Let's Do The News! (July 27, 2017)

- The death penalty, which has been passed on the third reading last March, was not part in the list of 35 bills that the Senate and the House of Representatives have decided to prioritize in the second regular session of the 17th Congress. Though on Wednesday, the Senate instead decided to pass the bills on Traffic and Congestion Crisis Act, National ID System, Tax Reforms, End of Contractualization, Anti-discrimination Bill, the revise 1987 Constitution, and the proposed Bangsamoro Basic Law.

- Department of Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre will temporarily head the Bureau of Corrections, while there is no replacement yet for Director Benjamin Delos Santos.

- Officials of Marikina city hall are tightly monitoring the possible overflow of water from Marikina River. Around 1030, the water level in Marikina hits to 14.3 meters or Alert level No.1.

- US President Donald Trump announced that transgenders are barred from entering the military, reversing a year-old policy reviled by social conservatives. He made the declaration on Twitter, saying that American forces couldn't afford the "tremendous medical costs and disruption" of transgender service members. This announcement angered most of civil rights and the LGBT community.

- Meanwhile, the Trump administration imposed sanctions on 13 senior Venezuelan officials as the country’s opposition launched a two-day strike against President Nicolas Maduro to scrap plans for a controversial new congress.

- Technology that allows alternation of human embryos have been carried out for the first time in the United States, according to Oregon Health and Science University in Portland, which carried out the research. The research is believed to have broken new ground both in the number of embryos experimented upon and by demonstrating it is possible to safely and efficiently correct defective genes that cause inherited diseases, according to reports.

- The British Government announced that they will ban the sale of petrol and diesel vehicles beginning in 2040.

- Need For Speed Payback's customization trailer streamed. In this upcoming installment, you'll find many ways to upgrade your rides as well as expanding your garage for your future car collections.



- THE IDOLM@STER Cinderella Girls' Rin Shibuya gets figurized by Aquamarine and this time, she's wearing the Starry Sky Bright as seen from the Starlight Stage app game. This figure's available to order starting at 13,000 Yen plus taxes and delivery and arrives this November.



- Conan Edogawa, the star of the Detective Conan franchise, gets his own Nendoroid! You can now order your favorite junior detective starting at 4,259 Yen plus tax and delivery and market launch will be this February.



TTFN!!!

RAGE RACER REMIX -THE 20th ANNIV. SOUNDS-

RAGE RACER REMIX -THE 20th ANNIV. SOUNDS-

Launched in the 1996 holiday season, Rage Racer is known to be as the sequel to the popular RIDGE RACER franchise on the PlayStation, Rage Racer delivers arcade-style racing at the comfort of their homes with a wide array of customizable machines while taking on four different circuits vying to become the real Rage Racer. This is the first time the mascot character, Reiko Nagase, made her appearance in this installment. Supersweep celebrates Rage Racer's 20th anniversary with the long-awaited soundtrack complete with remixes of BGMs heard from the PSX game.

This two-disc tribute to one of the most memorable Ridge Racer installments in its over two-decade history features remixed tunes as well as remastered background musics as heard from the game. Crafted by some of Bandai Namco's well-respected music composers in history, every music track is in tune to the high-octane sounds of Rage Racer and they're all revved up for your listening pleasure, wherever you may be.

The RAGE RACER REMIX two-disc compilation is a must-have for every racing video game aficionado who truly wish that Bandai Namco should make a brand new Ridge Racer for the new era of console game and with the franchise is nearing its 25th anniversary since the first Ridge Racer went out in the arcades since 1993, Bandai Namco should break its silence over this long-forgotten racing franchise with the most memorable techno music ever heard in the history of video game musics.

