According to a US official, North Korea could buy time to build up and refine its nuclear arsenal, including a warhead able to survive re-entry into the Earth’s atmosphere, if it manages to drag out any talks with Washington.
Even if North Korea freezes nuclear detonations and missile tests during such talks – as South Korea has said Pyongyang offered to do – there is plenty of other technical work it could pursue while diplomatic efforts are under way, they say.
Such work could include completing development of a re-entry vehicle that can deliver a nuclear weapon, production of rocket frames, engines and mobile launchers and increasing the output of plutonium and highly enriched uranium for bomb-making.
“North Korea can be expected to proceed on all these things … unless an agreement freezes or stops these activities, something unlikely in the short run,” said David Albright, a nuclear non-proliferation expert who heads Washington’s Institute for Science and International Security.
- The House Committee on Justice has found probable cause in the impeachment complaint filed against Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno. 38 out of the 40 members of the committee voted in favor of the impeachment case while only Quezon City District Rep. Jose Christopher ‘Kit’ Belmonte and Dinagat Islands Rep. Arlene ‘Kaka’ Bag-ao voted against it.
- The remains of the Overseas Filipino Worker, Jeanette Plegaria-Opido, who starved to death in Kuwait was returned home. Opido was allegedly maltreated and was starved by her employer causing her to get sick for Acute Failure of Blood Circulation and other complications before dying at a hospital in the Middle Eastern country last February 23.
- As Nikolas Cruz was indicted by the Florida grand jury on 17 counts of premeditated murder in the first degree and 17 counts of attempted murder in the first degree for last month’s shooting spree at a high school in Parkland, lawmakers gave final passage on Wednesday to a bill to raise the legal age for buying rifles, impose a three-day waiting period on all gun sales and allow the arming of some school employees.
- US President Donald Trump will offer Canada and Mexico a 30-day exemption from planned tariffs on steel and aluminum imports, which could be extended based on progress in NAFTA talks, according to an official. Trump was expected to sign a presidential proclamation to establish the tariffs during a ceremony on Thursday, but a White House official said later it could slide into Friday because documents had to be cleared through a legal process.
- Meanwhile, a woman who accused failed Alabama Republican Roy Moore is running for Florida Congress as a Democrat.
- Morgan signals the end of the V8 with the launch of special edition Plus 8 and Aero 8 at the Geneva Motor Show.
- In honor of the Jaguar XJ's 50th anniversary, they've made a one-off "Greatest Hits" 1984 Series 3 XJ6 just for Iron Maiden drummer Nicko McBrian.
Ready for some magic to your ears, producers? The newest installment of the CINDERELLA MASTER CD lineup inspired from THE IDOLM@STER Cinderella Girls sub-franchise has arrived to bring you some magic right at the comfort at your own home.
Illusionista, as the album implies, is the newest and most magical song ever listened in this sub-franchise. Perhaps you may have played with this song on Starlight Stage several times but not when you listen to the full M@STER VERSION performed by Mio Honda (CV: Sayuri Hara), Mayu Sakuma (CV: Yui Makino), Fumika Sagisawa (CV: M·A·O), Sachiko Koshimizu (CV: Ayana Taketatsu), and Minami Nitta (CV: Aya Suzaki). When you listen to the full version never before heard, you're going to love this song even more as well as the Yes! Party Time!! song performed by Chie Sasaki (CV: Asaka Imai), Kaoru Ryuzaki (CV: Natsumi Haruse), Momoka Sakurai (CV: Haruka Terui), Miria Akagi (CV: Tomoyo Kurosawa), and Nina Ichihara (CV: Misaki Kuno).
Did you enjoyed these new songs? They make nice additions to your Cinderella Girls playlist so feel free to listen to these brand new songs brought to you, courtesy, by your favorite Cinderella Girls!
The M@STER SPARKLE range continues with the seventh installment and you can expect more from your favorite 765 MILLION STARS.
