Let's Do The News! (November 28, 2014)

Welcome back. Here is your current sitrep:

- A Maserati Ghibli sedan driven by the motorist who beaten up an MMDA officer has been spotted by an homeowner who took pictures on this car that doesn't have license plate. It has a conduction sticker QQ0057.



- The DPWH will once again commence road repairs in Quezon City from today to December 1st. Expect heavy traffic when you're out there.

- The Japan Self Defense Force will transport aid to contain the Ebola outbreak in West Africa. Defense Minister Akinori Eto issued this order at a meeting with senior officials as the international community is working hard to stop the outbreak from spreading worldwide. The JASDF will transport about 20,000 sets of protective clothing to Ghana.

- The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency postpones the launch of their asteroid probe due to bad weather.

- DILG Secretary Mar Roxas told that cellphone jammers would be used to prevent illegal drug operations and carjacking in the New Bilibid Prison in Muntinlupa City.

- F1 driver Jean-Eric Vergne will not be part of the Toro Rosso F1 team for next year's season.

- Mercedes-Benz will launch a brand new "AMG Sport" model on next year's Detroit Auto Show. This new lineup bridges the gap between normal Mercedes models and high-performance AMG models and it could be their answer to BMW's M Performance Automobiles. The first AMG Sport model will be based on the recently-launched C-Class while the other one will be a crossover model that will be the replacement for the M-Class due to Mercedes-Benz's new naming strategy.

Mercedes-AMG Sport teaser

- Lexus received over 2,600 orders for their new RC sport coupe models in Japan on its first month.

2015 Lexus RC

- Nissan issues a recall on most Serena, X-Trail, and Juke models with direct-injected petrol engines over two separate problems in the engines' fuel system.

- Following the Pokemon XY Mega Evolution TV Special Act II that was aired earlier this month, The Pokemon Company announced Act III of the Mega Evolution TV Special airing on TV Tokyo this Spring 2015!

TTFN!!!

Doctor Who: The Day of The Doctor/The Time of The Doctor OST

Doctor Who:
The Day of The Doctor/The Time of The Doctor OST

2013 was a big year for Doctor Who because right after the end of the seventh season, there has been not one but two TV specials that made the Whovians squealed for joy. First, there was the 50th anniversary special titled The Day of The Doctor where the Tenth Doctor and the Eleventh Doctor joined forces with a mysterious Doctor and work together to save history. Then, the 2013 Christmas Special, The Time of The Doctor, sees a fond farewell to Matt Smith as he inherits his Doctor role to Peter Capaldi.

To commemorate last year's double specials, there's an original soundtrack which covers both TV specials and once again, Murray Gold, the person in charge of the show's BGMs, was very pleased by this as you can now listen the background musics as heard from the twin specials. The first disc covers the 50th anniversary special while the second disc covers the 2013 Christmas Special, which is known as the Eleventh Doctor's final journey. As with the others, these DW songs heard from the specials are a work of art by Ben Foster, the BBC National Orchestra of Wales, and Crouch End Festival Chorus so take time to listen to those BGMs and you can be very sure that this two-disc compilation can make an excellent addition to your DW soundtrack collection.

DISC ONE - The Day of The Doctor:

1) I.M Foreman

2) Will There be Cocktails?

3) It's Him (The Majestic Tale)

4) He Was There

5) No More

6) The War Room

7) Footprints in the Sand

8) Who Are You?

9) England 1562

10) Nice Horse

11) The Fez and Portal

12) Two Doctors

13) Three Doctors

14) Somewhere to Hide

15) Rescue the Doctor

16) 2.47 Billion

17) Zygon in the Painting

18) Man and Wife

19) We Don't Need to Land

20) We are the Doctors

21) The Moment Has Come

22) This Time There's Three of Us

23) Song for Four / Home

DISC TWO - The Time of The Doctor

1) The Message

2) Handles

3) The Dance of the Naked Doctor

4) You Saved It

5) Papal Mainframe

6) Tasha Lemm

7) Bedroom Talk

8) The Mission

9) Christmas

10) The Crack

11) Rhapsody of War

12) Back to Christmas

13) Snow Over Trenzalore

14) Beginning of the End

15) This is How it Ends

16) Never Tell Me the Rules

17) Trenzalore / The Long Song

18) Hello Twelve

Let's Do The News! (November 27, 2014)

Welcome back. Here is your current sitrep:

- The top safety regulators from the USA have ordered a nationwide recall of Takata airbags. NHTSA officials want car companies like Honda, Mazda, Ford, Chrysler, and BMW, to initiate a nationwide recall next week or charge them that fail to comply.

