The epic finale to the 2015 season of Formula One, held at Abu Dhabi's Yas Marina Circuit, may not be one of the best F1 races to date but this is probably one of the most memorable races to remember for the year 2015 because it's a "Won More Time" for the Mercedes F1 team. They're the first to raked 12 one-two finishes over their record of eleven, they scored the most points in a single season, and once again, Lewis Hamilton is named as the world champion.
Sure, Rosberg may have won the Abu Dhabi GP but Hamilton is always the king of the hill when it comes to winning the world title once again. Sebastian Vettel and Kimi Raikkonen from Ferrari had excellent performance this season but they have to keep up next time, too. As for the Williams F1 team, they have done well this season, although room of improvement is still a priority if they want to be better next year.
So, that concludes the 2015 season of the Formula One world championship. Although it may not be the best season so far, the rivalries are still a top priority and next year should be more promising than the 2015 season. Until then, see you next season.
- It's the first day of the COP21climate change conference in Paris, France, and negotiators from 195 countries will try to reach a deal within two weeks aimed at reducing global carbon emissions. However, the world's poorest countries say they fear being left behind in the push for a new treaty. For security purposes, police have locked down the conference center in Le Bourget, closing roads for the leaders' visit.
- Davao mayor and presidential candidate Rodrigo Duterte named the senatorial candidates he will be endorsing for the May 2016 elections. His senatorial lineup includes Sarangani representative Manny Pacquiao, Martin Romualdez, Samuel Pagdilao, Roman Romulo, former senators Ping Lacson and Migz Zubiri, former MMDA chairman Francis Tolentino, and OFW advocate Susan Ople.
- According to international organizations, about 870,000 refugees and migrants mainly from the Middle East and Africa have reached Europe so far this year.
- The Turkish government is proceeding with a return of a body of a pilot of a downed Russian fighter jet. The Turkish PM Ahmet Davutoglu told a news conference that the body was brought to the capital city Ankara from Hatay in preparation for the handover in Russia.
- According to a certain human rights organization, the Islamic Statehas executed over 3,500 people since declaring its own state in June of last year.
- Last weekend, in Game 2 of the UAAP Season 78 finals, the UST Tigers leveled the score after a 62-56 win against the FEU Tamaraws. The third and final game is set on Wednesday, 3:30PM, at the Mall of Asia Arena.
- Looks like the science of autonomous driving may soon be placed in the world of motorsports as coinciding with the 2016-2017 season of the FIA Formula E, the committee behind this has announced its plans to set up a global racing series for self-driving racing machines called RoboRace, where the best automobile manufacturers and universities came up with their own autonomous racing machines and let their best real-time algorithms and AI technologies do their talking.
- A new and more powerful Audi R18Le Mans Prototype was unveiled and its set to race at next year's 24 Hours of Le Mans.
2016 Audi R18
- The mother of Angelica "Pastillas Girl" Yap was shot dead last night at Caloocan City last night by an unknown assailant caught on CCTV video when he shot her at the right part of head.
- You may remember that last Friday, Bubble Gang aired a 20th anniversary special episode titled "I AM BUBBLE GANG" where viewers get a glimpse of the history of Bubble Gang from its first airing to the present times with memorable cast, skits, spoofs, characters, and so much more. Now, check out the PEPTalk interview with comedian Michael V. about how did the Philippines' longest running stayed fresh for two decades.
The recent episode of the ninth season of Doctor Who, titled Heaven Sent, sees The Doctor taking on a mysterious place alone to find some answers while unknowingly pursued by a mysterious creature.
Wow, it's been a while ever since the death of Clara but finding the answer for The Doctor takes more than just living, dying, and repeating.
Live, die, repeat. The Doctor is pushing himself to the edge of tomorrow until he broke the barrier and led him to a certain place...which we didn't know that The Doctor has landed on Gallifrey.
What a shocker this episode is. We witnessed The Doctor made it his way to Gallifrey for some answers but the truth will be revealed in the Season 9 finale airing next week. Be ready for it.
For those who couldn't afford a more luxurious estate in the form of the Mercedes-Benz CLS-Class Shooting Brake, there's a cut-price alternative to that and it's in the form of the CLA-Class, one of the most affordable Mercedes-Benz cars to start with.
