- Presumptive Vice President-elect Leni Robredo will hold a simple inauguration ceremony at the Quezon City Reception House on the end of June. Robredo will take her oath of office before Ronaldo Coner, the barangay captain of Punta Tarawal Calabnga in Camarines Sur. It will be limited to 300 guests invited to the inauguration.
- Meanwhile the guests invited to the inauguration of president-elect Rodrigo Duterte at Malacanang has increased to 627 because there are personalities who needed to attend the presidential inauguration because of the office they represent. Included in the list are members of the diplomatic corps, lawmakers, justices, as well as ranking officers of the AFP, PNP, Cabinet members, and some 150 personal guests.
- Pope Francis strongly condemns capital punishment, saying it's an offense to life, contradicts God's plan and serves no purpose for punishment. In a video message to an anti-death penalty congress in Norway, Francis declared the "thou shall not kill" commandment has an absolute value and applies both the innocent and the guilty. Rody Duterte, who plans to revive the death penalty, says that death is retribution, not deterrent, to those who committed crimes.
- The historic EU referendum in the fate of the United Kingdom has begun and voters across the country will decide whether it will remain or leave the European Union. Over 46 million people are eligible to vote according to the Electoral Commission and voting will end on the 2200 hours local time. The final result is announced on Friday.
- US Democrats demanding tighter gun control legislation have staged a sit-in in the House of Representatives, following the June 12 Orlando massacre that killed 49 people and injured 53 at a nightclub, marking it the worst mass shooting in US history.
- Weightlifters from Russia, Kazakhstan, and Belarus are facing being banned from the Rio Olympics for doping offenses. Retested samples from 2008 and 2012 Olympic Games yielded three or more positive results from each of the three countries. The International Olympic Committee is carrying out the tests.
- The most extreme McLaren P1 ever made, the P1 LM, was unveiled ahead of this weekend's Goodwood Festival of Speed. Lanzante, the firm responsible for the F1 LM, managed to convert five (or six) P1 GTR machines for road-legal use. That meant, revamped the hybrid powertrain to retain its 1000PS power output and reducing 130lbs of weight from the GTR by removing the onboard air-jacking system, fitting polycarbonate windows, refabricating the exhaust and cat pipes out of lightweight Inconel and the bolts out of titanium. The engine bay is lined in gold, just like the original F1.
- The VW up! has been given a minor change featuring a revised exterior and a new 1.0L turbo engine, producing 90PS of power and 160Nm of torque.
- Aquamarine unveiled a figure of THE IDOLM@STER Million Live's Mirai Kasuga, in her Million Spark outfit as seen in the mobile game. She's now available to order for 12,500 Yen plus tax and deliveries will commence this November.
THE IDOLM@STER CINDERELLA GIRLS STARLIGHT MASTER 03 Hi-Fi☆Days
There is now a third addition to the ever-growing STARLIGHT MASTER range, inspired from THE IDOLM@STER Cinderella Girls Starlight Stage app game (available to download on the App Store and Google Play) and this time, oh my... It's the little girls taking the centerstage with their in-game song ハイファイ☆デイズ. The song heard in the game were performed by Chie Sasaki (CV: Asaka Imai), Momoka Sakurai (CV: Haruka Terui), Nina Ichihara (CV: Misaki Kuno), Kaoru Ryuzaki (CV: Natsumi Haruse), and Miria Akagi (CV: Tomoyo Kurosawa) and with the never-before-heard full version of the said song, you won't believe that this song packs some cuteness as expected from the girls themselves but that's just the beginning because two additional songs are also featured in the latest single such as SUPERLOVE☆ and NUDIE★.
With ハイファイ☆デイズ now added on the roster, expect more Starlight Stage songs getting the full M@STER VERSION treatment soon. In the meantime, be sure to keep playing Starlight Stage and enjoy this song!
The Joint Chiefs of Staff said North Korea has launched two Musudan missiles from its east coast early this morning. At around 0558 hours local time, North Korea fired off what is presumed to be a Musudan missile from near Wonsan along the east coast, but it presumably ended in failure. Two hours later, the North launched another one. It is unclear if the second one was a success, and Seoul and Washington are analyzing whether it was carrying a nuclear warhead.