- A Japanese journalist, Tatsuya Kato (who is the ex-Seoul bureau chief of Sankei Shimbun) who is indicted for the libel of South Korean president Park Geun-hye is facing his first trial hearing held at a district court in Seoul today. He denied charges of defaming the SoKor president.

- Australian batsman Phil Hughes died at the age of 25. He was carried off on a stretcher at the Sydney Cricket Ground after a short-pitched delivery stroke his head with his helmet missing.

- The governor of Missouri denied calls for another grand jury to decide whether to charge policeman Darren Wilson for the killing of 18-year-old Michael Brown. But violent protests begin to wind down two days later.

- Tropical Depression Queenie crossed the landmass of Negros provinces and it's now heading straight to the Panay Gulf on midday.

- An owner of a certain luxury car reportedly beaten up an MMDA traffic enforcer for taking a picture of him making an illegal turn in the streets of Quezon City.

- LET IT GO. Queen Elsa from Disney's Frozen gets her very own Nendoroid courtesy of Good Smile Company. She's ready to freeze your hearts on May 2015 and she's priced at 3,889 Japanese Yen plus tax.

Nendoroid Elsa

- The F56 Mini Cooper is named as Car Awards Group Inc. 2014-2015 Car of the Year in the Philippines.

2015 Mini hatch

- Honda revealed their upcoming addition to the N-BOX family called the N-BOX Slash. Set for its debut next month, the N-BOX Slash is a chopped-top version of the N-BOX tall kei car which features a lower roof line than the normal N-BOX.

2015 Honda N-BOX Slash

TTFN!!!

Subaru Impreza Sport and G4 - 2015 minor change

2015 Subaru Impreza G4

2015 Subaru Impreza Sport

The Subaru Impreza, currently on its fourth-generation state, has been mildly facelifted for the 2015 model year and for this minor change, both the Sport hatchback and the G4 sedan are now more technologically advanced than ever thanks to the application of Subaru's Eyesight Ver. 3 first seen on the Levorg tourer, which is based on this model. Let's explain about what's new for this 2015 minor change.

2015 Subaru Impreza G4

2015 Subaru Impreza Sport

The first thing you'll notice about this latest facelift is the front end that has been refreshed with a new lower fascia while we can expect good-looking foglamps for high-end models. There's not much change occurred on the back though. On the inside, it's now heavily revised with an available infotainment system with a seven-inch color touchscreen. On the instrumental panel. there's a new LCD color display in the middle as well as updated dials.

2015 Subaru Impreza G4 interior

2015 Subaru Impreza Sport interior

For 2015, both the Impreza Sport and G4 now come with Subaru's breakthrough Eyesight Ver. 3 found in the Levorg. Eyesight Ver. 3 integrates Adaptive Cruise Control, Pre-Collision Braking and Vehicle Lane Departure Warning, among many others. You can also expect heavily revised interiors as well, slightly enhanced powertrain, and some of it.

Under the hood, they still come with the same 2.0L and 1.6L boxer four-cylinder engine as before. The 1.6L engine develops 115PS of power, 148NM of torque, and can be mated with either a 5-speed manual or a Lineartronic CVT gearbox. With the CVT gearbox and idling stop at hand, fuel economy is 17.6 km/L based on Japan's JC08 Mode standards. The 2.0L engine, on the other hand, produces 150PS of power, 196Nm of torque, and it's available only with the CVT gearbox. As for fuel economy, Subaru states that it can achieve the same 17.6km/L fuel economy as the smaller 1.6L one although your actual fuel mileage can vary so don't ask.

The Sport model starts at 1,958,400 Japanese Yen (around $20,000) while the G4 model starts at the same price as the Sport hatch so it's a fair value for money if you were given a choice to buy one of these.

Photo: Fuji Heavy Industries

Let's Do The News! (November 26, 2014)

Welcome back. Here is your current sitrep:

- Jean-Claude Juncker, the president of the European Commission, revealed his €315bn investment plan that will stabilize the European economy as part of his five-year agenda.

