F1 2016: Russian GP

Image: Associated Press

The Russian leg of the 2016 season of Formula One at Sochi sees another win for Mercedes' Nico Rosberg, marking it his seventh win in his career. Hamilton, meanwhile, placed 2nd and Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen placed 3rd.

Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel faced a disastrous misfortune at the race. First, he got penalized to five grid spots for a last-minute gearbox change. Then, he got crashed by Red Bull's Daniil Kvyat...twice. For that, Kvyat was penalized three points and held for 10 seconds in the pits.

Anyway, onto the driver standings, Nico Rosberg's in the lead with 100 points while Lewis Hamilton's 2nd place overall with 43 points behind Rosberg, and Raikkonen is now 3rd with 57 points behind Rosberg.

The next race will be at Spain this 15th of May.

THREATS FROM NORTH KOREA: SoKor President Park in Iran

South Korean president Park Geun-hye arrived in Iran for her state visit, becoming the first Korean leader to enter the Middle Eastern nation. Along with Iranian leader Hassan Rouhani, the historical summit talks between the two nations discussed ways to boost bilateral ties.

At a joint press conference, the two leaders announced 66 MOUs, covering a broad range of sectors from power plant and railway construction to cultural cooperation, The deals amount to some 37-billion US dollars for South Korea, which will take part in numerous infrastructure projects with Iran as it looks to rebuild the economy after the lifting of international sanctions.

The newly found cooperation also include telecommunications, trade and investment financing, as well as healthcare. The two countries will also each build a cultural exchange and business complex in each other's countries.

As for North Korea's nuclear issues, Rouhani shared his nation's ground, saying he supports changes on the Korean peninsula as Iran is against any type of nuclear development.

Meanwhile, South Korea's defense ministry said that North Korea could carry out a fifth nuclear test around its party congress slated for late this week as it seems to have completed all preparations. The ministry said there's a high possibility that the North would carry out the test and fire off missiles soon around the party congress, which is scheduled this Friday.

Satellite imagery provided by an American website monitoring the reclusive state shows continued low-level activity at North Korea's nuclear test site, amid concern Pyongyang could conduct another test in the coming days.

Source: Arirang News

Let's Do The News! (May 2, 2016)

- The May 9 elections is drawing near in the Philippines and Davao City mayor and presidential candidate Rodrigo Duterte has failed to meet his challenge to open his bank account at the Bank of the Philippine Islands even if he complied with the mayor's demand to execute an affidavit naming his informant, according to Senator Antonio Trillanes IV. 

- One of the Philippines' most influential religion group, the Iglesia Ni Cristo, said it will press charges against the person who forged an endorsement letter with a fake signature of its executive minister Eduardo Manalo. The letter, a false document endorsing the candidacy of Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte, went viral on social media. According to reports, the document in question is not from Brother Eduardo Manalo.

- According to the Department of Foreign Affairs, the Philippines will continue working for the safe release of foreign nationals being held captive by the Abu Sayyaf group. On Sunday, the terrorist group has recently freed ten Indonesian sailors to Sulu Governor Abdusakur Tan II. They were brought to a military hospital for a medical checkup and were declared in stable condition despite being held captive for over a month.

- Workers from across the globe held rallies and marches to mark Labor Day or May Day. In Russia, about 100,000 people marched across Red Square, carrying Russian flags and colorful balloons to celebrate the occasion. In Paris, France, violent protests broke out to protest parliamentary debate on labor reform. In Istanbul, Turkey, protesters clashed with police.

- Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff has expressed her renewed determination to fight her imminent impeachment. During the May Day rally in Sao Paulo, Rousseff criticized the opposition for initiating impeachment procedures. Rousseff said impeachment is not only against her mandate but also against achievements of workers. She said she will fight until the very end.

- Japan's Diet has passed bills to secure funds for building the main stadium for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics. A revised law was approved on Monday at an Upper House plenary session by the majority support of the Liberal Democratic, Democratic, and other parties.

- New Pokemon XYZ toys from Takara Tomy on the radar! As we get ready for the upcoming Pokemon movie starring Volcanion, three mega-evolved Pokemon, to be seen in the film, is added to the range. Mega Sharpedo, Mega Beedrill, and Mega Tyranitar, they're now part of the Super Size Moncolle figures, each priced at 650 Yen each. Also, look out for the new Soft Poke Ball toys, each priced for 1,000 Yen and it comes with four variants; the normal, Great, Ultra, and Master Ball. It even shakes to replicate the catching sequence! Last, there's a new Clip-and-Carry Pikachu variant and this one's a female Pikachu (the one with the heart-shaped tail on it) perfect for little girls who love Pikachu. It's priced at 2,000 Yen. All of these toys will be arriving this June.