Meanwhile, President Park Geun-hye warned North Korea that it will only face isolation and self-destruction if it continues to develop nuclear weapons. During a meeting with the National Unification Advisory Council that the government will continue to pressure the Korean Peninsula until it gives up its nuclear power.
China caled for a calm and restraint shortly after North Korea test-fired two Musudan missiles. The Chinese foreign ministry urged the relevant countries not to take action that could further tensions on North Korea, when asked about the North's latest missile launches.
US Vice President Joe Biden says he told Chinese President Xi Jinping that Japan is capable of going nuclear virtually overnight in a conversation where he urged Beijing to do more to curb North Korea. In a televised interview, Biden said China has the single greatest ability to influence Pyongyang by cutting off a range of things, but it also could cause the collapse of the regime.
- Most citizens in Metro Manila as well as government organizations took part in the second metrowide shake drill organized by the MMDA, in an effort to prepare residents for a potential powerful earthquake. At 0900 hours local time, across Manila, most radio stations, companies, churches and schools sounded the earthquake alarm, signalling the start of the drill. In that drill, the city saw numerous situations such as collapsed buildings, fires, stampedes, and looting to test how rescue teams would respond.
- The Sandiganbayan anti-graft court has found probable cause to try Senator JV Ejercito and other San Juan City officials for technical malversation over the alleged anomalous purchase of high-powered firearms with calamity funds. Aside from that, the court also found probable cause to try former Vice Mayor Leonardo Celles and Sangguniang Panlungsod members for the same crime.
- The Islamic State terrorists released a video early on Wednesday in an effort to recruit new members from the Philippines and nearby countries. According to intelligence, the video targeting the Philippines was in five languages; Arabic, English, Filipino, Indonesian, and Malay.
- About 46,499,537 people in Great Britain have registered for tomorrow's referendum on whether or not the country should remain in the EU. That's about 140,000 more than the previous record, set in a general election in May last year.
- The mayor of Rio de Janeiro has pledged to improve security after numerous assaults on athletes in the Brazilian city as it prepares to host the 2016 Olympics. An Australian paralympic sailor was attacked by two assailants on Sunday while riding a bike. Then, Spanish Olympic sailors and coach were robbed at gunpoint last month.
- Numerous people have protested in front of the National Rifle Association HQ near Washington DC on Tuesday to protest the organization's reluctance to accept tighter gun control. Around 40 people gathered in front of the NRA building, including relatives of victims of the deadly Orlando shooting on the 12th of June and civic groups advocating stricter gun control laws.
- The Dodge Viper is set to discontinue this 2017 and to bid farewell to the only V10 supercar built by Americans, a series of final special editions were launched such as the 1:28 Edition ACR, GTS-R Commemorative Edition ACR, VoooDoo II Edition ACR, Snakeskin Edition GTC, and Dodge Dealer Edition ACR.
- The Aston Martin Vanquish Zagato has finally given a very limited production of 99 units, packed with a coachbuilt design and an improved V12 engine.
- Volvo's new S90 and V90 flagship models now come with an available R-Design models with a sportier exterior.
- Miss Universe 2015 Pia Wurtzbach gets tested for HIV. She vowed to raise awareness on the HIV/AIDS epidemic six months ago and help shed the stigma of HIV testing.
It's almost Ritsuko Akizuki's birthday in the world of THE IDOLM@STER and what better way is to pull off a challenge to honor such occassion. Trouble is, it may take a lot of negotiation to pull this off.
Yes, we all seen good Ritsuko Akizuki cosplays, ranging from her signature luxury outfit, her office lady attire, and many others, but not a single Ritchan fan has pulled something like this...
Yep, her attire from the IM@S anime DVD/Blu-Ray cover.
Yes, we all seen good IM@S fans outfitted in their anime DVD/Blu-ray cover attires. Most do Yayoi, Iori, Takane, or Miki. Some do Haruka, Makoto, Yukiho, or Chihaya (which I probably did last Spring). Few do Ami and Mami or Azusa. Sadly, no sight of anyone doing Ritsuko Akizuki in her DVD/Blu-ray cover attire. Why? It's just a simple...er...just the stuff you saw above but never mind all that.
