Nomade is a serious, tiny off-roader compared to the Sierra.

The part-time 4WD system is a standard issue, and with the transfer lever, drivers can switch through three different modes, such as running on rear wheels or engaging a low-range four-wheel drive in case of rough terrain coming through. Other features include a steering damper, brake LSD traction control, hill hold control, and hill descent control, giving the Jimny Nomade much-needed feedback that drivers are looking forward to.

The Jimny Nomade is equipped with Suzuki Safety Support, which includes enhanced Highway and Parking safety technologies compared to the Sierra. It also features familiar safety systems such as sign recognition, lane departure warning, front car departure alert, high beam assist, dual sensor brake support, false launch suppression, and more. When these technologies are combined with electronic stability control (ESP), emergency stop signals, six airbags, a TECT body, and various other safety features, the result is a rugged and reliable off-roader that is durable and safe enough to navigate through all kinds of challenging conditions, whether on or off the road.

The first-ever, fully-imported, Suzuki Jimny Nomade showcases the unexplored side of the Jimny in terms of practicality, thanks to the additional doors that made it easier to get through the rear seats while retaining the signature off-roading capabilities you'd expect for the only small SUV in the world with a ladder frame. Welcome to the most accessible Jimny ever made. A Jimny for all off-roading addicts.

AVAILABLE VARIANTS:

1.5L FC 4WD 5MT - 2,651,000 Yen

1.5L FC 4WD 4AT - 2,750,000 Yen

AVAILABLE COLORS:

Sizzling Red Metallic Black 2-tone Roof, Chiffon Ivory Metallic 2 Black 2-tone Roof, Celestial Blue Pearl Metallic, Bluish Black Pearl 4, Jungle Green 2, and Arctic White Pearl.

Photo: Suzuki Motor Corporation

Monday, May 19, 2025

Let's Do The News! (May 19, 2025)

              

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

- The Philippine National Police has resumed its normal service after last week's elections.

- The PH Department of Agriculture is banning imports of chicken meat from Brazil due to bird flu.

- Senator Sherwin Gatchalian asserted that being Senate President today is critical to being able to handle the scheduled impeachment trial against Vice President Sara Duterte. According to Gatchalian, their set-up in the impeachment court is different compared to the session when they pass laws.

- The PH Department of Education (DepEd) has denied a report circulating that there will be a Grade 13 in School Year 2025-2026.

- Rising cases of COVID-19 in parts of Southeast Asia are closely monitored by the PH Department of Health.

- Entry into the 6-kilometer extended danger zone of Kanlaon Volcano in Negros Island is now permitted from 6 a.m. to 4 p.m., according to the Office of Civil Defense (OCD).

- Pope Leo XIV held his inauguration mass in St. Peter's Square. Over 150,000 devotees took part in the historic Eucharistic Celebration for the start of the Petrine Ministry of the Bishop of Rome.

- South Korea will hold another round of presidential debates tonight as presidential candidates will debate over key issues such as the North Korea situation, the US tariff problems, the aftermath of Yoon Suk-Yeol's impeachment, and others.

- The Alpine A390 coupe crossover will be unveiled next week.

- PREMA Racing newcomer Robert Shwartzman made headlines for his first INDY 500 pole position.

- Kwon Yul announces his marriage plans.

- The WNBA is investigating allegations of "hateful fan comments" directed at Angel Reese during Saturday's game between the Chicago Sky and Indiana Fever in Indianapolis after an incident involving Caitlin Clark and Reese.

- BBC's Doctor Who TV series casts Archie Panjabi as the legendary villain, The Rani.

- TV presenter Paolo Bediones said he received threats for four years due to his video scandal.

- Fil-Austrian JJ wins 2025 Eurovision Song Contest.

TTFN.