F1 Academy 2025 - Zandvoort

After a long summer break, the 2025 F1 Academy season returns in Holland's Zandvoort. For this season's Dutch campaign, Esmee Kosterman is the Wild Card entry representing TeamViewer, one of its sponsors.

Screengrab from F1 Academy

This race weekend featured a "Double Dutch" highlight, with two Dutch drivers achieving significant victories. In the first race, Nina Gademan celebrated her first win on home soil, while Lia Block secured her first-ever podium finish in F1 Academy by coming in second. Maya Weug followed closely in third place. 

The final race showcased Maya Weug's triumph on her home turf, with Alisha Palmowski and Doriane Pin finishing in second and third place, respectively.

Post-Zandvoort, Doriane Pin leads with 127 points, while Maya Weug is in 2nd with 107 points and Chloe Chambers is in 3rd with 93 points.

The next place will be Singapore this October 3-5, 2025.

2025 Formula DRIFT Pro Championship - ELEVATED

Utah is the penultimate stop for the 2025 Formula DRIFT Pro Championship with ELEVATED. This Labor Day Weekend drifting action is the decider whether James Deane has the right to be named this season's champion.

Screegrab from Formula DRIFT

By sending Adam LZ to third place after a heated Semis and defeating Matt Field by unanimous decision in the final round, James Deane not only won ELEVATED but earned the right to be named the 2025 Formula DRIFT Pro Champion.

James Deane's title fight is checked, but this season has one last weekend left: the SHORELINE SHOWDOWN at Long Beach this October 17-18, 2025. Don't miss it.

Let's Do The News! (August 29, 2025)

            

                                        

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

- Senator Raffy Tulfo questions about the Chinese telecom tower installed at Camp Aguinaldo.

- The Thai Constitutional Court dismissed Prime Minister Paetongtam Shinawatra from power for ethics violation after only a year in power.

- Minneapolis officials provided update on yesterday's shooting at a Catholic school that killed two and hurt 19. The shooter, identified as the transgender Robin Westman, was found dead due to self-inflicted gunshot wound.

- US President Donald Trump canceled Secret Service protection for former vice president Kamala Harris.

- Bryan Herta Autosport is moving to LMP2-class racing for 2026.

- Seiyuu Takaya Hashi dies at the age of 72.

- A live-action adaptation of the webtoon A Man's Man was announced.

- The Ranma 1/2 reboot's second season airs this October 4th.

- Veteran filmmaker Mike de Leon passed away.

TTFN.

Metal Gear Solid Δ: Snake Eater

The secret origin of Big Boss, redefined for the new generation of players. The genesis of the Metal Gear saga, born again. This is Metal Gear Solid Δ: Snake Eater.

Metal Gear Solid Δ: Snake Eater (PS5)

Metal Gear Solid Δ, the rebirth of the 2004 video game, Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater, brings a bold new vision to the secret origin of Big Boss, courtesy of the Unreal Engine.

Fans who played the original Snake Eater game a million times should be familiar with the game's story. Set in the year 1964, in the heat of the Cold War, CIA agent Naked Snake's mission to rescue a captive Soviet scientist, Sokolov, failed when his mentor, The Boss, defected to the Soviet Union. Accused of its unprecedented nuclear attack on Soviet territory, the US government has one week to prove its innocence or else face nuclear retaliation by the Soviets. They had no choice...but to send Snake to eliminate The Boss.

Every iconic Snake Eater moment from Snake's failed Virtuous Mission to his "Last Showdown" has been recalibrated and recharged thanks to the full capability of the Unreal Engine. Playing on either the PS5 Pro or the Xbox Series X, surviving through enemy territory never looked and felt so ultra-realistic. Although the looks and feels are new, Konami managed to keep the original voices (Japanese and English dub) and BGM from the original Snake Eater intact.