2016 Mercedes-Benz CLA-Class Shooting Brake
Here it is. It's called the CLA-Class Shooting Brake and while this is basically an estate version of the CLA-Class saloon, you can't really tell apart from its looks, performance, and the added practicality of most sport tourers in Europe get. With prices start from 29,810 to 45,660 Euros, you can really afford one for less than twice the price of CLS-Class Shooting Brake. No wait, you can buy two of these for the price of one CLS Shooting Brake. Quite a bargain, right?
But this is still a CLA-Class, meaning that it's still a front-wheel drive car (with an optional 4MATIC) and while it's not as aggressively sporty as other saloons from Mercedes-Benz, it remains one of the most civilized cars to drive. You can drive one on the city streets and on the open roads as well and thanks to its 595 litres of load capacity, there's still more room to fit most of your tailgating snacks on your next soccer match. How's that for practicality?
Like the sedan version, the Shooting Brake has a wide range of petrol and diesel engines available, with the most powerful variant in this model comes with the 2.0L 4-cylinder turbo petrol engine generating 211PS of power and 350Nm of torque, while mated with a 7G-DCT. It does 0-100kph in 6.8 seconds and top speed limited to 240kph.
2016 Mercedes-Benz CLA45 AMG Shooting Brake
If you're in the mood something hotter than your neighbor's station wagon, there's a Mercedes-AMG CLA45 Shooting Brake. Heavily inspired from its cousins, it comes with a 2.0L turbo engine generating 360PS of power and 450Nm of torque. When mated with a 7-speed AMG SPEEDSHIFT DCT, it does 0-100kph in 4.8 seconds and top speed normally limited to 250kph. Yes, your suburban neighbors will get shocked when you have a sport tourer with that much power on your next grocery trip.
Anyway, back to the normal Shooting Brake, it's surprisingly comes with the cutting-edge gadgetry which some find it useful on their driving trips. There's COLLISION PREVENTION ASSIST PLUS with autonomous braking to prevent rear-end collisions, ATTENTION ASSIST, which detects drowsiness, Mercedes connect me, and so much more.
While the new CLA Shooting Brake priced more than its saloon equivalent, it's surprisingly twice the price less than the bigger CLS Shooting Brake so it's definitely a head start if you're in a mood for a luxury car for reasonable prices. If you got one of these, safe to say that you can enjoy the city life as recommended by someone you knew personally or online.
In the latest Kalyeserye segment of Eat Bulaga, we all though all hope is lost when Yaya Dub is heading on another place while Alden Richards is going to marry Cindy Kournikova just for the sake of her family's businesses in Russia but miraculously, AlDub never gave up hope as they finally managed to meet each other once again backstage!
What happened to Cindy? Well, while she was going downstairs, getting ready for the wedding, she got tripped and when she regained consciousness, she got amnesia! Wow!
While Cindy completely forgot who she is, we were going to see Alden and Yaya kiss each other but eventually, the big hoking horn honks and everyone's on a standstill.
The story of AlDub's getting more exciting than ever and let's expect more of them every Weekdays on Eat Bulaga!
Notably the estate version of the third-generation Skoda Fabia, the Combi still does the same behavior as expected from the hatchback variant even though it has a bigger boot space fit enough for your groceries. Sure it maybe a sport tourer in its own right but the Fabia Combi, like the hatchback equivalent, feels somewhat average. It may not be brilliant to drive but it's not quite dull either.
On the inside, it's still feels just like what you expect on the hatchback version. It maybe bland to look at but it's surprisingly comfortable and you can feel relaxed while you're at it.
In terms of boot space, it's surprisingly the biggest in its segment with its 530L boot capacity (1,395L with the back seat folded), which is 25% more than the previous Fabia Combi. That's big enough to fit a bucket full of fishes after your fishing trip with your friends or family.
Like the hatchback equivalent, the Combi model features high-tech safety features such as Front Assistant with integrated City Emergency Braking Function and the Multi-Collision Brake, Driver Activity Assistant, Speedlimiter, Hill-Hold Control, and electronic tyre pressure monitor. Apart from the safety features, it also comes with the available SmartGate function which works like your smartphone as well as the new MirrorLink where your smartphone can be easily paired and use specific apps that both your phone and the car had.
