Tuesday, January 21, 2025

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

                   

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

- Donald Trump was sworn into office as the 47th President of the United States, signaling his return to the White House for his second non-consecutive term. In his speech, Trump promised to declare border and energy crises, end birthright citizenship, the establishment of the Department of Government Efficiency and the External Revenue Services, restore free speech, and bring "a new golden age" for the US.

- After his inauguration speech, Donald Trump signed a historic number of executive orders, mostly undoing most of the Biden-era executive orders. These orders included withdrawing from the Paris Climate Accord (again) and the World Health Organization, ending the EV mandate, increasing border security, defending women from "gender ideology," imposing new tariffs, pardoning January 6, 2021, Capitol rioters, and more.

- Billionaire Elon Musk drew flak over his "First Buddy" speech in support of US President Donald Trump, with netizens saying on social media his salute is similar to a "Nazi salute".

- Nancy Pelosi condemned Donald Trump's decision to pardon the January 6 Capitol rioters, calling it a "betrayal" to the justice system.

- UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer is making a statement about the public inquiry into the Southport attack where three young girls were stabbed to death. 18-year-old Axel Rudakubana pleaded guilty to killing the three young girls at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class last year.

- Philippine President Bongbong Marcos congratulates Donald Trump's inauguration.

House Bill 11198, or the proposal to declare September of each year as “National Bullying Awareness and Prevention Month,” has passed its second reading in the PH House of Representatives.

- Senate Committee on Migrant Workers Chairman Senator Raffy Tulfo's call for the government to implement a "total ban" on sending domestic workers to Kuwait has been revived.

- Chrysler halted development of its upcoming EV SUV, asking its suppliers to stop spending.

- Nissan is undergoing domestic restructuring. It plans to scale back production at its Shatai Shonan plant, which manufactures commercial vehicles, and slash hundreds of jobs. As a result, production of the Wingroad-based AD business wagon range will cease.

- Ohio State defeated Notre Dame 34-23 to nail its seventh College Football Playoff national title.

TTFN...

Monday, January 20, 2025

Leopaul's Column: The "True" Empire of Death

 Leopaul's Column

Welcome to "Leopaul's Column," where I will transform my daily stress into engaging editorials, just like the Opinion section of your regular newspaper. Today's column is called "The TRUE Empire of Death", where authoritarianism equals communism in today's unstable world now that Donald Trump has returned to the White House, bracing us for the TRUE empire of death.

Is This Tomorrow: America Under Communism

The Bolshevik Revolution of 1917 marked the end of Russia's monarchy and gave rise to communism as we know it. Led by Vladimir Lenin (1870-1924), this revolution transformed Russia into the original Empire of Death, embodied in the USSR. This fearsome ideology spread beyond the Silk Road, leading to the establishment of single-party states, such as the People's Republic of China, and North Korea under three generations of the Kim Il Sung bloodline. Additionally, the world witnessed the complete communist takeover in Vietnam, the devastating regime of Pol Pot in Cambodia, and Fidel Castro's rule in Cuba, among others.

Although the Cold War ended in 1991 with the dissolution of the Soviet Union, communism is still a relevant ideology. Notably, countries like China, Cuba, and North Korea continue to embody its principles. Furthermore, elements of communist tactics can be observed in various countries, as authoritarian leaders often draw inspiration from past communist leaders.

Any Filipino people who lived through the Martial Law years will tell you just how terrifying their lives have been since the time Ferdinand Marcos Sr. transformed the Philippines into his Empire of Death because of Martial Law, but there's more than just the time the Philippines became an Empire of Death.

There was the Rodrigo Duterte regime that unleashed a wave of extrajudicial killings even children weren't spared by it, triggering international condemnation, as well as the Martial Rule in Marawi because of clashes against an ISIS-affiliated Maute terror group. He even let ABS-CBN rot in the first half of 2020 during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic because the TV network heavily criticized him. Although no longer the president, Rodrigo Duterte is still plotting more to escape the wrath of the International Criminal Court. He even tried separating the Mindanao regions away from the Philippine archipelago as well, don't you know? 

The situation mirrors that of his daughter, Philippine Vice President Sara Duterte, who seems to be attempting to undermine the Bongbong Marcos administration. The government has claimed that her video messages have incited "death threats" against the administration. People are drawing comparisons between the two, suggesting that they are alike in their approaches.

