Today marks the 9th monthsary of the Philippines' favorite love team, AlDub, and in that very event in the recent Kalyeserye segment on GMA's longest-running noontime variety show, Eat Bulaga, the love team uncovered the big revelation inside the box they got yesterday. So, what's in the secret box? Keys to a house and lot? A sketch for a wedding dress? A baby doll? No, no and no. The biggest surprise is none other than...a movie announcement! You heard that right, AlDub will star in their very own movie soon!
With surprises come in all sizes, it seems that all surprises come with great results for AlDub and thanks to such surprise, their road to their "tamang panahon" is closer to perfect! Keep watching Eat Bulaga every weekdays for more Kalyeserye antics!
- The National Grid of the Philippines declared red alert for Luzon, signifying that power demand is higher than the available supply. According to Department of Energy Undersecretary Mylene Capongcol, the alert was declared from 1300 to 1500 hours in Luzon after some hydropower units and state-owned Malaya oil thermal reduced their capacity. The power demand reached 9.746 MW on Friday afternoon while supply only amounted to 9,771 MW.
- Ousted MRT General Manager Al Vitangcol has asked the Sandiganbayan to issue a gag order on Liberal Party standard-bearer Mar Roxas to stop the latter from making accusations against him over the MRT maintenance contract fiasco. Vitangcol said his name was mentioned by Roxas during the second presidential debate in Cebu last month.
- US Defense Secretary Ashton Carter is set to visit an aircraft supercarrier in the South China Sea following his Philippine visit. In his remarks at the closing ceremony of the Balikatan exercises, Carter said the US will continue to stand up for their safety and freedoms and those of America's allies. Carter will be aboard the USS John C. Stennis but its exact location remains unclear.
- Over a hundred aftershocks from last night's M6.5 quake continued to rattle near the city of Kumamoto on the island of Kyushu, Japan and residents got a fuller look at the widespread damage from an unusually strong quake that hurt 800 people and nine were reportedly died. The quake struck about 1,300 km southwest of Tokyo.
- The Russian Defense Ministry argued back against the US Department of Defense criticism that a Russian fighter jets repeatedly flew close to a US navy destroyer in the Baltic Sea. The US military said that Russia's Su-24 Fencer planes flew near the US guided missile destroyer several times on Monday and Tuesday.
- At a recent presidential debate in preparation for the New York primary, democrat rivals Hilary Clinton and Bernie Sanders clash each other over their ideals about diplomatic ties with Israel, the minimum wage, campaign finance, tax returns, Wall Street, and many others.
- Aston Martin unveiled the lightweight Vantage GT8, a lesser version of the GT12 packed with an upgraded 4.7 V8 engine producing 10hp more than the Vantage S, capable of 0-60mph in 4.4 second and 190mph of top speed.
Aston Martin Vantage GT8
- The first Doubutsu no Mori (Animal Crossing) game launched in the Nintendo 64 console since the 14th of April, 2001. 2016 marks the series' 15th year and to commemorate, Nintendo showcased a special video in honor of the series' milestone.
- Believe it or not, there's a South Korean drama adaptation of THE IDOLM@STER in the works as auditions for a new idol group will commence this next month. It will be an original story that draws inspiration from Bandai Namco's hit franchise.
The North Korean Missile Launch meant to celebrate the birthday of the founding father, Kim Il-Sung, was presumably failed, according to South Korean and US officials, an humiliating setback in what was reportedly the inaugural test of a new, powerful mid-range missile.
According to reports, a Musudan missile, which could one day be capable of hitting US military bases in the Asia-Pacific, exploded in the air a few seconds after liftoff. Despite the failure, the North has another Musudan loaded on a carrier and Pyongyang will likely fire it according to authorities.
The launch comes as the two Korea's trade threats amid Pyongyang's rage over annual US-SoKor military drills that North Korea calls it a rehearsal for an invasion. The North has recently fired numerous missiles and artillery shells in to the sea as an act of protest against the drills.
The Renault Clio, the midsize compact hatchback in the B-segment in the Renault range, is currently in its fourth generation and while driving this hot RenaultSport version, I realized even though the hatchback's good as a track-day car, its enjoyment is a bit lacking, apart from the double-clutch gearbox that takes a lot longer than I expected to change gears. Perhaps it's the legacy the best Clio per generation had during its two-and-a-half decade existence when it launched in 1990.