You know what, having my sister Elise doing the job of dressing as Ritsuko kinda reminds me of last year when I told her to do Serena in her new outfit from Pokemon XY. I tried to be a good brother to my sister Elise but my obsession made me and my mother fought a lot, even after the convention. Sure, I may used a lot of bad words on my mom but she only did that to tick me off. In fact, I'm the one who drove me, my mom, and my sister apart. I messed up real bad as a brother. It really is my fault. I raised my voice over them I guess I never been around to take the blame. Me and my mom started drifting apart. Anyway, enough with the long story but mom and Elise, if you're reading this and let's put a dump on things, I'm sorry for being a bad brother.
Well, now that you heard my sad story, time to see our Ritsuko Akizuki's IM@S DVD/Blu-Ray cover outfit in action!
Err...not exactly much, but on the bright side, the outfit looks almost similar. Just a minor adjustment on the hairdo and that should be fine but my sis says that's as good as it goes.
Anyway, while this isn't exactly as I hoped for, I bet that would be enough to pull one off to show a little love to 765Pro's "least favorite" idol and I hope it's time for me to take responsibility after the mess done to make this a fruition.
Lets hope I'll ever see any IM@S fan dressed as Ritsuko in her IM@S anime DVD/Blu-ray cover attire after this.
Dory is by no means one of our favorite characters in 2003's Disney-Pixar flick Finding Nemo because of her iconic dialogue to remember for, even if we had short-term memory loss. Because of her knack of comic dialogue that cheered us up, in fact, she even made her the star in the sequel film.
Finding Dory, the sequel to 2003's Finding Nemo, brings the aquatic tale we all love when you and I are young to a new direction and promises the same comic dialogue we all love. Of course, TV presenter Ellen DeGeneres reprises her role as, hers truly, Dory as well as Albert Brooks as Marlin from the first flick.
Unknown to her bittersweet past, Dory sets on an adventure to reunite with her parents after a terrible incident separated them years ago, and that meant she ends up on another side of the ocean. With the help of old pals Marlin and Nemo as well as new allies such as the octopus Hank, whale shark Destiny, and beluga whale Bailey, Dory will have to keep swimming to reunite with her long lost family, no matter the odds. Whoops, I just said that line. Just keep swimming, just keep swimming, just keep swimming, swimming, swimming...
Just for the record, the storyline feels almost the same as the original because the stuff you saw in this flick kinda reminds you of the original flick 13 years ago, but since this is Dory we're talking about, fans can venture on her secret origins and as the movie progresses, the more pieces about her are building in until they get the whole story about Dory's origins.
Storyline aside, the fun factor is what pleases the moviegoers and because of Dory's comic dialogue that made people smile. you can expect moments that are going to be iconic in the world of Disney-Pixar movies and if there's something we all learn from this flick, it made us keep swimming and be fluent in whale. What the hay, this film has the best vibe since the first one, in fact, this film has some good vibes that can make you laugh and cry.
This is the first time an American car brand is selling a Chinese-made car, which is kinda unorthodox for General Motors to do such a thing. Whatever that is, the first American branded, Chinese import to be sold on US soil is a crossover called the Envision.
2016 Buick Envision
2016 Buick Envision
Although being an import from the People's Republic of China, some might believe that the Envision envisions its unorthodox collaboration between China and US in the same way that the F-2 fighter-bomber plane is for Japan and US. To put it in context, it shares it status as an Asian-American so you might think it targets every single Asian-American customer in its range but you'd be wrong.
Because this is an import from the PRC, the Buick Envision is priced at 42,070 US Dollars, making it the most expensive Buick offered for now but don't worry, they will add a cheaper model later this year starting at 35,870 US Dollars, around two thousand less than its big brother, the Enclave.
2016 Buick Envision
So, what do you know about the first American branded, Chinese import to be sold on US soil? Well, for starters, as commoners might say, everything in this planet is made in China. Your iPhone's made in China, your anime figure's made in China, your computer's made in China, China, China, China, well, you get the idea, but almost most of the stuff around you are made by the world's biggest country. We get used to it using stuff made by those who invented gunpowder and currency and we don't mind if they're expendable or not. The Envision? Well, even it looks American inside and out, there's no hiding that the way it behaves is very Chinese, a bit Asian-American if you like to call it, especially when it comes with a 2,0L turbocharged 4-cylinder engine that produces 252HP of power while mated with the GEN-3 6-speed AT. Sounds high-performance for a crossover like this but unlike the best of Buicks made by Americans (and Europeans), its dynamics are questionable for a China-made American crossover. Sooner or later, you might start questioning its reliability if things go wrong with it.