For this installment, the highlights from the 765 MILLION STARS are Arisa Matsuda (CV: Rie Murakawa), Iku Nakatani (CV: Akari Harashima), Hinata Kinoshita (CV: Nao Tamura), Karen Shinomiya (CV: Yui Kondou), and Megumi Tokoro (CV: Yukiyo Fujii). They will perform some new songs as always.
For a limited time, you will gain a chance to take part on a special release event happening later this month.
There's just one more in the M@STER SPARKLE range and with seven out in the running, what to expect next in this installment? Watch for it soon and be sure to download THE IDOLM@STER Million Live Theater Days on the App Store or Google Play. Contains in-app purchases.
North Korea seems "sincere" in its apparent willingness to halt nuclear tests if it held denuclearization talks with the United States, feeling the pressure of sanctions, according to US President Donald Trump as U.S., South Korean and Japanese officials voiced skepticism about any discussions.
Trump declined to say whether he had any preconditions for talks with Pyongyang as officials in the United States, South Korea, Japan and China responded with caution and guarded optimism to the possibility following months of insults and threats of war between Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.
“I think that they are sincere. And I think they’re sincere also because of the sanctions and what we’re doing with respect to North Korea, including the great help that we’ve been given from China,” Trump said at a news conference after meeting with Prime Minister Stefan Lofven of Sweden, which represents U.S. interests in North Korea.
Word of possible talks was delivered by a South Korean delegation on its return from a first-ever meeting with North Korean leader Kim in Pyongyang on Monday.
- Despite the decreased alert level to three, PHIVOLCS warns of more seismic activity at Mayon Volcano. According to Department of Science and Technology Usec. Renato Solidum, director of PHIVOLCS, Alert Level 3 only means that there is only a decreased possibility of a hazardous eruption.
- President Rodrigo Duterte held a dinner at the Malacanang Palace especially for former New People's Army members last night. Addressing the rebel returnees, Duterte said that the battle between the government side and the communist group that has been going on for years now, have brought nothing but pain and misery.
- The top economic adviser to US President Donald Trump, Gary Cohn, resigned from his post, a move that came after he lost a fight over Trump’s plans for hefty steel and aluminium import tariffs. The departure of Cohn, director of the National Economic Council, was expected to be finalised in a few weeks and will blow a hole in Trump’s already depleted advisory team at a time when the economy is growing but markets are volatile.
- Reports told that possible decisions on $10 billion of wide-body plane orders could shape the fate of the Airbus A330neo even before the recently upgraded jet completes flight trials. Even Boeing’s most vigorous supporters doubt Airbus would give up on the A330neo, which is key for its bottom line, but the contest marks the latest in a series of battles between Boeing’s newest long-haul jet in the air, the 787 Dreamliner, and upcoming A330neo – a market-share feud that has consumed the two planemakers for the past nine months or more.
- Turkey, Russia, and Iran, will hold a summit next month to deal with Syria and potential steps in the region, according to the Turkish foreign ministry.
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- SUPRA COMES BACK! Toyota unveiled the GR Supra Racing Concept at the Geneva Motor Show, signalling the return of "The Sports of Toyota". It's set to be a playable car at an upcoming update in GT SPORT as well.
Toyota GT Supra Racing Concept
- The Mercedes-AMG GT 4-Door was unveiled at the Geneva Motor Show in two variants with the V6-powered GT53 and the V8-powered GT63.
2019 Mercedes-AMG GT63 S 4-Door
- Fresh from the Concept_One, Rimac unveiled their newest electric hypercar, the C_Two. With a new and more powerful electric powertrain, it generates 1914HP of power and 2,300Nm of torque, promising a top speed of 412kph and a 0-100kph time of 1.85 seconds.
Rimac C-Two
- The Bugatti Chiron gains a lighter Sport version with dynamic handling package and lighter weight, including the world's first carbon fiber windscreen wiper.
Bugatti Chiron Sport
- Good news! Nintendo reinstates Mario as a Plumber!
- Kia Motors showed their teaser sketch for the all-new K9 premium saloon.