Let's go back to where it all began. Since this game had four of the best Renault Clios of a generation, I thought it might provide a great opportunity to learn about the best Clio of a decade or two. Does that make sense? In any case...
The legendary Clio Williams was the best model of the first-generation Clio. In spite of the fact that this car has nothing to do with the Williams F1 team, it uses the 16S model as the basis and is then modified by Renault Sport. It comes with a 2.0L engine producing 147PS of power output and is capable of 215kph of top speed. Aside from that, the Clio Williams features track-oriented handling upgrades well fit for this hot hatch hero.
After all 3,800 units sold out, insistent public demand prompted Renault to build 1,600 more. Later on, Renault created the second and third batches of Clio Williams models, leading to a total of over 12,000 units being built.
When the second-generation Clio came out, the best version was the first and only mid-engined hot hatchback, the Clio V6. Specifically, the Phase II of the Clio V6. When the folks from Renault wanted to develop a V6-powered hot hatchback, they faced a key issue; their V6 engine couldn't accommodate the front hood, so what they did here is to get rid of the rear seats, place the V6 engine midship, make it rear-wheel drive, and this is the result; the world's first and only mid-engined hot hatchback. The Phase II version of the Clio V6 features an updated version of its V6 engine, developing 251HP of power.
Onto the third-generation model, the best version offered is the Clio RS 200. This model is the last to have a naturally aspirated 2.0L petrol engine and conventional 6-speed manual gearbox and although gone, some drivers believed that a good hot hatchback needed to be pure like this, that's why there are hesitant to embrace the latest model and its turbocharged 1.6L engine and EDC gearbox with paddle shifters. Although an improvement to the pre-facelifted model, the Clio III RS 200 features better downforce, capable of tracking down corners with its precise movements.
Anyway, with the history lesson done, the best Clios per generation have been gathered to settle the issue of which Clio is the best and that's why I am at Brands Hatch to settle this issue once and for all. The question is, which Clio is the best? Let's find out.
In the end, I had the results...
Clio Williams - 2:07.028
Clio V6 - 1:59.065
Clio RS 200 - 1:58.827
Clio RS 200 EDC - 1:58.708
Needless to say, despite its flaws, the fourth-generation Renault Clio RS 200 EDC is the ultimate improvement over the past hot Clios through the years. It may be prone to understeering, and its double-clutch gearbox may have some delay tactics on its own, but above all, this Clio managed to withstand the test of time with historical improvements and it's clear to say that this Clio is a track-honed hot hatch in its own right. Let's hope Renault can make the Clio RS even better to keep the enthusiasts longing for more.
Nations are warning North Korea to refrain from additional provocations in response to Pyongyang's possible ballistic missile launch movement.
Speaking to reporters on Thursday, Japan's defense minister Gen Nakatani said it cannot deny the possibility that North Korea will carry out more provocations while Japanese chief cabinet secretary Yoshihide Suga said Tokyo is gathering intel on the North's nuclear and ballistic missiles with its SDF in ready position. Lastly, Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov also said he hopes Pyongyang will listen to the voice of reason and refrain from taking additional irresponsible steps.
Fallout boys in the world, rejoice! Because following last year's announcement about the XBOX One-exclusive Forza Motorsport 6 game collaborating with Bethesda's recently launched Fallout 4 (got your special Pip-boy designed Ford F100?), the long-awaited arrival of the special machine as seen in the world of Fallout, the Chryslus Rocket 69 is coming to Forza Motorsport 6.
With its jet fighter-inspired cockpit, single-speed gearbox, and bizarre performance that rockets through speeds at over 200mph, way once reserved for army space rangers, the Rocket 69 adds a little Fallout charm in the world of Forza.
Fallout 4's Chryslus Rocket 69 is listed as an event car so if you want to get your hands at this special Fallout machine, made possible by the wicked folks from Bethesda, pick up a copy of Forza Motorsport 6 and/or Fallout 4 XBOX One game between now until the end of April and wait for the DL code to be sent via XBOX Live message beginning early May. Or, if you have already played either Forza Motorsport 6 or Fallout 4 prior to the announcement, expect DL codes for the special Fallout car to arrive within a week.