2016 Buick Envision interior
2016 Buick Envision interior
So far as styling-wise, the Envision is as well-orchestrated as the interior. It's very nice to be accommodated with and because space in the back matters most than anything else in the car, like what every Chinese businessmen would want for a long-wheelbase versions of luxury compact saloons, the Envision's rear legroom is very good indeed. It's very hi-tech from every nook and cranny and you can even surf the net with your devices on the go thanks to 4G LTE.
So, is there's something to like about the Envision? Probably the spacing, the tech, the design, and pretty much about it but if there's something not to like about the Envision, it would be the pricing that sounds costly for a China-made SUV as well as the way it behaves. So, if there's any question about how the Envision behaves on American roads, don't ask me. Ask General Motors for bringing this crossover that is proud to say "I'm Asian American and I am a Buick".
Available colors: Ebony Twilight Metallic, Summit White, Galaxy Silver Metallic, Bronze Alloy Metallic, Saffron Red Metallic, and Midnight Amethyst Metallic.
The South Korean military says North Korea is preparing to launch a ballistic missile. According to sources, the North appears to preparing to launch a new Musudan intermediate-range ballistic missile from its east coast.
Meanwhile, North Korean media condemn South Korea for conducting anti-poaching operations in neutral waters between the 2 countries,saying it's a military provocation. The South Korean military, its coast guard, and UN forces have been working together to stop blue crab poaching by Chinese fishing boats at the mouth of the Han River, which flows into the Yellow Sea. The KCNA says the area is a place no military forces of both Koreas have entered since the 1953 armistice.
Then, a senior North Korean official has arrived in Beijing to attend the global security conference for northeast Asia. Choe Son Hui, the deputy chief of US affairs bureau at North Korea's Foreign Ministry is attending the three-day conference organized by a US university that starts on Tuesday. The meeting brings together officials from the six-party talks on North Korea's nuclear program as well as private researchers. This is the first time in four years that North Korea has sent a participant to the annual conference.
- Former Senate president Ernesto Maceda passed away last night at St. Luke's Hospital in Quezon City after suffering a stroke two weeks ago, He was 81. The family announced that Maceda was taken off life support at 2058 hours local time after his eldest son Manny arrived from the US.
- DNA tests confirmed that the severed head found in front of a cathedral in Jolo, Sulu, belonged to Robert Hall, a Canadian captive of the Abu Sayyaf Group, who was beheaded last week, according to the Philippine National Police. Authorities found the body part on the 13th of June in front of the Mt. Carmel Cathedral along Sanchez Street in Jolo, confirmed earlier reports of the beheading of the Canadian hostage.
- The inauguration of President-elect Rodrigo Duterte will be officially held at Malacanang Palace on the 30th of June, breaking the tradition of holding presidential inaugurals at the Quirino Grandstand in Manila's Rizal Park. According to incoming Presidential Communications Operations Office secretary Martin Andanar, the media would not be allowed to cover inside the Palace except Duterte's TV crew, the RTVM.
- The US Senate rejected all four bills designed to restrict gun sales, despite a mass shooting at a nightclub in Orlando last weeks. Republicans and Democrats submitted two bills each to the chamber but none of the bills secured the 60 votes needed to advance.
- Over four hundred people died on the yellow fever outbreak in Angola and the Democratic Republic of Congo. The mosquito-borne disease causes fever, vomiting and in some cases jaundice, which it is named for.
- An Electric Modified Class-spec Acura that looks like the upcoming NSX will participate at this year's Pikes Peak International Hill Climb next weekend. Piloted by Tetsuya Yamano, this NSX-inspired EV concept features a modified powertrain used on the all-electric CR-Z racer last year.
- Amid the diesel emission scandal, Volkswagen plans to drop around forty models from its company-wide lineup. Reports told that Volkswagen is shaking to trim down and remove a number of low-volume vehicles from various lineups.
- Jake Vargas will appear in an upcoming episode of GMA's drama anthology depicting real people, Magpakailanman, as the viral sensation Carrot Man.