With the March Car Pack arrived on Forza Motorsport 7, the world's wandering that does this game focused mostly on motorsports, hence the name, need another irrelevant offroader that doesn't work on racetracks in-game? To explain what I'm on about, I picked up one of the cars offered in the pack, which is basically a Chevrolet Colorado.
It's not just any Colorado you're familiar with, this is the offroad-oriented ZR2 variant and while folks are muttering that does this game need more irrelevant and idiotic SUVs and offroaders, it's time to knock myself out with a little drive with Chevrolet's world-proven pickup truck, but first, what's it all about it?
Chevrolet revived the mid-size pickup truck segment with the launch of the second-generation Colorado in 2014 for the North American market after its critically-acclaimed success worldwide and was later heralded as Motor Trend's Truck of the Year for two years in 2015 and 2016. Such success prompted Chevrolet to add an offroad-oriented ZR2 variant to cater offroad enthusiasts.
Based on the Z71 variant, the ZR2 features exclusive features and parts made for offroad driving in mind such as the 17x8 Wheels with 31" tyres, Off-Road Mode which shifts throttle progression, shift calibration, traction control, stability control, and ABS in different terrain conditions, Multimatic Dynamic Suspension Spool Valve Dampers, Electronic Locking Front and Rear Differentials, Longer, Cast Iron Control Arms, 3.5" Wider Track, 2" Lift, and many others.
The ZR2 can be offered in two body styles such as the crew cab and the extended cab as well as two different configurations such as the 2.8L Duramax Diesel engine and the more powerful 3.6L LGZ V6 petrol engine with Variable Valve Timing.
Yes, I know, those off-road oriented upgrades really made the commoners' Colorado, a midsize truck favored by people living in the red state as right-wing nutjobs, more capable at all sorts of terrain but in reality, it's almost irrelevant on the track and overall, some might say it might not cut through corners like what a high-performance sports car goes. Yes, that got me concerned knowing that it wasn't as agile and as sharp as your Camaro or Corvette but it sounded like a challenge for the ZR2 truck. To find out, I need to go to a red state where the Colorado will have a moment to shine...and I think I know one. Folks, we're going to Texas.
Yes, I know, Texas is the biggest state in the United States but that one place in Texas I'm looking for? The venue used for the United States Grand Prix of the Formula 1 championship; Circuit of the Americas, located in Austin, Texas. It will be the perfect ground for me to challenge the full capability of the Colorado ZR2 not just being an offroader but for breaking the glass on the typical FM7 murmurs noting that it's idiotic and irrelevant to have offroaders on a motorsport-oriented racing game.
You should know that the year 2018 marks the 100th anniversary of Chevy Trucks and it's the perfect time to mark that very occasion by going all out in this US Grand Prix track while driving an offroader truck that is more off-road, less on track duty. Of course, you might be asking that it's impossible for a truck like this to get round the twists and turns this US GP track had and I said hey, give me three minutes. Give me three minutes to drive one full lap round COTA with the Colorado without going out of bounds. Challenge accepted. Let's roll the tape.
And now, the results. How did I do? I gave them three minutes and I did it in...2:58.177. So, who's laughing now, skeptics?
It's no wonder why the Forza producers are celebrating 100 years of Chevy trucks by adding the Colorado ZR2 on the March Car Pack because we wanted to mark the occasion by doing something wonderful with this off-road-oriented Colorado. The Chevrolet Colorado has been proven round the world and in the world of Forza, they consider driving the Colorado is a challenge only the brave can master it. Talking about here, I did something special to mark this occasion.
Mitsubishi, once made cool cars for speedo boys, called it quits when they stopped making the Lancer Evolution and what was once the coolest Japanese carmakers in the world shriveled to making redundant city cars that are too regular for its own good. To make things worse, Mitsubishi revived the name of the once famous sportscar and then slapped it on their newest compact crossover. They christened it as the all-new Eclipse Cross.