- The classic 1964 Triumph Bonneville motorcycle is the highlight in the Jay Leno's Garage webisode.

- THE IDOLM@STER MILLION LIVE! app game gets a brand new Next Prologue update, available now, packed with additional idols, new storylines, new SP skill learning, and the new Ultimate Live Arena feature, with additional extras.

- In case you missed the recent Eat Bulaga Kalyeserye, the Sportsfest goes on as planned and for our very own Team Work, led by Lola Tinidora with Divina as their Muse, they're facing a neck-to-neck competition against other teams. In the end, the Team Work has won but Lola Nidora's arrival spurs things up for AlDub and what do they get? A final script for the movie they're working on and what? Tune in next time and find out.

TTFN!!!

2016 Radio Disney Music Awards

The 2016 Radio Disney Music Awards, held at Los Angeles' Microsoft Theater, is getting more bigger than last time and apart from big names returning for another win and breakthrough ones scoring their first ARDY, as well as musical performances by some of the biggest music stars, there's no guarantee that the 2016 RDMA has gotten more fun than last time. 

Anyway, let's get to know the list of winners...

Best Group - Fifth Harmony

Best Male Artist - Ed Sheeran

Best Female Artist - Selena Gomez

Song of the Year - Bad Blood by Taylor Swift

Best Crush Song - Perfect by One Direction

Fiercest Fans - Harmonizers

Breakout Artist of the Year - Tori Kelly

Best New Artist - Kelsea Ballerini

Best Song That Makes You Smile - Better When I'm Dancing by Meghan Trainor

Radio Disney's Most Talked About Artist - Taylor Swift

Best Song To Lip Sync To - What Do You Mean by Justin Bieber

Best Anthem - Eyes Wide Open by Sabrina Carpenter

Best Song To Dance To - Focus by Ariana Grande

Best Breakup Song - Bad Blood by Taylor Swift

Artist with the Best Style -  Becky G

Radio Disney Country Favorite Song - Fly by Maddie & Tae

Radio Disney Country Favorite Artist - Maddie & Tae

VW Tiguan II

Volkswagen, despite facing the biggest setbacks in the history of the cars' fuel economies, is still going on strong with a range of new models coming their way and this latest example, the second-generation Tiguan, shows that this car company, no matter how many problems it face, is always rising up to the challenge, no matter what.

2017 Volkswagen Tiguan

So, what's so new about this all-new Tiguan? Judging from its newly enhanced look in departure from the previous model, the new Tiguan now utilizes the MQB platform as seen in most models from the Volkswagen Group family tree, meaning it promises to behave better than the previous one and let's just hope it will seek revenge against the Mazda CX-5 after the whole Top Gear crossover caravan carnage thing years ago. Because this is an entirely new model, for the first time, we can expect a long wheelbase model soon. But in the meantime, what's it all about the new Tiguan?

2017 Volkswagen Tiguan interior

2017 Volkswagen Tiguan interior

At first look, the new Tiguan looks like an oversized Volkswagen Golf with some heightened ground clearance to make it look adventurous, but in reality, it's just another basic car fit for garage sales and groceries alike. Yep, it's like one of those rides your auntie or your granny's friend would drive on faraway trip to buy antiques. Despite being a crossover built for the long shopping trips for some hunk of junks, the new Tiguan, thanks to its new platform, is now slightly lowered, more rigid, slightly lighter than the old Tiguan, and more behavable elsewhere. In truth, the new Tiguan behaves just like the new normal Golf in the city streets but don't get too surprised about this because despite all the improvements, you'll never get away from the fact that one of your relatives will have one in the future.

Of course, even with more room than the old model, this is basically a five-seater model and whichever you are seating on, be it on the front or in the back, there's nothing to go wrong with it, well, save it to the front because you have some time to toy around with the gadgets in store such as the sat-nav that allows mirroring with your smartphone, a speedo that looks broadly similar to Audi's Virtual Cockpit, and, well that pretty much about it. Even if you're sitting in the passenger side, that's okay but let's hope that the new Tiguan is a barkada car because if made into a family mover, you will be crushed by the dreaded child seat situations. It's a five-seater, it's only reserved for barkada trips only.