- The cast of the 2016 rebirth of GMA's fantasy drama, Encantadia, are preparing for the biggest battle scene ever seen.
Baku, the capital city of Azerbaijan, is the grand stage of the European Grand Prix on the F1 2016 season and setting the issues behind them, Nico Rosberg's pole position during qualifiers was a big advantage, more than enough to score his win while Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel placed 2nd place and Sergio Perez from Force India scored his second podium finish upon placing 3rd in the race.
Onto the overall standings, Rosberg's now 24 points ahead of Hamilton, 141 to 117, while Vettel remains 3rd overall with 96 points.
The next race is set at Austria, on the 3rd of July, 2016.
On the fourth episode of "brand new" Top Gear sees a three vs one match between cars against train, a luxury train, of course. While Eddie Jordan is taking a ride on a luxury train, the trio bought used cars snd set off to a road trip to Venice. Challenges included, of course. Evans goes for the 2002 Jaguar XJ while Sabine goes for the Audi A8 and Matt goes unorthodox with the 1989 Honda Gold Wing motorbike.
Meanwhile, Chris Harris is at Yas Marina to try out Aston Martin's most powerful machine, the Vulcan, and even raced against the V12 Vantage S. Because it's a track-only machine, the Naughty Laps was introduced for non road-legal cars like the Vulcan and it did it in 1:15.2 in damp condition.
Then, Rory Reid's in New York City to try out Tesla's zero emission crossover, the Model X.
In the Star in a Rallycross Car segment, TV explorer Bear Grylls and science whiz Prof. Brian Cox were on it and set a lap time of 1:54.4 and 1:53.9.
Come 23rd of June, every single Brit in the UK will take part in the historical EU referendum and decide whether the UK should stay or leave the European Union once and fol all. With the world eyes on the fate of Great Britain, that begs me one thing, what's with the trouble with Europe anyway?
Europe has been the hallmark of culture, ideals, and ambitions that inspired many from across the globe. In the aftermath of two World Wars, the European Union was founded to restore order among the European countries that bear scars from the wars and unite as one not just economically but politically as well.
I'm not into this but if you want to know how does the European Union works, here's a clip that will sum everything up...
So, now that you understand how the European Union works, let's talk about the trouble with Europe right now and why UK's referendum, due Thursday, matters. Ever since the relentless wars in the Middle East and Africa, Europe had faced a massive string of migrants, which is the largest since the Second World War, and how European nations deal with them is everyone's guess. Some nations like Germany opening up asylum for refugees while some like Hungary trying to restrict them access due to security reasons. To the eyes of EU bureaucrats, dealing with the endless migration of refugees from unstable countries is an endless nightmare that some may think this is the end of it, in fact, this is ONLY the beginning for them. And now, following the attacks on Paris, France, and Brussels, Belgium, looks like the EU is partly to blame the migrants and refugees because some of the terrorists, mostly from the armed terrorist organization ISIS, got mixed up with them, therefore attacks in Europe are extremely likely thanks to them.
Another major problem is the economy and who can remember the infamous "Grexit" from last year? Experts like to blame the Euro currency for everything. Since the late 90's, the establishment of the Euro currency meant to keep the EU member states (well, except for the Danes, Swedes, and Brits for some reason) economically stable as possible but since the aftermath of the world financial crisis in late 2008 (the Lehman shock, of course), economy in EU is becoming stagnant and one of the countries that hit hard is Greece. About last year, Alexis Tsipras, the Greek prime minister who was elected on an anti-austerity platform, urged his citizens to vote against a renegotiated bailout agreement, raising awareness of the nation's possible exit from the eurozone, but a month later, Greece accepted the negotiations from the top European officials on the 86 billion Euro bailout package that will save the nation from impending bankruptcy. The Greeks are safe for now but how long till it last before the Greeks face another financial problem shortly after the imminent Brexit vote?
Europe's rich in culture because of the valuable history it provided in terms of arts and music. With the rise of the Creative Europe programme, the sectors of culture, media, cross-sector, and other forms were covered for those that give life to European culture. One of the biggest contributions to European culture is the European Union Youth Orchestra, which will celebrate its 40th anniversary this year, noteworthy of its talented youth preserving their love of classical music created by Europe's finest in history. Sadly, their 40th anniversary celebration is a nightmare because they're on the verge of disbandment due to financial reasons, resulting to cancellation of their upcoming 40th anniversary events as well. Culture-loving individuals felt saddened to the sudden announcement of EUYO's closure until early this month, European Commision President Jean-Claude Juncker announced the proposals to enable the EU to return to core funding the EUYO. So, is the EUYO saved? In a nutshell, yes, for now, but how long this the longest-running youth orchestra in Europe will last?