Under the hood, the Combi comes with a 1.0L MPi, 1.2 TSi, and the 1.4 TDi. The most powerful in the lineup for now is the one with the 1.2 TSi engine developing 110PS of power and 175Nm of torque. With the 7-speed DSG equipped, 0-100kph takes about a moderate 9.6 seconds and a top speed of a not-so-much 199km/h.
Should you buy one? Well, the Fabia Combi starts at 267,900 Kč, which is 28,000 more than the hatchback version but it remains a smart buy for first-timers everywhere who are looking for some practical sport tourer for a reasonable price.
The year 2015 marks the 20th anniversary of the Philippines' longest running comedy gag show aired on GMA, Bubble Gang, and to commenorate such an extraordinary feat in the history of Philippine television, they've aired a special episode titled I AM BUBBLE GANG, which is covered by the GMA News and Public Affairs team, highlighting the best of Bubble Gang's 20 year history of blowing laughter to the Filipinos worldwide.
Viewers got the chance to see Michael V in his transformation as one of his iconic BG characters, witnessing how this show began as a concept, the ups, the downs, cast testimonies, and so much more, all in the name of Bubble Gang's 20th anniversary.
It's been an honor to have a show like this to last for twenty years and here's hoping that for a longest running show on Philippine TV, we want this show to keep on chewing for longer and fresher as long as there's every Filipino who can't get enough of Bubble Gang.
Australian cars...even though they're reaching the imminent end of car production in the Australian mainland, the world of Australian motoring has so many memories cherished by car enthusiasts living Down Under. The most important of all in the history of Aussie motoring is the long rivalry between General Motors Holden and Ford of Australia because when these two makers got involved in the world of motorsports, the argument about which car maker is the best became a living legend. What we have here is the selection of the best Aussie muscle cars that are heavily involved in the world of Aussie motorsports.
First up is the XB Falcon from Ford. The XB-spec Ford Falcon is the second phase of the third generation of Ford's Australian-made model, which features minor cosmetic differences from the previous XA model. The XB Falcon features different body styles from a saloon, an estate, a ute, a van, and many others. Engine configurations include a 200ci 6-cylinder, a 250ci 6-cylinder, a 302ci V8, and a powerful 351ci V8. Depending on the engine choices, it can be mated with either a 3-speed MT, a 4-speed MT, or a 3-speed AT.
There are numerous special editions of the XB Falcon, including the John Gross Special, which is named after the race driver who won the 1974 Hardie-Ferodo 1000 Touring Car race at Bathurst.
In its involvement in motorsports, a driver named Allan Moffat drove a Falcon to victory in the 1974 Sandown 250 using a GT hardtop model as well as the 1976 Australian Touring Car Championship in the same model and the 1977 Australian Touring Car Championship, using both the XB and the XC Falcons.
The XB Falcon gained fame for being featured as the Pursuit Special in the first Mad Max film in 1979. It was even featured in Eric Bana's documentary, Love the Beast, highlighting his beloved XB Falcon on his 25-year journey.
And now, straight from FM6's eBay Motors Car Pack, is one of the most famous Aussie muscle cars created by Holden for the sole purpose of taking on touring car races against Ford Falcons. It's a Holden LX Torana A9X.
The LX-spec Holden Torana is basically a second phase of the third-generation Holden Torana and this A9X version is a limited-edition model aimed at winning in the Australian Touring Car racing and at the annual Bathurst 1000 touring car race.
Based on the SLR 5000 four-door saloon and the three-door SS hatchback models, the A9X features special features such as a rearward-facing bonnet scoop, rear disc brakes, heavy-duty axles, and a heavy-duty 10-bolt differential. The 308ci OHV V8 engine remains untouched.
Touring car legend Peter Brock put the A9X on the motorsports map by winning the 1977 Hang Ten 400 at Sandown but lost its debut Bathurst race in 1977 by Ford Falcons driven by Allan Moffat and Colin Bond. Later, the A9X was refined and led Peter Brock and Bob Morris to victory in the 1978 and 1979 Australian Touring Car Championships as well as the Bathurst 1000 races.