2018 Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross
2018 Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross
This is the all-new Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross, ladies and gentlemen, and I know. It's a disgrace to put the name of the once-famous sportscar to another regular compact crossovers that are idiotic and irrelevant in the hearts and minds of speedo boys everywhere and because crossovers are becoming part of your daily neighborhood or your family from every generation when your sister once owned a Honda CR-V, your granny's friend has a Subaru Forester, your other cousin has a Toyota C-HR, so on so forth, the Eclipse Cross may soon be your kind of crossover that can be part of your family if you got your driver's license on your first attempt.
First and foremost, while this is basically a crossover that slots between the RVR and the Outlander, the Eclipse Cross's design is all about borrowing the elements from BMW and Mercedes-Benz, creating a crossover with a coupe-like silhouette and while it sounds sexy at first, looks can be somewhat puzzling because while it's small in size, the front looks very similar to the Outlander while the back reminds you of a Pontiac Aztek. Yep, you heard that right. It's like an Aztek with the face of an Outlander and it's not half bad by the looks of it.
2018 Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross interior
2018 Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross interior
On the inside, the Eclipse Cross is somewhere between good and bad and while the spacing is good for a five-seater, the bad side is that you can't use it as a family car because being a five-seater, chances of finding a sweet spot is almost impossible. What's even weird but wonderful about the Eclipse Cross is the dashboard that looks like Mitsubishi nicked some from luxury car makers from the world. See the sat-nav that works with Apple Carplay and Android Auto? It looks like it came from today's BMW iDrive. Then, there's the Remote Touch interface that looks like they stole it unashamedly from Lexus. So, what you have here is a regular crossover that has the bits and bobs from a luxury car. Well done, Mitsubishi.
2018 Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross
And now, we get to the dark side of the Eclipse Cross, the performance, and although it can be worth the trip to grandma's house, the driving delight is nowhere as good as, let's just say, the Hyundai Kona and the Kia Stonic. It's got a 1.5L 4B40 MIVEC Turbo engine that produces 150PS of power and 240Nm of torque, which sounds less but it has a sprite to it. However, with the INVECS-III 8-speed Sport Mode CVT, like I said, that gearbox spoiled its driving delight for you but on the long trip, it promised between 14 to 15kmpl of fuel economy based on JC08 Mode standards. Still, it's a tad less than the Kia Stonic, which is basically more fun to drive than the Eclipse Cross but on the upshot, it doesn't have the Eclipse Cross' electronically-controlled 4WD system with Super All Wheel Control that sends most of its torque to the rear wheels like a Ford Focus RS, which is great but when you are stuck at a sheep's pen, you're really stuck so don't bother trying it because being a midsize crossover, the Eclipse Cross won't promise you the dynamics of the late Lancer Evolution. Instead, it's going to be like that old Pajero iO you used to own back then. On the plus side, you can slap that "turboactive" feeling to it.
The Eclipse Cross starts at 2,526,000 Japanese Yen (around $25,300 or 1,270,000 PhP) and it's slightly more expensive than the Toyota C-HR but still, this is the lesser of the two evils if I'm honest. So, how can I sum this car up? Well, the design and the interior is not half bad, the performance is kinda upsetting everyone because of the turbo engine that is short on power and the CVT gearbox that is not good on your driving pleasure, despite the 4WD system that works rather well until you get stuck in the sheep's pen.
Available colors: Red Diamond, Red Metallic, Bronze Metallic, Lightning Blue Mica, Titanium Grey Metallic, Black Mica, Sterling Silver Metallic, and White Pearl.
If you've been a fan of those Dodge commercials, you may be enamored by the Vin Diesel-ish voiceover while seeing cars like the Charger, the Challenger, and now the Durango, speeding around the roads. I mean hey, blood runs thicker than oil and what better way to celebrate the newest arrival to the "Brotherhood of Muscle" by driving the first-ever Durango SRT from Forza Motorsport 7's Dell Gaming Car Pack?
Before calling the shots, let's take a quick look on the Dodge Durango SRT, shall we? Dodge's third-generation Durango combines the practicality of a sport utility vehicle and the sportiness of what a Dodge can be and due to inconsistent public demand, the SRT version of the Durango was unleashed, giving the soul of a muscle car to this do-all crossover.