At the back, thanks to the new platform, the new Tiguan can carry up to 615 litres with five persons on-board or 1,655 litres of boot space when the rear bench is folded. That's enough to carry almost most of the stuff you bought from a certain estate sale, by about 74 percent coverage.

2017 Volkswagen Tiguan

Volkswagen believes that the new Tiguan has to be technologically advanced not just for convenience but also for the safety at all corners. That's why it's been loaded with the finest safety technologies available for the new model, especially the clever active bonnet, which raises the bonnet if a pedestrian or bicyclist comes into contact with it in a crash. They stole that idea from the Swedes but, oh well.
Yes, the new Tiguan comes with a 1.4L petrol engine and two-litre engine in two versions; a petrol and a diesel, but let's not mention more about the 2.0L TDI BlueMotion Technology stuff because of the ongoing crisis that Volkswagen felt, even though this engine promises more than the diesel-powered Mazda CX-5 (enough for some revenge match on the countryside, perhaps). Oh no...guess the only powerful version offered in the Tiguan is...nope, not the 180PS 2.0 TSi petrol, it's the 2.0 TDI BlueMotion Technology with 190PS of power and 400Nm of torque. With the 7-speed DSG gearbox armed, it gets through 0-100kph in 7.9 seconds and onwards to 212kph. A diesel-powered Mazda CX-5 can't do that, you know. And with the available 4MOTION four-wheel drive system, the Tiguan is a good all-weather trekker that loves to go anywhere, be it rain or shine.

Should you buy it? The new Tiguan starts at 25,975 Euros, which is about 1,600 Euros more than its biggest competitor, the Mazda CX-5. Sure, it's expensive to own than the CX-5, but with the new Tiguan trying to correct its mistakes from its failed predecessor, this car can guarantee it will hit back against Mazda on the spot to the park...or should this new Tiguan flunk, it will be the second time the loser will sleep in the remains of the caravan. Perhaps how the new Tiguan stacks up against the Mazda CX-5 is anyone's theory.

Available colors: Pure White, Uranograu, Atlantik Blue Metallic, Caribbean Blue Metallic, Dark Moss Green Metallic, Habanero Orange Metallic, Indiumgrau Metallic, Nutshell Brown Metallic, Ruby Red Metallic, Titanium Beige Metallic, and Tungsten Silver Metallic.

Photo: Volkswagen AG

HAPPY BIRTHDAY BOSSING!

It's Bossing Vic Sotto's big birthday bash at Eat Bulaga and the Dabarkads thrown the veteran presenter the best birthday party in Eat Bulaga history, starting with his "indestructible" cake which has been around for a month and despite being shrunken in size, it's still "indestructible" enough to have Vic eating it and blowing the candle in person. How's that for a cake that last for a month?

Then, in the Just Duet grand finals, the final five contestants are announced and these are Ruther Robosa, Mackie Cao, Alisah Bonaobra, Louie Anne Culala, and Daniel Briones.

In the Kalyeserye portion, the gang are ready for the Sportsfest and they still had the dilemma that if they take part in the sportsfest, they won't be able to catch up to Bossing's birthday bash. But just then, a miracle happened. According to the letter, the Sportsfest got postponed to next week. Which means, the gang can go to Bossing's party right away!

And now, the main event because with the gang's all here to celebrate Bossing's birthday, it's performances, performances, and performances galore, all in the name of the best birthday party this veteran Eat Bulaga presenter had for years.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY BOSSING!

Bubble Gang Summer Treat 2016 CONCLUSION

For the April 29, 2016 episode, it's the conclusion of the two-part Bubble Gang 2016 summer special at Blue Coral! So, what are the guys are up to?

- Awat gags



- Hugot lines at the beach!



- Ways how a hokage behaves with the ladies are examined.



- Beach photography gets troublesome...



- IKAW AT ANG INA takes on...beach pics!



- Manyak jokes



- Tips to look like you've enjoyed your boring beach vacation...



- Searching for the ideal sexy model...



- Even an outing can't calm you down...



- More news reversed in Balitang Baliktad!



- We have a seminar that will get you used to some messy situations!



...and that concludes the Bubble Gang Summer Treat 2016! See you next summer!

THREATS FROM NORTH KOREA: N.Korea ferry spotted during suspected SLBM launch

Reports indicate that a North Korean cargo-passenger vessel was operating in the same waters as a submarine when the North fired what appeared to be an SLBM last weekend.