There are two ways to enjoy playing MGSΔ. The New Style gives you a brand new third-person action perspective to the Snake Eater experience, with new controls to master. The Legacy Style, meanwhile, features classic MGS3 gameplay setup fans are familiar with. Whichever style you're playing, it's all about revisiting this classic.

In addition to the unlockable camouflages and the hidden Kerotans to shoot, the new Snake Eater game has hidden Ga-kos hidden throughout the game. Shoot them all to obtain a secret reward. Oh, and if you complete the game, you can unlock the Secret Theater feature, featuring memorable Snake Eater moments gone wrong. There are enemies carrying films scattered throughout the game. Holdupping them is the only way to get those blooper reels. Collect enough of these reels will unlock new ones made specifically for this remake.

Exclusive for PS5 and PC users, the hilarious "Snake VS Monkey" mini-game returns. The apes from Ape Escape are back to cause mayhem. For those playing with the Xbox Series consoles, it's Snake VS Bomberman.

Remember the "nightmare game" from the original MGS3 game for the PS2 that didn't pop up in the HD Edition? Guess what? Guy Savage is back with a new twist made in collaboration with PlatinumGames.

Later this fall, there's a new Fox Hunt online multiplayer game where players go hide-and-seek against each other. Optimal use of camouflage and the environment is a must in this new multiplayer game.

The secret origin of Big Boss, reloaded at long last. Metal Gear Solid Δ looks and feels better than the original while maintaining the familiar Snake Eater experience. It's a must-play for Metal Gear fans who've enjoyed the original Snake Eater a million times.

Kept you waiting, huh?

THREATS FROM NORTH KOREA: Kim Jong Un to join Putin and other leaders at China military parade

 

North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un will attend a military parade in Beijing next week, China's foreign ministry has said - in what is believed to be his first international level meeting of leaders.

The so-called "Victory Day" parade will mark the 80th anniversary of China's war against Japan and the end of World War Two.

Russia's President Vladimir Putin will also be among the 26 heads of state expected to attend the event and comes days after US leader Donald Trump said he wanted to meet Kim.

China is expected to display its latest weaponry including hundreds of aircraft, tanks and anti-drone systems - the first time its military's new force structure is being fully showcased in a parade.

The highly choreographed parade will see tens of thousands of military personnel march in formation through Tiananmen Square, including troops from 45 of the so-called echelons of China's military as well as war veterans.

The 70-minute parade, which will be surveyed by Chinese leader Xi Jinping, is expected to be closely watched by analysts and western powers.

In a press conference given by China's foreign ministry on Thursday, Beijing - one of Pyongyang's closest allies – praised its neighbour for their decades-long "traditional friendship" and said the two countries will continue to collaborate on "regional peace and stability".

Kim's attendance is an upgrade from China's last Victory Day parade, which happened in 2015 - during which Pyongyang sent one of its top officials, Choe Ryong-hae.

Kim attending the parade in the centre of Beijing standing alongside Russia's Putin and China's Xi will be quite the photo op.

But it will also be a key diplomatic win for Xi.

US President Donald Trump is trying to make a deal with Putin to end the war in Ukraine. He has also in the last week announced he wants to meet Kim again.

The Chinese leader is signalling here that he holds the geopolitical cards in this game. He has influence – although it is limited – on both leaders.

The timing is also key. The White House has suggested that President Trump could be in the region at the end of October and is open to meeting Xi.

The Chinese leader would go into any summit with the US president fully briefed by Kim and Putin and will know he is not being left out of the loop.

It's been six years since Kim visited Beijing - he last attended the 70th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries in 2019.

The reclusive North Korean leader also visited Beijing three times in 2018, marking a particularly busy year for international trips as he rarely travels abroad.

Most Western leaders are not expected to attend the parade, in part due to their differences with Russian leader Putin over the Ukraine war.

Japan had earlier also reportedly urged foreign leaders not the attend the parade, saying it had "anti-Japanese overtones".