- Meanwhile in Hong Kong, police officers arrested student leaders who are involved at pro-democracy protests.

- Japan's Supreme Court has ruled that last year's Upper House elections were unconstitutional due to disparities in the value of individual votes. About the summer of last year, a vote in the least populated constituency was worth 4.77 times more than a vote from a populous one. Despite disparity, general elections will go ahead next month.

- Tropical Depression Queenie makes landfall in Surigao del Sur Wednesday afternoon.

- About 12,245 out of 28,187 examinees passed the October 2014 Criminologist Licensure Examination.

- Lack of evidence prompted the government prosecutors to drop charges against 60 suspects involved last year's Zamboanga siege.

- The first trailer of the upcoming Jurassic World movie hits the interwebs! Check out the first look of the latest installment of the Jurassic Park franchise!



- The folks from Top Gear showcased their first teaser image of their upcoming two-part Patagonia Special coming soon to BBC Two and BBC Two HD.

Top Gear Patagonia Special

- Here we go again. Your first look at the upcoming KanColle KAI PSVita game that will hit Japanese game stores this Spring.

- Teen actress Kathryn Bernardo will launch her own self-titled debut album which one of the songs will feature her own song "Nasa 'Yo Din Pala", which is kinda more of a response to Daniel Padilla's hit song "Nasa 'Yo Na Ang Lahat".

TTFN!!!

Nissan Juke NISMO RS

Last year, the Nissan Juke crossover gained a hot NISMO variant and even though the NISMO model comes with the improved performance, it still feels as hard as making Meccanos in your home even though it has 4WD on it.

2015 Nissan Juke NISMO RS

Following the launch of the facelifted Nissan Juke a few months ago, the Juke NISMO has been upgraded and it's now more capable of doing its beginner's luck than last time. See? This is the new Juke NISMO RS.

2015 Nissan Juke NISMO RS

2015 Nissan Juke NISMO RS interior

2015 Nissan Juke NISMO RS interior

At first glance, it still looks like the facelifted Juke only this time with some NISMO-themed upgrades to keep this crossover more sports-oriented in mind. Even though this car looks more refreshed than before, it still looks like a clown to the eyes of observers judging from the red side mirrors and the black, white, and silver exterior paint. Looks like this boyoyong clown still has the rounds to make kids cry during a cheap birthday party.

The former Juke NISMO has 200PS of power from its Nismo-tuned MR16DDT DIG TURBO while mated with the XTRONIC CVT-M7 but for the new NISMO RS model, that engine is now recalibrated to  214PS thanks to the ECU tuning and as for the gearbox, NISMO recalibrated it so now it can engage to 8-speed manual mode via paddle shifters. That sounds wonderful but to me, it feels like cheap old birthday parties from your neighbors with the added boyoyong clown to make it look dull. Hmmm...

Handling-wise, the Juke NISMO RS features updated driving dynamics to keep it more hot hatch-ish than the last time and this car promises the motorsport DNA Nismo deserves having spent several man-hours getting involved in motorsports, even the Super GT. To me, feels like the handling's slightly improved, and looks like the Meccano image has been shaken away and to be replaced by the image of...Bondying. What? It feels like a Bondying? Give me a break but for a bulky car with such dynamics, the Juke NISMO RS might be more than enough to give a rookie on a track day a slight smile on his or her face.

Like the previous Juke NISMO, the new RS model still comes with All-Mode 4x4-i system which not only feels milder on the track but also a good all-weather vehicle when you're taking a break.

Should you buy one? The new Juke NISMO RS starts at 3,434,400 Japanese Yen, which is more expensive than the previous model but because of its turbocharged engine and updated driving dynamics, this will be a good car for a track day. I wouldn't mind one because of that feeling that feels like a boyoyong clown is messing up your birthday party.

Photo: Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.

Forza Horizon 2: Barn Find #09: Alfa Romeo Giulia TZ2

A ninth barn find is detected through the vicinity of Saint-Martin in France. It is believed that the barn find in question is a vintage Alfa Romeo Giulia TZ2 racing machine, one of Alfa Romeo's all time greats and one of the best designed cars by the legendary coachbuilder Zagato. Upon my observation, this barn find is about 2.5 miles away from the Sisteron Horizon Hub or about 1.5 miles away from the Saint-Martin Car Meet. Without further ado, I began my search and rescue op for the barn find that makes me obsessed to have one.