Both these cars are fierce rivals in the history of the Australian Touring Car Championships. Both are Australian-made, have V8 engines in the front, rear-wheel drive in the back, and some racing pedigree hidden beneath their body styles. Looks like I'm onto something here because what am I going to do with these two is to take them around the Top Gear Track and see which car became dominant in the world of Aussie motorsport history. Your worst nightmare, huh? It's like Peter Brock versus Allan Moffat if you ask me.
In the end, I have the results. The Torana A9X did it in 1:35.396 while the XB Falcon did it in 1:33.772, which means that in the end, Ford remains a dominant force in the world of Aussie motorsports but it's still everyone's argument. Sometimes Ford, sometimes Holden, but in the end, it's all about bitter rivalries that will keep on fighting till the very end.
- In the aftermath of a Russian aircraft shot down by the Turkish forces, causing tensions between the two nations, Russia is set to impose wide-ranging economic sanctions against Turkey. This includes the suspension of plans to build a nuclear plant in Akkuyu and of those to lay a gas pipeline between the two nations.
- Meanwhile, Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan demands the Russian government to apologize.
- In the third day of the hearing at The Hague, an expert witness for the Philippines' case against the People's Republic of China said that their reclamation and fishing activities in the West Philippine Sea caused "close to catastrophic" damage to the coral reef system.
- After several months of denial, Davao city mayor Rodrigo Duterte finally formalizes his presidential bid for the May 2016 elections.
- The first two units of FA-50PH fighter jets from South Korea en route to delivery for the Philippine Air Force took off to Clark Air Base in Pampanga.
- The twists are looming in Eat Bulaga's Kalyeserye right now and with Alden and Yaya Dub going to give up on their precious moments, what will tomorrow's episode be the outcome? Is Alden going to marry Cindy? Is Yaya Dub going to another country to do some studying? Will this be the breakup we don't really want? Find out tomorrow!
- Clear the desk, producers! There's a brand new figure courtesy of Good Smile Company's Phat! modeled after THE IDOLM@STER Cinderella Girls' Anastasia donned in her LOVE LAIKA outfit. You can book one now for 9,000 Yen (plus tax) and she'll be arriving at your desk this June.
Phat! Anastasia LOVE LAIKA Ver.
- Actor Dingdong Dantes to attend the United Nations' COP21 Climate Change Forum in Paris, France?
- Cesar Montano's reaction to his four-minute kiss with former adult video star Maria Ozawa for the horror movie Nilalang, which is the entry to next month's MMFF, says it was a religious experience.
This is the latest song added in the ever-popular Love Live! School Idol Festival app game (at least in Japan for now, in case whoever's asking) and it's sung by one of the sub-units from μ's called Printemps, which consists of Honoka Kousaka, Kotori Minami, and Hanayo Koizumi. Yes, this song is titled WAO-WAO Powerful day and like any other SIF-exclusive songs, you should not underestimate its catchy tune because in true SIF fashion, it takes guts to master this latest song from EASY to HARD (with EXPERT difficulty to follow very very soon), but if you decided to take a break from your recent SIF shenanigans, why not listen to this maxi single CD featuring the song as heard from the School Idol Festival app game?
The latest single features two songs, WAO-WAO Powerful day! and NO EXIT ORION, as heard on the School Idol Festival game and for a limited time only, there's a serial code that can unlock a Super Rare μ's idol for use in the School Idol Festival game.
TRACK LISTINGS:
01. WAO-WAO Powerful day!
02. NO EXIT ORION
03. WAO-WAO Powerful day!(Off Vocal)
04. NO EXIT ORION(Off Vocal)
If I may be so bold regarding the recently launched Daihatsu Cast, now it's the ideal time to explain more about the third model in the Cast range which consists of the Style, which is a stylish kei car fit for the fashionistas, and the Activa, which is a kei crossover that means business for the young adventurers who love to go out for their lifestyles.
2016 Daihatsu Cast Sport
2016 Daihatsu Cast Sport interior
Called the Cast Sport, this is known to be Daihatsu's response to Suzuki's Alto Turbo RS in the same way the Style responds on the Honda N ONE and the Activa responds to the Suzuki Hustler. Although this is considered to be a half-decent hot hatch for the masses, one look of the Cast Sport and you'll say that is one heck of a racy hot hatch money can buy and yes this is an affordable hot hatch as it starts at just 1,620,000 Yen, which sounds more affordable to buy than any European hot hatches on the market but it's annoyingly 400,000 Yen more than the Alto Turbo RS.