But there is now the question of whether South Korea's President Lee Jae Myung will attend the parade, thereby providing the first opportunity for the leaders of North and South Korea to meet since their relations broke down in 2019.

Lee has been invited, but has not accepted the invitation. The government was planning to send a lower-ranking politician in his place.

Lee, who was elected in June, has repeatedly said he would like to speak to Kim Jong Un and establish peaceful relations with North Korea. On Monday, when Lee met President Trump in the Oval Office, he asked Trump to act as a peacemaker on the Korean peninsula. Lee has also stated he wants to strengthen ties with Beijing.

But the North has repeatedly criticised Lee, rejecting all his attempts to engage. Just yesterday its state news agency, KCNA, labelled Lee "a confrontational maniac".

If Lee were to attend the parade, it would get him physically close to Kim, but it is a risky move. If Kim publicly ignores or rebuffs the South Korean leader, or even another of its politicians, it would be a major embarrassment.

The optics of Lee appearing next to the presidents of Russia, Belarus and Iran is also something South Korea may want to avoid. South Korea's Presidential office has not commented today on whether he will attend.

Source: BBC 

Let's Do The News! (August 28, 2025)

           

                                        

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

- The Philippine National Police is opening access to records regarding the former president Rodrigo Duterte's brutal drug war.

- PHIVOLCS has recorded 8 volcanic quakes around Mt. Bulusan and 3 volcanic quakes around Kanlaon Volcano within 24 hours.

- Two children were killed in a shootout during a Minneapolis Catholic School Mass. US officials gave updates as the FBI investigates the Minneapolis school shooting as a domestic and hate crime.

- iRacing is making an IndyCar video game coming this 2026.

- The Peugeot 308 range's minor change was unveiled.

2026 Peugeot 308

2026 Peugeot 308 SW

- BMW updated its M Hybrid V8 race car for the 2026 WEC and IMSA season.

- The FIA announced support for road safety projects in 13 countries across the Americas through the FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem's Development Fund and FIA Foundation.

- A new Ania Kingdom web series, based on Takara Tomy's Ania line of animal toys, is coming to the official Takara Tomy YouTube channel this September, called the King Gold Mountain arc.

- Solo Leveling Arise Overdrive video game is hitting PCs this November 17, 2025, and on Xbox Series consoles next year.

- Singer PSY is under investigation for his violation of the Medical Service Act.

- A pair of minority owners of the Phoenix Suns, who were part of the previous ownership under Robert Sarver, are suing the team. They claim that current owner Mat Ishbia has denied them access to internal records, according to reports.

- Actor Baron Geisler reveals his experience after he was scammed by a certain contractor who claims to have connections to a certain politician.

TTFN.

Himitsu no AiPri Music Collection

"Himitsu no AiPri" is the fifth installment of the Pretty Series and follows the lives of best friends Himari Aozora and Mitsuki Hoshikawa as they strive to become the top idols in the AiPriVerse. Throughout the first season, we watch them face fierce competition from Quartet Star and Chii Mamiya while uncovering Tsumugi Suzukaze's true identity and saving the AiPriVerse from dark forces.

The original television soundtrack from the first series of Himitsu no AiPri has arrived. It's the definitive experience to listen to songs and score from the TV series.

Himitsu no AiPri Music Collection DX

Himitsu no AiPri Music Collection

The Himitsu no AiPri Music Collection is the ultimate album that includes all your favorite songs from the first series, along with two ending theme songs. It also features all the background music (BGMs) from the first season of the TV series. Additionally, those who purchased the deluxe (DX) version will receive a Blu-ray disc that contains all the music videos from the first season.

This is a way of expressing gratitude for watching the first season of "Himitsu no AiPri". There’s more fun and drama featuring Himari, Mitsuki, and our favorite AiPri stars in the currently airing Ring Series of "Himitsu no AiPri". Catch it every Sunday morning at 9:30 AM JST on TV Tokyo.