TRACK LISTINGS:

Disc One:
01 MENU SCREEN (Takahiro Eguchi Remix)
02 RAGE RACER (Sampling Masters MEGA Remix)
03 MATHEMABEAT (Sampling Masters AYA Remix)
04 LIGHTNING LUGE (HIROSHI WATANABE Remix)
05 INDUSTRIA (Taku Inoue Remix)
06 HURRICANE HUB (Ryu☆ Remix)
07 MECH MONSTER (Yuu Miyake Bubbly Hoo Mix)
08 SILVER STREAM (J99 Remix)
09 STIMULATION (Hiroshi Okubo Remix)
10 VOLCANO VEHICLE (sanodg Remix)

Disc Two:
01 OPENING
02 PROLOGUE
03 MENU SCREEN
04 RAGE RACER
05 MATHEMABEAT
06 LIGHTNING LUGE
07 INDUSTRIA
08 HURRICANE HUB
09 MECH MONSTER
10 SILVER STREAM
11 STIMULATION
12 VOLCANO VEHICLE
13 DEEP DRIVE
14 REPLAY
15 REPLAY (TIME ATTACK)
16 RESULT
17 RANK UP
18 ENDING
19 END CREDITS
20 GAME OVER

Suzuki adds 1.4L turbo on Escudo

2018 Suzuki Escudo

The current-generation Suzuki Escudo, fully imported from Europe, has received a brand new 1.4L turbocharged petrol engine for the 2018 model year.

This new variant for Suzuki's Euro import crossover comes with the brand new 1.4L Booster Jet turbocharged engine producing 136PS of power (19PS more than the 1.6L variant) and 210Nm of torque. Mated to a six-speed automatic gearbox, fuel economy is expected at 16.8kmpl based on Japan's JC08 Mode standards.

To differentiate the turbocharged variant to the non-turbocharged Escudo, it's been given an X-TRAIL-inspired front face, red accents on the interior, and a brand new Bright Red 5 Black 2-tone roof exterior color.

Like the non-turbocharged Escudo, it still remains the ALLGRIP system as well as Radar Brake Support II system for this variant.

The Escudo 1.4L Turbo variant starts at 2,586,600 Japanese Yen.

URL: http://www.suzuki.co.jp/release/a/2017/0726/

Let's Do The News! (July 26, 2017)

- Government Chief Negotiator Silvestre Bello III is currently waiting for President Rodrigo Duterte's decision to terminate peace talks with the communist insurgents. Bello said it would take about 30 days after the receipt of the letter to formally terminate all negotiations.

- TV presenter and talent manager Lolit Solis has been in hot water after being bashed by some netizens during her appearance at the Alfred Vargas wedding. Some netizens said that the occasion was for civilized and educated people only.

- US President Donald Trump warned Iran to adhere to the terms of a nuclear deal with world powers or else face “big, big problems.” Trump administration officials, briefing reporters last week, said new economic sanctions against Iran were being prepared over its ballistic missile programme and for contributing to regional tensions.

- Foes of Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro are to stage a two-day national strike from Wednesday in a final push to pressure him into abandoning a weekend election for a super-congress they say will institutionalize autocracy in the Latin American country.

- The death toll from the collapse of a four-storey building in the suburbs of Mumbai, India, is now 17 as rescuers removed debris searching for those still trapped, a police official said on Wednesday.

- Golden State Warriors' star player Stephen Curry sigs a $201 million extension with the championship-winning team.

- With just seven months to go, the song for the PyeongChang 2018 torch relay was unveiled and titled "Let Everyone Shine" performed by popular Korean singer Insooni. In the next 101 days, after being lit one week earlier in Olympia, Greece, the Olympic torch will touch Incheon by the 1st of November. 7,500 torchbearers will take part in the Torch Relay.

- Not too long ago, Microsoft announced that they will axe the most loved MS Paint application from their Autumn Creators Update but due to inconsistent public demand, the app is saved and it will be available at the Microsoft Store for free.

- Adobe will axe the Flash player at the end of 2020 as all web browsers blocking Flash over the past past year and Adobe plans to end support for it by the end of 2020.