Intelligence told that they have established where the cargo-passenger ship, Mangyongbong was sailing by analyzing satellite imagery and other evidence.

Sources say the vessel's movements were coordinated with the North Korean submarine when an apparent SLBM launch took place in the Sea of Japan near the coast of Sinpo on the 23rd of April. Also, the North may have used the ship, instead of a military vessel, to film and collect data on the suspected test-launch so that is military moves would not be detected.

The Mangyongbong used to travel between its home port on Wonsan near Sinpo and Niigata, Jpaan. The ship has been banned from entering Japanese ports for a decade as part of the nation's sanctions against North Korea for its nuclear tests and ballistic missile launches.

Source: NHK World

Let's Do The News! (April 29, 2016)

- Former Supreme Court Chief Justice Renato Corona passed away at the age of 67 due to cardiac arrest. His passing was confirmed by Corona's family to the Supreme Court. He died at 0148 hours local time.

- A thousand netizens have confirmed attendance to a protest rally at the Department of Justice on Monday to call on the filing of charges against the Commission on Elections over the recent cyber attacks. Hacker group Anonymous Philippines, which will organize the protest, is urging the DOJ to investigate the poll body over its failure to protect voter data that has been stolen and leaked online.

- Six schools in Maguindanao, which will be used as voting precincts in the May elections, have been bombed by grenades and RPGs before dawn Wednesday. The assailants blew up the school premises as they escaped, according to barangay officials. No one was hurt. As of last night, police had no clues on the identities of the attackers behind the attacks and no group claimed responsibility.

- The nation's first microsatellite, the Diwata-1, was successfully launched to the International Space Station last Wednesday. The satellite was successfully deployed at around 7:45 PM from the Japanese Experiment Module, onboard the ISS. The deployment marks the first time the JEM has deployed a 50kg class microsatellite.

- Japan's annual Golden Week holiday exodus has begun as highways, railways, and airports are all piled up as people head to vacation destinations or their hometowns. Meanwhile, many people were seen heading southwest for the quake-hit Kumamoto Prefecture.

-US Secretary of State John Kerry denounces air strikes on a hospital in northern Syrian city of Aleppo apparently conducted by the Syrian government. The attacks destroyed a hospital in a rebel-controlled area of the city on Wednesday night. According to reports, at least 20 people, including doctors and three children, were killed.

- A M7.0 quake struck off the coast of Vanuatu in the South Pacific. The quake struck at 1933 UTC on Thursday. The focus is estimated to be about 200km north-northwest of the nation's capital Port Vila. at a dept of around 27km. The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center says there is no tsunami threat.

- Shooting for scenes on the upcoming Fast 8, slated next year, in Havana, Cuba was underway, making it the first Hollywood blockbuster to film in Cuba since US-Cuban relations were restored.

- Windows 10 PC users will be able to experience their first taste of Forza Motorsport 6 as FM6 Apex goes into open beta on the 5th of May. There will be updates in store over the course of summer.

- In case you missed the recent Eat Bulaga Kalyeserye, as the gang prepares for Vic's big birthday bash tomorrow, disaster comes because Bossing's big birthday bash coincides with the upcoming sportsfest Lola Nidora's team were on. So, what will the guys do now when two big events are happening tomorrow? Will they go on Bossing's big birthday bash or the sportsfest they were committed to join? Find out tomorrow!

TTFN!!!

THREATS FROM NORTH KOREA: Full defense readiness against NoKor

Before leaving for Iran, South Korean president Park Geun-hye chaired cabinet meeting today, where she called for full defense readiness against North Korean threats and vows to return with tangible results to help Korean companies enter Iranian businesses. President Park noted that Pyongyang is capable of launching a fifth nuclear test anytime, stressing Pyongyang's provocations pose serious threat to regional security. A National Security Council meeting has also been convened this afternoon to check upon the nation's defense conditions.

Amid the rising threats from North Korea, South Korea's ruling part and the government held a security meeting this morning with the vice ministers of foreign affairs, defense, and unification. During the hour-long meeting, the Saenuri Part emphasized cooperation with the opposition parties and the president and proposed the creation of a joint consultative group of national security involving the three entities.

The second vice minister of foreign affairs said that if North Korea carries another nuclear test, the foreign ministry will push for a new UN resolution strengthening the existing sanctions against the Korean Peninsula.