The Cast Sport features a KF-VET 660cc turbo engine as seen on the Style and Activa variants but because this is a sport-oriented model, even though it comes with a CVT gearbox, there are paddle shifters mounted behind the steering wheel for added control over its simulated gear changes. That sounds like fun but not as fun as its fuel consumption because its 24.8km/L is something what its rival could laugh on because when compared against the Alto Turbo RS, that's 0.8km/L less.
That sounds awkward in terms of performance but just like the Alto Turbo RS, the new Cast Sport still performs very well as a city car and when it comes to driving this small car, this cheeky looking Daihatsu knows that it likes to mess up with the big boys when it comes to a little game of cat and mouse because this little hot kei car likes to be creative enough to outfox the big boys.
Like most Cast models, the Sport comes with Daihatsu's Smart Assist II consisting of Emergency Stop Signal system, Lane Departure Warning, Pedestrian Detection, and many other safety tech offered.
With the Cast lineup well and truly complete, you now have a choice. So, which would you prefer? The Style which is fashionista-friendly that you can take it on your next shopping trip? The Activa which is the ideal adventure partner on your next day off? Or is it the Sport with its clever tricks up to its sleeve? I'll leave the decision up to you but judging by how far first-time buyers been through to buy one, I'm afraid most of them would go for the Activa for numerous reasons I don't really understand.
- On their second day of the hearing on the merits of the case at the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague, the Philippines focused on the PRC's deprivation of fishing and exploration rights. The delegation argued that China's construction activities in the region destroy the sea bed.
- The Turkish military released what it says is an audio recording of warnings made to the Russian warplane its fighters shot down on Tuesday. It translates in English; "this is Turkish Air Force speaking on guard. You are approaching Turkish airspace. Change your heading south immediately." The military maintains that the warnings were issued from its hub in the southeastern city of Diyarbakir. Meanwhile, Russia denied claims that its warplane shot down by Turkish fighters had not violated that country's airspace. Later, Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov told reporters that Russia will not wage war against Turkey, stating that they have no intention to go to war.
- French Prime Minister Manuel Valls warned the public that Europe cannot take in more refugees and migrants as tighter control of Europe's external borders would determine the fate of this continent.
- The North and South Korea are holding working-level talks at Panmunjom in the DMZ to prepare for a top priority meeting to improve relations between the two Koreas.
- Following his surprising presidential candidacy, Davao mayor Rodrigo Duterte tops the presidential survey conducted by Pulse Asia.
- It ain't over till it's over. There's a new two-parter special of Top Gear coming this Christmas season called Top Gear: From A to Z. This special highlights the best of Clarkson, Hammond, and May through alphabetical terms from the start to finish, from astonishing footage, insider facts, and quirky statistics.
- In case you missed the recent Eat Bulaga kalyeserye, it's AlDub's 19th weeksary and it's a disappointing one as Alden and Yaya Dub trying to cope with the difficulties they're facing with, including the imminent wedding of Alden and Cindy. When Alden received a phone call from his Lola Babah, it seems that Lola Babah rejecting his refusal to marry Cindy made him enraged and he drove off the studio indefinitely. So, what happens next? Tune in next time and find out.
- Hong Kong DisneyLand celebrated its 10th anniversary since it was opened in 2005. Check out the sights and sounds of Hong Kong DisneyLand's 10th anniversary celebration courtesy of PEP.
- Legendary Japanese actress Setsuko Hara died of pneumonia in September at the age of 95. Hara was born in Yokohama in 1920 and she made her debut as an actress at he age of 15. Her popularity as an actress rose as the leading lade of a 1937 film, The Daughter of the Samurai, co-produced by Germany and Japan. Hara performed in 101, most were directed by veteran director Yasujiro OZu, including Early Summer and Tokyo Story.
- In game one of the UAAP Season 78 finals, the FEU Tamaraws scored a win in a best-of-three match against the UST Growling Tigers at the score of 75-64. Only one more win is needed to crown as this season's victors and we'll find out on the 28th of November to see if FEU wins it all or UST wants a tiebreaker to level their playing field.