Moving away from the Philippines, we can observe some of the deadliest examples of what occurs when authoritarian leaders embrace communist policies or when nations that have always been communist pursue such agendas. North Korea’s Kim Jong Un, China’s Xi Jinping, and Russia’s Vladimir Putin are undoubtedly the top three worst offenders. Everybody knows who they are from Kim Jong Un's nuke-testing and missile-launchings, Putin's relentless attack on Ukraine, and the usual Xi Jinping shenanigans that pleases the economic world but irritates the US into paranoia.

As any Red in the US will tell you, Cuba is Latin America's worst offender since the Fidel Castro regime, but there's more than just Communist Cuba because there are some other worst offenders in Latin America that made the world worrying. You have Venezuela which is still under the socialist rule of Nicolas Maduro who still can't give up on his rule even though he was defeated by Edmundo Gonzales Urrutia in the elections, and then there's Brazil's equivalent of Donald Trump; Jair Bolsonaro. Like Trump, Bolsonaro has no regard for the environment and let the Amazon rainforest go down in flames. Thankfully, he's no longer in power...yet.

Would you like to know which is the most "communist" of the so-called captive nations and rogue nations? No, it's not Communist China. It's the US Republicans, of course. Since Donald Trump's first term, the US Republicans, in my mind, are the real communists. The stuff you saw in one of the Red Scare propaganda called "Is This Tomorrow: America Under Communism" is getting real. 

In a typical communist nation, the government stripped human rights away from voting (as demonstrated by their so-called voter integrity laws and Voter ID laws), the right to choose, the right to live, and so on, and so forth. Long story short but that's the true nature of US Republicans these days. They bear the same color and behavior as communists and what "common sense" these Republicans are aiming for feels like it all came from their so-called US Republican equivalent of The Communist Manifesto.

Go ahead, keep comparing The Bill of Rights to The Communist Manifesto a million times. Here's to warn you that US Republicans mixed both of these different ideologies into one deadly manifesto that made the United States a rogue nation that prefers to be "a friend of none, an enemy to all". To clarify, the United States under Republican rule loves to pick fights with any nation or global organization that doesn't align with its wants such as its energy independence, its support to Israel, strong military power, paranoia over China, and whatever the heck the Republican-controlled USA is boasting.

The United Nations, NATO, World Trade Organization, and other global organizations should have condemned Donald Trump from the start. Trump's wanton policies, labeled by the Republicans as "common sense" sent the world towards Hell, and with him back, his ultimate mission to turn the USA into his "Empire of Death" began with the help of his ultra-wealthy backers and the Republican majority of the US Congress who got his back. By repealing every single move his Democrat predecessors worked hard, he lets oil barons, rapists, raiders, White Supremacists, religious cults, and other legions of doom rallying with him have the upper hand. 

Can you hardly imagine what will the US look like under Trump's second term? Beating China as the world's largest polluter thanks to slashing environmental regulations, becoming the country with the highest number of adolescent pregnancies because of slashing down abortion rights, boasting the record number of "baby factories" with abortion out of the table, the list goes on and on. A never-ending nightmare.

As the so-called Doomsday Clock continues to accelerate to the point that we're now less than thirty seconds to midnight or ten for that matter, it's modern-day totalitarianism, authoritarianism, and communism that have sped up the end of the world. Is this what "common sense" feels like to you? Getting plunged into a world where your life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness are taken away by leaders who prefer putting their countries first? Where are the global organizations such as the United Nations when the so-called "Empires of Death" continue to expand?

It's true what the world says. Nothing is safe. The men who sold the world are responsible for it.

America under Republican rule... No, the world under the rule of the Reds... IS THIS TOMORROW?

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

                  

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

TikTok plans to restore its US service after US President-elect Donald Trump said he would delay a ban on the app.

- Three hostages held by Hamas were freed in exchange for ninety Palestinian prisoners as part of the Gaza ceasefire agreement.

- Former Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn and John McDonnell were interviewed under caution by police after attending a London pro-Palestinian rally, according to reports.

- According to reports, Turkey simultaneously built 31 naval warships including an aircraft carrier and a destroyer for regional dominance.

- A M5.4 quake hits Calatagan, Batangas.

- Cagayan de Oro City Rep. Rufus Rodriguez also insisted that the House withdraw its passed House Bill No. 8910 or a bill to prevent early teenage pregnancy.