Dubbed as the fastest third-row SUV in its class, the Durango SRT is powered by a 392-cubic-inch (6.4L) V8 engine producing 475HP of power and 470lb-ft of torque, while mated to a TorqueFlite eight-speed automatic. As verified by the NHRA, it foes 0-60mph in 4.4 seconds and can go through the quarter mile in 12.9 seconds.
Apart from its V8 power, the Durango SRT rides on a short-and-long-arm independent front suspension with coil springs, specially tuned Bilstein adaptive damping suspension (ADS), upper- and lower-control arms and a stabilizer bar, resulting to sports car-like handling. At the back comes a specially tuned multi-link suspension, and after that, it comes with a performance-oriented AWD system. It has massively new Brembo high-performance six-piston front and four-piston rear calipers and vented rotors at all four corners, resulting to an estimated 115 feet to come to a full stop from 60 mph.
The end result is that not only the Durango SRT is a track weapon crossover in its own right but also a fun people mover doing all sorts of everyday jobs, more than enough to make the neighborhood envy.
Need a little refresher? When I first saw the Durango SRT, I once said that not only you can handle this behemoth like a boss but you can handle any kind of weather condition like it never happened. Of course, it may not be as fast as the Grand Cherokee Trackhawk I drove a while back but you don't got smacked by some fat teenager girl doing a stage dive at the concert. Instead, it's likeyour granny spending the whole day watching Mad Mad-esque films no one heard of as I shall now explain on trip round Laguna Seca.
It maybe a people mover on steroids but the way the Durango SRT behaves is like I was expecting! Of course, this is the ideal crossover for men who got married by accident but going for the family car that is as fun as what they drove when they were single, like I said, and while you can drive it for everyday activities such as taking the kids to school, going to work, going grocery shopping, so on, so forth, but it's sensational to drive. It maybe heavy but it behaves like a Subie and that's just the cherry of the cake.
So, you got my point about how good the Durango SRT is, right? Let's crank it up a notch by proving just how good the Durango SRT is and because I prefer the unscripted life, let's pick a benchmark car for the Durango SRT to play with and I think I got one...
This is the Ford Focus RS, one of my favorite hyper hot hatchbacks ever emerged from the Old Continent to be driven by American hands. It has the same EcoBoost engine from the regular Mustang and has the coolest four-wheel drive system ever made. So cool, you can hoon it like a maniac. Anyway, let's see how the Focus RS fares with the Laguna Seca track...
The Focus RS did it in 1:55.264 and all I have to do is to see if the Durango SRT is as good as this hot Focus. Let's roll the tape!
How did I fare with the Durango SRT? It did it in 1:56.272 and when you round them up, it's a second slower than the Ford Focus RS. Close but this crossover proves its point!
There you are, ladies and gentlemen. The Dodge Durango SRT is almost as fast as a Ford Focus RS and while it's more expensive to buy than the soon-to-be-defunct hot Focus, this crossover is a do-all on the road and on the track and in the world of Forza, this has got to be one of the most enjoyable crossovers to drive at the moment if you think the Jeep Grand Cherokee Trackhawk is too much of an overkill for you. Like the commercial said, welcome to the Brotherhood of Muscle.
The delegation of five officials led by Chung Eui-yong met with Kim Jong Un on March 5 and had a dinner banquet together afterwards.
Noting the venue of the meeting/dinner - the headquarters of North Korea's ruling Worker's Party - the Blue House said it marked the first time for any South Korean to be invited to the building. North Korea's state run media reported that its leader held an "openhearted talk" with the South Korean president's envoys reaching a "satisfactory agreement" about holding an inter-Korean summit meeting with South Korean leader Moon Jae-in.
South Korea's Blue House also acknowledged an agreement reached between the two sides adding the outcome of the meeting "were not disappointing."
In a dispatch, the KCNA said Kim Jong Un expressed his desire to "write a new history of national reunification" during the welcome dinner which was also attended by his sister, Kim Yo-jong, and his wife, Ri Sol-ju.