- Mercedes-Benz announces its withdrawal from the DTM after the 2018 season and shifts focus on its Formula E entry beginning on the 2019-2020 season.

- The 2018 Ford Mustang's V8 variant can now do 0-60mph in 4 seconds courtesy of its brand new Drag Strip mode.

TTFN!!!

Range Rover Velar

Since the beginning, the Range Rover has been served as the flagship of the Land Rover lineup, but now, the Range Rover has been expanded into numerous models under its helm. There's a Range Rover Sport, which remains the only Range Rover model to have seven seats, and there's the smaller Range Rover Evoque that combines style and practicality at such size. Now, the Range Rover family welcomes their newest addition; the stylish and yet functional Range Rover Velar.

2018 Land Rover Range Rover Velar

2018 Land Rover Range Rover Velar

There is one major reason why they called their newest Range Rover addition the Velar because this coupe-crossover's name harks back to the codeword used on the first Range Rover, which is basically a three-door SUV in the beginning. The goal of the Velar is capture the inspiration of the first Range Rover in terms of design while offering five-door practicality you would expect on a posh crossover. That's just statements from Land Rover themselves but under keen observation, the Velar's sizing is bigger than the Evoque but slightly smaller than the bigger Range Rovers, making it more of a middleman to the family than a chieftain of the tribe, even good-looking.

2018 Land Rover Range Rover Velar interior

2018 Land Rover Range Rover Velar interior

Despite being smaller than its big brothers, the Velar's interior is about as cozier as a Jaguar XF in so many ways but what's revolting about the Velar's interior is that the dashboard's jam-packed with touch panels rather than buttons because every luxury carmakers know that the future of dashboards belong to touch panels and the thing about the use of touch panels is when your hands get smothered with too much finger foods, you'd better pack some hand sanitizers before touching those. That's a top tip but even though the dashboard's littered with too much touch panels from top to bottom, it's surprisingly accommodating and spacious as well. You'll find many great ways to enjoy it.

2018 Land Rover Range Rover Velar

Now, let's look what is like to drive the Velar and under the hood, the Velar offers almost the same choice of petrol and diesel engines as its close relative, the Jaguar F-Pace, with the most powerful in the range for the time being is the one with the Supercharged 3.0L V6 petrol engine producing 380HP of power and 450Nm of torque. With the 8-speed automatic gearbox, which is standard on all models, it does 0-60mph in 5.3 seconds and top speed normally limited to 155mph. That sounds quick even by SUV standards and then there's its signature Range Rover capability. Of course, for those who want more pull for their buck, there's the 300HP 3.0L V6 diesel engine delivering 700Nm of torque.

Of course, while there are most SUVs that can do all kinds of jobs better than the Velar, this new crossover sets the class apart with its legendary Range Rover capability inherited from the entire family tree. Like the available Terrain Response 2 and All Terrain Progress Control, these handy-capable features allow the Velar to tackle almost all corners of the world; be it the Sahara desert, the Australian Outback, the African jungles, Patagonia, be any place as long as you are looking for a shortcut that will lead you to your point of interest quicker than luxury saloons. Then, there's the Intelligent Driveline Dynamics, which uses artificial intelligence to determine torque distribution, traction, and dynamics while being connected to its Dynamic Stability Control system, Torque Vectoring System and the Active Locking Rear Differential. And then, there's the electric power-assisted steering which adds a bit more feel every time a driver steers the Velar but sometimes, it can be prone to understeering and this calls for more painkillers when your arm aches from steering this crossover. It maybe an SUV but with that level of dynamics, the Velar really feels like an luxury saloon in so many angles and it's the ideal crossover for people who don't want to be late for their dinner reservations with their dates.

Speaking of dinner reservations, the Velar offers a wide range of advanced driver assistance systems, either standard or optional to ensure its preparedness on today's traffic conditions. From the Autonomous Emergency Braking, Lane Departure Warning, Lane Keep Assist, Driver Condition Monitoring, Traffic Sign Recognition, Reverse Traffic Detection, Adaptive Cruise Control, 360° Parking Aid, and Park Assist.