- The leadership of the Philippine National Police will not overlook police officers used by politicians, especially now that the 2025 midterm elections are approaching.

- Anime producer Koichiro Ito pleads guilty to obscene acts against three minors. The final sentencing is scheduled at the end of February 2025.

Tencent app games such as Marvel Snap, Land of Empires, Mission EVO, Mobile Legends, and others are no longer available in US app stores, joining alongside the recently-banned TikTok in the US market. Past reports revealed that the US Defense Department claimed that Tencent and other Chinese companies have links to the Chinese military, an accusation that Chinese companies strongly deny.

- CNBLUE member Jung Yong Hwa is undergoing knee surgery.

- The ACC commissioner, Jim Phillips, has announced that the league will be discussing whether to make changes to the format of its conference championship game. He says that the league will have conversations among coaches and athletic directors to gather their input.

- Actor Robert Pattinson to make a cameo appearance in the upcoming Running Man episode.

- Former Quezon City mayor Herbert Bautista and his aide were found guilty of graft by the Sandiganbayan.

TTFN.

Sunday, January 19, 2025

My FM Log: BMW's LMDh fighter

The BMW M Hybrid V8 race car has joined Forza Motorsport's lineup of current LMDh racers, which includes three Cadillac V-Series.R machines and last year's Porsche 963.

So, what's it all about BMW's LMDh fighter?


BMW returned to top-class endurance racing with the M Hybrid V8, a racing machine that complies with the LMDh regulations. This allows it to compete in the FIA World Endurance Championship's Hypercar class and the IMSA SportsCar Championship's GTP class. It made its racing debut at the 2023 Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona.

Complying with LMDh rules, the P66/3 V8 4.0L Twin Turbo engine with supplementary electric drive produces 670HP of power and 479lb-ft of torque. The bodywork of this racing machine is made in cooperation with Dallara.

The M Hybrid V8's shot of glory is when the #25 BMW M Team RLL BMW M Hybrid V8 was declared the winner of the Sahlen's Six Hours of The Glen of the 2023 IMSA SportsCar Championship season, following the #6 Porsche 963's penalization due to a technical breach. In the 2024 season, the M Hybrid V8 delivered BMW's first 1-2 finish in the Battle of the Bricks at Indianapolis Motor Speedway with the #24 car the winner and the #25 the second-placer.


Having recently added in the recent Forza Motorsport update involving the BMW M history, buying one can be a costly option but players have been given the chance to obtain one without cost and that involves a time-limited challenger where players complete 15 laps around the Daytona road course until the February 12, 2025 deadline. Long story short but now that I got one, I decided to have one quick lap with BMW's LMDh competitor around the Indianapolis GP course, the venue where BMW snagged a 1-2 finish in last year's Battle of the Bricks.

Roll the tape.


I finally understand how BMW's LMDh competitor works. My time of 1m27.612s wasn't as fast as the drivers did last year, but it was good enough for me.

Let's all wish BMW the best of luck as the BMW M Hybrid V8 prepares for its 2025 campaign in both IMSA and WEC.

Saturday, January 18, 2025

THREATS FROM NORTH KOREA: President Yoon Seok Yeol's arrest warrant hearing concluded after 4 hours and 50 minutes

 

President Yoon Seok Yeol’s pre-arrest interrogation (warrant hearing) lasted for 4 hours and 50 minutes and concluded on January 18.

The hearing as conducted by Chief Judge Cha Eun Kyung of the Seoul Western District Court from 2:00 PM to 6:50 PM. Yoon, who faces charges of treason and obstruction of official duties, participated in the hearing alongside his legal team.

According to Yoon’s attorney, Seok Dong Hyun, the President personally spoke for approximately 40 minutes between 4:35 PM and 5:15 PM. Yoon also made a final statement before the session ended, which lasted for 5 minutes.

During the hearing, prosecutors from the Corruption Investigation Office for High-Ranking Officials (CIO) and Yoon's defense team each spoke for 70 minutes. After Yoon’s 40-minute speech, the hearing took a 20-minute break starting at 5:20 PM. The session resumed at 5:40 PM and ended at 6:50 PM.