Here it is. Good as new. Those classic car aficionados will be proud to see this legendary machine take its first steps in the world of Forza because this car is new here and it wants to be pampered in every way.

Known to be the updated version of the first TZ, the Giulia TZ2, unveiled in 1965, features and updated fibreglass bodywork for reduced drag and weight. It was made for racing purposes and it's rigged with a 1.5L 4-cylinder DOHC twin plug engine producing 170bhp of power and it's capable of reaching 152mph. That sounds quick even at modern standards. Only 12 of these machines were built, which is what the 12th man expected for.

Even though I'm no 12th man in FH2 but since there's a road trip spanning to San Giovanni, because upon clearing the last championship with my Mustang and the Vette, looks like I decided to give this classic TZ2 a try but be warned. This car needs to go like Nina Needs To Go. Ahhh.... I'd never thought I've been given a chance to drive such a legendary Alfa on this game.

Let's Do The News! (November 24, 2014)

Welcome back. Here is your current sitrep:

- Last weekend, there was an earthquake that struck the Nagano Prefecture in Japan, Over 41 people are injured, 35 houses collapsed, and 25 others were damaged. Over 300 people spent Sunday night at evacuation centers and the prefecture's water supply has been disrupted. Preparations are now underway to rebuild roads and a railway damaged by Saturday's quake.

- Japanese Coast Guard patrollers escorted a Chinese poaching ship to the port of Yokohama after it was suspected of poaching coral.

- Some say the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters were responsible for the series of Cotabato bombings that killed four people and injured 41 others. One of the Army's 6th Infantry Division said but it's one of the possibilities because the investigation isn't quite done yet.

- Senator Miriam Defensor-Santiago took a stab on the Philippines' 2015 budget, saying that the pork barrel and the savings are what she said the two dangerous minefields leading to corruption.

- The world's top diplomats and the country of Iran are on the final straw to agree a deal over Iran's nuclear programme before the 23:00 GMT deadline. They want Iran to curb their nuclear programme in exchange of lifting the sanctions proposed by the UN.

- Now until the 7th of December, Apple teams up with (RED) for their APPS FOR (RED) event. Every time users purchased a participating (PRODUCT)RED app or In-App Purchase Item, all proceeds will go to the Global Fund. Here are the list of apps participated to this wonderful collaboration by (RED):

• Angry Birds
• Bubble Witch 2 Saga
• Clash of Clans
• Clear - Tasks, Reminders, & To-Do Lists
• CSR Racing
• Cut the Rope 2
• Despicable Me: Minion Rush
• djay 2 for iPhone
• Farmville 2: Country Escape
• FIFA 15 Ultimate Team by EA SPORTS
• Frozen Free Fall
• GarageBand
• Heads Up!
• Kim Kardashian: Hollywood
• Kitchen Stories
• Monument Valley
• Over
• Puzzle & Dragons (English)
• Rayman Fiesta Run
• Star Walk 2
• The Human Body by Tinybop
• The Sims FreePlay
• Threes!
• Toca Town

All (RED) monies go to the Global Fund to fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria. Not only you're enjoying with the best promotions from your favorite apps listed above but you can also give back and make a change for the world.

- The first trailer of the upcoming 3D-animated Peanuts movie is now here. Check it out!

- In case you missed it, Eat Bulaga presenter Joey de Leon confirmed his negotiation with Willie Revillame to have his new show to be aired on GMA.

- After being debuted at the 2014 LA Auto Show, Mazda announced that they'll be selling facelifted versions of the Atenza (in sedan and wagon) and the CX-5 crossover this January 2015.

2016 Mazda Atenza

2016 Mazda CX-5

- DID YOU KNOW? The Crunchyroll streaming service reached over 400,000 paid subscribers.

TTFN!!!

FIA Formula E Championship - Putrajaya

In the second round of the FIA Formula E Championship held in the streets of Putrajaya, Malaysia, Sam Bird of Virgin Racing emerged as the winner in this race and he dedicate his win to his former teammate, Jules Bianchi, who remains in a critical condition following last month's fatal crash in Japan. Bird began from second place on the grid and he overtook every single opposition in the race, including this race's pole leader Oriol Servia of Dragon Racing.