Now, onto the Brexit vote and how did the UK triggered such a referendum that decides the fate of the great nation? Some say, the UK had fed up with the EU regulations in terms of economy, politics, national security, and many others, while some believed that the EU leadership has gone over the line and if no other actions were taken, it would be catastrophic for the bloc. Well, this is only a hunch but this is why the UK triggered the referendum. For some who campaigned on the "Remain" side, people including the PM David Cameron feared that the UK will face disastrous results in jobs and livelihood of the Brits. Not only that, it may trigger another referendum on the Scottish independence and if Scotland leaves UK, it may find its way to EU membership. For the "Brexit" side, people like Nigel Farage and former London mayor Boris Johnson, having the UK left the EU means they are free to do whatever they want in terms of economy, healthcare, national security, jobs, livelihood, and others.
Those Brexit spearheaders, looks like they want to do things in Trump's favor because the highly criticized presumptive Republican presidentiable believes that the UK will be more successful when it leaves the EU. Yeah, right. If that case of Brexit triggers, how would Trump and Hillary Clinton comment about this on their US presidential debate on the road to November's presidential elections? We'll never know until the Trump's unleashed his so-called trump card to woo the people to make him the new world leader in the same way how Davao City mayor Rodrigo Duterte lures the crowd to make him rule the Philippines with an iron fist. Sorry, if I had to say that but if Duterte's going to comment about Brexit, it would mean an added expletive dialogue condemning UK's decision to leave the EU.
The road to the imminent EU referendum became so life-threatening, in fact, there's one that claimed its life and that was none other than the MP named Jo Cox, who was brutally murdered by an assailant for no reason. Cox was one of the key people who campaigned the "Remain" side and following her death, campaigning for both sides have been temporarily halt to pay respects for her. I had high respects for her because despite her short-lived political career, Jo Cox became one of the most influential MPs in Great Britain and I hope everyone who are deciding the fate of UK will be a dying wish for her, no matter the odds.
Since the beginning, there has been no single European country that left the Union, well, Greenland that is due to weakened links to Denmark. As historians asked, Greenland people voted to leave the EU in 1982 and they ceded in 1985, when Greenland gained their official flag. How the UK face the fate just like what happened in Greenland remains unclear and just like what happened, it will take less than three years to have this nation ceded from the union, I believe. However, that's not the end of the story because ahead of the Brexit vote, Switzerland withdraws its 24-year-old application to join the European Union. That's the first time a candidate nation withdrawn its application from the EU. You should know that despite Switzerland refused to be part of the European Economic Area, of which non-EU members Iceland, Norway, and Lichtenstein, giving them access to the EU single market, it was connected by the Schengen Area, which encompasses most EU states, except for Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Ireland, Romania, and the UK.
Ah, the Brexit. Don't they have any idea how much paperwork the world will file into when the UK left the European Union for good? I mean, there are European subsidiaries of major companies that includes UK on it as well as UK's participation in European sports such as the Euro soccer league as well as the annual Six Nations rugby. Would you imagine the outcome what would it be like if UK is out of the EU? Sure, the UK and the EU had differences but it remains one of the most vital part of the EU not just for whatever the heck I mentioned up above but because with the UK, English is part of the EU language apart from German, French, Spanish, Nederlands, Italian, whatever language every European country knows. If UK leaves EU, then you won't be hearing English in EU meetings in Brussels, leaving just a union with nothing else to understand what they're talking about and pretty soon, UK feels as isolated from the world as North Korea. How pitiful for the fate of the once great nation.
For those Brits who are reading this, I know that this is a tough road for the UK if you are deciding whether the English-speaking country should leave or remain in the EU. If you are deciding the fate of the UK in the European Union, I'll leave it up to you all but just promise me that the United Kingdom can survive no matter what. The world depends on it. Whether if you're on the Remain side or Leave, please help save the Great Britain.