Earlier in the day, Yoon, dressed in a suit, left the Seoul Correctional Facility in Uiwang, Gyeonggi Province, aboard a Ministry of Justice transport vehicle at 1:25 PM and arrived at the Seoul Western District Court at 1:55 PM. Yoon did not stop at the photo line set up at the court entrance and entered the courtroom through the underground parking lot.

Initially, Yoon had been opposed to attending the hearing in person, but after meeting with his legal team in the morning, he reversed his position.

Yoon’s legal team stated, “The President deeply regrets the arrests of ministers, generals, and police chiefs who were entrusted with maintaining order or carrying out martial law duties under his command. He decided to attend the hearing to personally explain the legitimacy of the martial law and to restore his honor, believing that neither martial law nor charges of treason are valid according to the law and the Constitution.”


Source: allkpop

Let's Do The News! (January 18, 2025)

                

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

- The National Telecommunications Commission admitted to the Senate that "real-time" hacking of cell phones is already happening. This was after Senator Raffy Tulfo questioned the NTC during the Senate Committee on Public Services hearing where he asked about the complaint of cellphone hacking after using public Wi-Fi. 

- Senator Risa Hontiveros called the "Project Dalisay" group's spread of lies, misinformation, and disinformation against the "Prevention of Adolescent Pregnancy Bill" being pushed in the Senate.

- The US Supreme Court rejected TikTok's appeal to avert the ban. Meanwhile, Biden says that enforcing the TikTok ban in the US is up to Donald Trump's return to the White House.

- The inauguration of Donald Trump will take place indoors for the first time in decades due to the arctic blast weather forecast.

- The Gaza ceasefire will come into force on Sunday, according to mediators.

- Alex Lynn will not race in next weekend's Rolex 24 at Daytona due to illness, according to Cadillac Wayne Taylor Racing.

- Takeshi Kusao is named as the new voice of Detective Conan's character Toru Amuro.

- Soccer legend Denis Law passed away at the age of 84. Law played for Manchester and Scotland, scoring 237 career goals in 404 games placing him third in United's history behind Wayne Rooney and Bobby Charlton.

- Japanese baseball player Roki Sasaki says he's joining LA Dodgers as his major league team.

- Celebrities Vina Morales and John Arcilla are returning to GMA-7.

TTFN.

Friday, January 17, 2025

Let's Do The News! (January 17, 2025)

               

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

- The tunneling for the Metro Manila Subway Project Camp Aguinaldo Station has begun.

- Parts of Manila are closed for this weekend following the celebration of the Feast of Sto. NiƱo de Tondo.

- Disbarment case against former President Rodrigo Duterte filed by relatives of victims of extrajudicial killings and human rights advocates in the Philippine Supreme Court.

- 17 volcanic quakes, recorded at Kanlaon Volcano in the past 24 hours, according to PHIVOLCS.

- Former Bank of England Governor Mark Carney has joined the race to replace Justin Trudeau as the leader of Canada's Liberal Party.

- The 'once-in-a-century' discovery in Pompeii reveals gold coins, pearl earrings, and a sumptuous private bathhouse.

- The Lexus RC and RC F Final Edition were unveiled as production ends this November 2025.

2025 Lexus RC F Final Edition


- The Alpina B8 GT was unveiled. Based on the BMW 8-Series Gran Coupe, the final Alpina model is limited to 99 units, each powered by a 625HP 4.4L V8 Twin Turbo engine mated to a ZF 8-speed AT sprinting from 0-100kph in 3.3 seconds.

2026 Alpina B8 GT

- The Nintendo Switch 2 was unveiled. Set to go on sale this year, the second generation of Nintendo's multi-use handheld console is bigger and comes with magnetic Joy-Cons that can be attached or detached. It can play existing Nintendo Switch games as well in addition to upcoming games exclusive to the Switch 2. More details this early April.

Nintendo Switch 2

- Comic-Con International will stay in San Diego until 2027.

- YG Entertainment is ending its actor management operations to focus on music.

- The US Department of Education says Title IX applies to payments to athletes. The memo provides some long-awaited guidance about how gender equity laws will apply to a new era of college sports that is on track to begin this summer.

- Evgeni Malkin's three Stanley Cup rings, which had gone missing following a burglary at his home last weekend, were found in his home.

- Oscar-nominated director David Lynch, known for Mulholland Drive and Twin Peaks, passed away at the age of 78.

- Bollywood actor Saif Ali Khan is safe after being stabbed by thieves.

TTFN.