Meanwhile, the South Korean Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se has called on his fellow foreign ministers to show leadership in dealing with ongoing threats from North Korea. In his keynote speech in Beijing at the fifth CICA meeting, Yun hinted that a declaration to be adopted later in a day will mark a milestone in enforcing the 26 members' efforts on non-proliferation. On a related note, Chinese leader Xi Jinping said that Beijing will fully implement UN sanctions against North Korea's nuclear and missile programs, while calling for a resumption of talks with the Korean Peninsula.

Xi said that China will fully implement the UNSC resolutions, repeating China's stance that nuclear issue should be resolve through dialogue and negotiations. Xi made the remarks at the opening ceremony of the CICA.

Source: Arirang News

Let's Do The News! (April 28, 2016)

- Philippine President Benigno Aquino III revealed that the Abu Sayyaf Group plotted to abduct his TV personality sister Kris Aquino and boxing superstar Manny Pacquiao as part of their group effort to gain respect from the Islamic State militants. One of the bandit leaders, Isnilon Hapilon, tried to convert other inmates in the national penitentiary to their cause and establish ties with the remains of the Rajah Sulayman Movement, in an attempt to embark on a terrorist attack in Metro Manila, according to the president. He stressed he he has to stop the ASG, which has been seeking its alliance with ISIS. Aquino vowed to disband the terrorist group before his term ends this June.

- Several websites of government agencies, local private companies, and schools have been hacked by an "Indonesian Defacer Team", according to reports. Contrary to this report, hacking group Anonymous Philippines clarified that they are not responsible in this latest cyber-attack.

- The Anti-Money Laundering Council filed charges against officers of Philrem for its alleged involvement in the $81 million money heist from the Bangladesh central bank. The council filed a joint complaint-affidavit against Salud Bautista, Michael Bautista and Anthony Pelejo for violating Republic Act 9160 or the Anti-Money Laundering Act of 2001.

- The commission of Brazil's Senate has begun discussions on whether to set up an impeachment trial against President Dilma Rousseff, who is accused of involvement in manipulating government accounts. The special commission on the impeachment of Rousseff began deliberating on whether to set up the trial. The full Senate will possibly hold a vote as early as mid-may and if a majority of senators vote in favor of the impeachment trial, Rousseff will be suspended from her duties.

- Two weeks have passed since the two powerful quakes struck Kumamoto Prefecture, Japan, that left 49 people died, but officials warned of more possible aftershocks as well as potential landslides triggered by rain. As of now, over a thousand quakes with intensities of one or more had hit the region.

- Republican front-runner in the US presidential nomination race, Donald Trump, has reiterated that Japan and other US allies must pay more of the cost for American troops stationed in their countries. During his foreign policy speech in Washington DC on Wednesday, Trump criticized President Barack Obama's foreign policy, saying it weakened the US economy and the military, and if Trump is elected president, he will put American interests first.

- The Japanese government will test mileage data on vehicles made by Mitsubishi Motors. This rare decision follows the Japanese car company's admission last week that it had falsified mileage data on their kei cars.

- You know that Europe doesn't sell a powerful Lexus LX570 but in case of someone smuggled one, a tuner called LARTE Design adds some styling modifications on Lexus' flagship 7-seater SUV.

- In case you missed the recent Eat Bulaga Kalyeserye, today marks the 41st weeksary of AlDub, coinciding with the birthday of presenter Vic Sotto, who is going to have a big day on Saturday, and the two lovers are not feeling in the mood after last Wednesday's fiasco. Fortunately, things are finally settling in and later, some gifts received including a secret item to be unveiled this Saturday but what is it? Tune in next time and find out!!!

TTFN!!!

THREATS FROM NORTH KOREA: Obama calls North Korea erratic

US President Barack Obama called North Korea and the Kim Jong Un regime irresponsible.

During an interview with CBS News, Obama also said the top priority to deal with the Korean Peninsula is to protect the American people, as well as US allies of Japan and South Korea, which is prone to its provocations.

On the 15th of April, the anniversary of the birth of the nation's founder Kim Il-Sung, North Korea has fired the new type of mid-range ballistic missile called the Musudan (and presumably failed) while a submarine-based missile was launched on Saturday.

The White House also referred to North Korea in a news conference on Tuesday and the United States will continue to ramp up pressure against North Korea as well as collaborating with the Chinese government, which has more influence over the Korean Peninsula than any other country.

Source: NHK World