Should you buy it? Well, prices start from 44,575 to 84,195 GBP, so it isn't cheap for a luxury crossover of this size but for the new Range Rover Velar, it's all about the style, the interior, the choice of engines, and the legendary Range Rover characteristics you'd expect from the family tree. If the RR, the RR Sport, and the RR Evoque turn the world into their sandbox adventure, the Velar can and that really is a welcoming addition to the Range Rover family.

Photo: Jaguar Land Rover

THE IDOLM@STER MILLION THE@TER GENERATION 01 Brand New Theater!

THE IDOLM@STER
MILLION THE@TER GENERATION 01 Brand New Theater!

THE IDOLM@STER Million Live Theater Days is already here and it's an honor to see the rest of 765 MILLION ALLSTARS had a new home in mobile games just like the Cinderella Girls and Side M. To celebrate the release of Theater Days, the latest single and the first of the brand new MILLION THE@TER GENERATION range has arrived.

Brand New Theater! is the official anthem of THE IDOLM@STER Million Live Theater Days and it's performed by almost all of your favorite 765 PRODUCTION idols from Haruka Amami to Mirai Kasuga. In the first ever single of the new range inspired by the said game, not only the game's theme song is featured but also two new songs such as the 4th anniversary anthem song titled Dreaming!, and インヴィンシブル・ジャスティス.

Expect more to come in this new range and be sure to download the brand new THE IDOLM@STER Million Live Theater Days game on the App Store or Google Play. (Contains in-app purchases).

Let's Do The News! (July 25, 2017)

- Over two million pesos worth of illegal drugs was confiscated in a condominium in Makati City last night. With a search warrant, the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency and Makati City officials searched the condo unit of a certain Joanne Cuachon, a speculated drug pusher.

- Ilocos Norte Governor Imee Marcos, accompanied by her mother Representative Imelda Marcos, attended today's Congress meeting on the issue regarding the alleged misuse of tobacco funds.

- After President Rodrigo Duterte's demands to the United States to return the Balangiga Bells on yesterday's SONA, the The US Embassy in Manila vowed to solve the issue on the Balangiga bells seized by the Americans more than a century ago.

- The Venezuela crisis has entered its pivotal week as foes of socialist president Nicolas Maduro pull out their stops to stop a controversial congress. The unpopular leftist leader is pressing ahead with the vote for a Constitutional Assembly on Sunday despite the opposition of most Venezuelans, a crescendo of international criticism, and some dissent within his ruling Socialist Party. Most critics feared that Maduro's congress is intended to institutionalize dictatorship in the OPEC member country.

- Pop star Justin Bieber cancelled his remaining concert dates under the Purpose World Tour. He is supposed to perform in countries like the Philippines, the China (which banned him due to bad behavior), Japan, Hong Kong, and Singapore. Bieber's saddened with his decision but he would rather choose to rest for a while after 150 shows during the past 18 months.

- A specially-prepped Subaru WRX STi Type RA NBR Special lapped the Nurburgring in 6:57.5, which is half-a-second slower than the Porsche 918 Spyder but quicker than the Lamborghini Aventador SV.

Subaru WRX STi Type RA NBR Special

- The stars of last year's hit anime film "your name.", Taki Tachibana and Mitsuha Miyamizu, finally gained a Nendoroid treatment.

Nendoroid Taki Tachibana and Mitsuha Miyamizu

- The 25th James Bond 007 movie will be out in theaters on the Fall of 2019. It will be written by long time collaborators and writers of previous Bond films Neal Purvis and Robert Wade, and will be produced by Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli. Cast, distributors, and director to be determined until further notice.

- Did you know that in Portugal, they've recreated the action from a manga and anime action-comedy series Keijo with a real-life sports league where contestants using their butts to battle just like in the absurd action-comedy series?

TTFN!!!