The South Korean military reported that North Korea has fired five projectiles towards the Sea of Japan.
The Joint Chiefs of Staff said that the North fired five missiles or rockets from near Hamhung in the eastern province of Hamgyong-namdo between 1519 and 1605 hours local time. The projectiles flew about 200 kilometers before falling in the Sea of Japan. They are analyzing the situation.
This month, numerous test-firings in North Korea had occurred such as the firing of two scud missiles on the 10th of March and two Rodong missiles eight days later.
- The second round of the PiliPinas Debates 2016 happened at the University of the Philippines, Cebu City, yesterday, and the presidential candidates; Vice President Jejomar Binay, Davao City mayor Rodrigo Duterte, Senator Grace Poe, and former DILG secretary Mar Roxas, get caught in a verbal crossfire as the candidates deal with the current issues in the Philippines as well as themselves in the road to the May elections.
- Former Philippine Stock Exchange employee Jay Peñaflor is believed to have transferred millions of pesos allegedly taken from investors into offshore accounts but the Securities and Exchange Commission said it would collaborate with international governments to possibly recover the money. Peñaflor is the rogue financier behind the million-peso scam who is now facing separate syndicated estafa complains filed by his victims before the Department of Justice and the Quezon City Prosecutor's Office.
- Philippine President Benigno Aquino III ordered the agencies focused on road and travel safety to ensure the safety of the motorists during the Holy Week. According to the Presidential Communications Operations Office Secretary Herminio Coloma Jr., the order was given to most government agencies as well as the Toll Regulatory Board and the Metro Manila Development Authority.
- The Turkish interior minister identified the suicide bomber who attacked Istanbul and killed four people last Saturday as a man affiliated with the Islamic State militants. At a news conference, DNA tests identified the bomber as Mehmet Ozturk. He's from the southeastern city of Gaziantep near the Syrian border. The explosion killed four people and injured 39. Authorities suspect three other ISIL militants plan to attack the country and they are searching for the suspects and have disclosed their names and photos.
- US President Barack Obama arrived in Cuba for his three-day visit to the country. This is the first visit to the country by an incumbent US president in almost six decades following the restored diplomatic ties last July after Obama changed US policy. The US leader will hold a summit with Cuban leader Raul Castro in Havana and take part in a panel discussion with US businesspeople and Cuban entrepreneurs.
- A military helicopter crashed yesterday in the central part of Indonesia, killing 12 people on board and leaving one person missing. The Indonesian army helicopter crashed and engulfed into flames on a farming area in the suburbs of Poso, Sulawesi Island. The military has deployed troops in Poso to subdue militants pledging allegiance to the ISIL and has its stronghold in the area. Officials suspect bad weather might have been a factor.
- Production of the all-new Acura/Honda NSX hybrid sportscar will commence at the end of next month at the Marysville plant in Ohio.
- After the final VW Phaeton produced at its transparent Dresden factory on the 18th of March, Volkswagen plans to realign its transparent plant for electromobility and digitization purposes in the future. Next month, the plant will remain open for events as well for vehicle delivery and preparation following the updates.
- Although veteran actor Harrison Ford is done being Han Solo in the Star Wars saga following last year's The Force Awakens, Disney, who now owns LucasFilm, announced that a brand new Indiana Jones movie is set to hit theaters in the summer of 2019 with Steven Spielberg as the director, meaning that Ford's time as Dr. Jones is still whipping.
- LITTLE DID YOU KNOW: There is a hidden message somewhere in one of the lyrics of the song featured on the recently released self-titled album from Pile, the singer behind the voice of Love Live's Maki Nishikino. Find out here...
Last year, GM Europe had introduced the all-new Opel/Vauxhall Astra K, a new generation of the hatchback that was once used as Top Gear's Reasonably Priced Car and it was a major improvement to its predecessor in terms of technology, driving dynamics, and user friendliness. For those who want to have the same feel of the hatchback but with some added space, look no further with the Sports Tourer variant.
2016 Opel Astra Sports Tourer
2016 Vauxhall Astra Sports Tourer
The new Sports Tourer variant for the all-new Astra K offers the same technology, driving dynamics, and user friendliness as the hatchback version, now with an additional 26 millimeters of headroom and 28 millimeters more legroom at the back. As for the spacing, it can now accommodate up to 1,630 liters of luggage space courtesy of its optional foldable rear seats, which is more than enough to fill in some haul from your estate sale list. Sounds practical but why would you want to?
Like the hatchback version, the Sports Tourer comes with the same choice of engines such as the new 1.0T SIDI, 1.4L, 1.4L SIDI Turbo, 1.6 SIDI Turbo, and a 1.6L CDTi (with an available Bi-Turbo) engine. They can be fitted, depending on the engine type, with either a 5-speed or a 6-speed manual but there are some gearboxes made specifically for some engine choices, like the 1.0L model which can be fitted exclusively with a 5-speed EasyTronic gearbox while a 6-speed automatic gearbox can be fitted on either a 1.4 EDIT ecoFLEX or a 1.6 CDTi ecoFLEX engine.
Because it uses the same new platform as the new Chevrolet Cruze had, a base Sports Tourer weighs 130kg lighter than the old model, resulting to a better handling, better comfort, better fuel consumption, and above all, cost-effective as well. Even with an added room in the back, the Sports Tourer behaves just like the hatchback. Not only it feels good to drive but it's surprisingly comfortable as well.
The Sports Tourer also comes with an array of safety tech such as the front camera system, advanced park assist which allows this car to park by itself, and the IntelliLux LED Matrix headlights which adjusts automatically depending on time and driving conditions.