Bird's in 1st place in the race followed by Audi Sport ABT's Lucas di Grassi in 2nd place and e.dams' Sebastien Buemi in 3rd place. His win placed Bird second overall in the standings, three points behind di Grassi.

Highlights:



The next race of the FIA Formula E Championship will held at Punta del Este, Uruguay, on the 13th of December, 2014.

Forza Horizon 2: The Reborn Veterans

The sixth-generation Ford Mustang is not in the mood to fight the Chevrolet Camaro for now but instead, it likes to take on one of America's oldest sportscar names that is none other than the legend itself, the Chevrolet Corvette.



Both the Mustang and the Corvette are the veterans in the American automotive scene and with those reborn looks and performances, both the new Mustang and the Corvette are ready to take on the world like they've never done before, well the Mustang is anyway because the Corvette's been around from Europe, Asia, and America like a certain rock band's world tour. With the Mustang now reborn as a global sportscar, looks like this car is ready for its world tour on the four corners of the world just like the Corvette does but in the meantime, they both have a nice time flexing their bodies in the world of Forza Horizon 2.



When engaged in a race, both of these reborn veterans are showing off their true selves and they became fierce aggressors against each other but after the race, they're just good mates trying to impress themselves. I was amazed to see those two racing together in the same place.

With the new Mustang and the new Corvette are in my hands now, looks like it's time to put these two to the test since I've signed them up to a Modern Muscle competition in the vicinity of Saint-Martin but first, further improvements have been made to match the opponents' levels of performance.



The C7 Corvette is now dressed in one of Belka's clothing as I give this car the Schnee makeover it deserves, in reference to the Schnee team from Ace Combat Zero. Although a mess, it feels like it's like the Schnee team after all and this car in this clothing will bask into glory. Looks like the opponents are messing up with the wrong Corvette.



Well, not much to tell you about what I did to my 2015 Mustang GT but I have to say that I made even more sleek and sporty. Since both of them have been given major improvements to match the opponents', I guess it's time for these two to take halves. The C7 Corvette will take on the very serious half of the championship while the 2015 Mustang GT will take on the slightly serious half of the championship. Looks like these two are doing half the chores at the same day.



Looks like mission accomplished to them. These cars made me win the championship and I know how to push these cars' true potential and basked our way to glory. I can almost smell the finale through the horizon.

F1 2014 finale

The fight to the finish has been subsided. Lewis Hamilton from the Mercedes F1 team is named the world champion at the recently concluded F1 2014 season held at Abu Dhabi's Yas Marina Circuit. He is the fourth British racer to win two world titles after Jim Clark, Graham Hill, and Jackie Stewart. His teammate and his enemy Nico Rosberg managed to survived at 14th place after his car's energy recovery system malfunctioned at the halfway point of the race. Racers that gave up during the finale were Lotus' Pastor Maldonado and Save The Ring's Daniil Kvyat due to their cars' power unit failure.

Upon Hamilton's win at Abu Dhabi, the two Williams drivers, Felipe Massa and Valtteri Bottas, done a 2nd and 3rd place finish. Red Bull's Daniel Ricciardo placed 4th.

In the final standings, Hamilton scored 384 points and placed 1st while Rosberg's 2nd overall with 317 points and Ricciardo's in 3rd place with 238 points.

This concludes the Formula 1 2014 season and with Hamilton garnered the title of World Champion, looks like there's a long way to go for this Brit.

Photo: Top Gear

Pacquiao wins fight against Algieri

Pacquiao vs. Algieri
(Image: Reuters)

Having spent 12 rounds at the Cotai Arena in Macau, Filipino boxing superstar Manny Pacquiao won by unanimous decision against his American challenger Chris Algieri, retaining his WBO welterweight title. He dropped Algieri to the canvas six times just to score his win by unanimous decision. That's 119-103, 119-103, and 120-102 from the judge's cards.

So, another clear win for the People's Champ, eh? That icon won't quit until his last dance, right? Congratulations, Pacman! You done us proud.

Report: http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/sport/boxing-pacquiao-beats/1489172.html