Should you buy one? The new Sports Tourer starts at 18,260 Euros (16,585 Pounds) and it's a thousand more than the hatchback equivalent but considering this car's been through extensive testing, the new Sports Tourer is a smart buy for first timers who are looking for something practical enough to get through one estate sale after another, if they got some room in the boot to fill in their shopping cart full of stuff.
South Korea and the United States to hold their first round of their high-level talks on the sanctions on North Korea in Seoul today. According to the official at Seoul's Foreign Ministry, South Korea's top nuclear envoy Kim Hong-kyun will meet Washington's special representative for North Korea policy Sung Kim at the Ministry, two weeks after their first meeting at the US capital city.
Today's talks will also be attended by the officials from the US Treasury and the Department of Commerce, indicating the meetings will focus on the effective implementation of the sanctions on North Korea imposed by the UN Security Council and individually by the US and South Korea.
As I'm sure you know, this is the seventh-generation Chevrolet Corvette, a car that I never really liked. I never really liked the exterior, the interior, the mechanics, and the notoriety it gained when it first launched. I disliked this kind of Corvette so much, back in earlier times, I went into considerable lengths to threaten everyone not to like this car. But over the years, my attitude is softened and I'm starting to respect its performance, its motorsport pedigree, the awards, and the accolades it gained. I tried the Corvette...and I liked it.
This particular Corvette is no ordinary Corvette. This is the brand new Z06 and for this generation, the new model has transformed into a half-decent supercar in a not-so-supercar pricing the top brass can afford one. Z06? It's a good thing they didn't call it the Z07 (even though this car comes with the Z07 package) because if they did, they'll be facing a hairy situation that they took the name from the once defunct shampoo product every Filipino heard of. What is it again? It sounds like "guard" or something.
Anyway, under the bonnet, the LT1 supercharged 6.2L V8 engine produces 650HP of power and same amount for torques, while mated with an 8-speed automatic gearbox. This V8 engine is the most powerful engine ever made by General Motors and this car can really succeed where my favorite Corvette, the C6 ZR1, left off.
The Z06 was heavily inspired by the Le Mans-winning C7.R racecar and as a matter of fact, some of the track-honed components from the C7.R can also be seen on the Z06 as well such as carbon fiber roof and hood which reduced weight and lowering the car's center of gravity, a dry sump oiling system that protects the supercharged engine during high-g turns, a hydroformed aluminum frame which keeps the new Z06 lightweight and strong, adjustable rear spoiler wickerbill, composite floor panels, and titanium intake valves and connecting rods.
I had a blast upon driving the C7 Z06 during my days at Southern Europe but here, when used on the track, I can really feel the motorsport DNA that the C7.R employed on it and the more I kept driving this car, the more I can forget about how I feel about the latest-generation model since my first encounter.
The Z06 is the trump card of the latest Corvette and with supercar-like performance it delivers, the best sportscar made in the USA has gotten even better and despite being trained at being a lawless cowboy in the Wild West, it's still got the heart and soul of a classy equestrian taking things very seriously. Speaking of equestrians, I had a couple of equestrians this cowboy will face.
I have been joined here by two equestrians on the road and track; the Alfa Romeo 4C and the Porsche Cayman GTS. Both are European, mid-engined, and well-trained for track duty. Sure, both the 4C and the Cayman were beaten by the normal Corvette Stingray years ago, but with the C7 Z06 in possession, let's see how good this cowboy is while facing against two familiar equestrians at the Top Gear Track.
The Alfa 4C did it in 1:24.751, the Cayman GTS in 1:22.673, and the Z06 in 1:19.167, meaning that the Z06 did better in beating the other two Europeans just like what the normal Stingray did in real-life.
I was amazed that the Z06 is a major improvement to the seventh-generation Corvette and with a lap time like this, it's starting to feel like this car is 10% hypercar material even though it has a motorsport pedigree that was inspired from the racecar that raked numerous class wins at Le Mans. I had a lot of beef jerky to chew while getting to know this car but with the Z06 is starting to lose its jerky breath in favor for a more garlic breath to terrify the Europeans, I knew this car had nothing to hold back.
Perhaps no wonder it beaten every single car in last year's World's Greatest Drag Race. Even a more hardcore Cayman couldn't keep up against it! Now, would you excuse me, I have a date to keep.
March 18, 1996. I was five years old at that time but I never forget one of the worst tragedies ever happened in the history of the Philippines, perhaps this is one of the main reasons fire-related tragedies are on all-time high every March due to the hot weather the Philippines has faced, apart from the El Nino of course.
It was late night at the Ozone Disco Club in Quezon City until a fire broke out and killed 162 people inside, most of them are students who are enjoying their end of school year with a half-price discount.
One of the key reasons about the incident that occurred 20 years ago are the lack of fire exit, swing-in doors that swing at the wrong direction, and the overcapacity of guests. These key reasons triggered what is known to be one of the worst club fire in the Philippines and the seventh worst in the world, according to the National Fire Protection Association.
The tragedy happened 20 years ago will serve as a life-long lesson for establishments to comply with health and safety regulations. As for the survivors, the pain they felt 20 years ago are still lurking through their hearts but they are doing their best to move on from the disaster they've faced and onto their road to recovery by any means necessary.
A week after the deadly Ankara bombing, another suicide bombing occured in Turkey, this time in Istanbul, where four people are killed and 36 others injured
Half of them who killed as well as eleven of the wounded are Israeli nationals, according to reports.
No one knows who claimed responsibility for the recent attack.