Neither both sides released the details of the talks or commented on how his he responded to the South Korean appeal for Pyongyang to start a dialogue with Washington on ending the North's nuclear weapons program.
- The Malacanang last week expressed willingness to cooperate with human rights investigators after the United Nations presented interest on the country's supposed extrajudicial killings, according to the presidential spokesperson during a press briefing in the Sangguniang Bayan Building in Zamboanga del Norte after news sprouted that the UN seeks to probe the Philippines’ war on drugs.
- Meanwhile, President Rodrigo Duterte named new officials of the Philippine Olympic Committee during a ceremony. Among those who took their oaths were POC President Victorio Vargas and POC Chairman Abraham “Bambol” Tolentino. After being named as the new POC chief, Vargas said that he is eyeing to push for a successful campaign in the Asian Games in August as well as the Philippine’s hosting of the 2019 Southeast Asian Games.
- Five workers died while several others were hurt after a bunkhouse in Cebu City collapsed early Tuesday.
- A leakage at the main pipe line of Maynilad Water Services Inc. is affecting over 200,000 clients of the water service provider in Southern Manila and Cavite. According to Jennifer Rufo, assistant vice-president for corporate communication of Maynilad, a blow-off valve of their 1.4m diameter primary line along Coastal Road was damaged, suspected to be due to water pressure, around 6:15 am.
- If US President Donald Trump's proposal to slap 25% tariff on imported tax wasn't enough, he considers retaliating the EU by slapping import taxes against Europe-made cars if they want to further increase their already massive tariffs and barriers on US companies doing businesses there.
- Come tomorrow, US Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell is pushing the bill that would deregulate 30 of the 40 biggest banks in America and while some Democrats like Elizabeth Warren oppose against this bill, a number of Senate Democrats look ready to go along.
- According to the Emerson University survey, ahead of the special congressional election in Pennsylvania's 18th district, Democrat Conor Lamb is leading against radical Trump Republican Rick Saccone by 3 points, 48 to 45.
- Bentley's first ever plug-in electric hybrid vehicle, the Bentayga Hybrid, was unveiled prior to this week's Geneva Motor Show premiere, featuring a 3.0L V6 turbo petrol engine mated to an electric motor that promises 75g/km of CO2 emissions.
2019 Bentley Bentayga Hybrid
- Volkswagen will showcase the ID Vizzion Concept at this week's Geneva Motor Show, starting a wave of promising electric vehicles by the next decade while showcasing autonomous driving technology.
Volkswagen ID Vizzion Concept
- The Forza Motorsport 7 March Car Pack was unveiled and it's the fifth out of the six car packs to be covered with Car Pass, featuring four legendary racing machines, a Chevrolet Colorado, the all-new Lincoln Continental, and the new Volvo XC90.
- Say hello to the latest idol group joining the upcoming THE IDOLM@STER Shiny Colors game; the Hokago Climax Girls consisting of Rinze Morino, Chiyoko Sonoda, Kaho Komiya, Juri Saijo, and Natsuha Arisugawa.
Going home from work but stuck in traffic hell right now? Relax, ladies and gentlemen, because before you start bringing home the stress, soothe yourselves with some velvety smoothness of another batch of ten driving musics brought to you courtesy by me.
1) Fire (Remix) by Barns Courtney - from a Cadillac "The Future is Here" commercial
2) Uptown Funk by Bruno Mars - from a Cadillac XT4 teaser ad
3) Feel It Still by Portugal. The Man - from the Cadillac Super Cruise "Future Cars" commercial
4) It's Alright by Matt and Kim - from the Buick Enclave "More Kids" commercial
5) Ides of March by Vehicle - from the Acura TLX "Designed to Adapt" commercial
6) Young Men Dead by The Black Angels - from the BMW USA X2 "Chase New Dreams" commercial
7) Lucky by Lenka - from the Kia All New K3 commercisl
8) My Favorite Things by Jennie Abrahamson
9) Should I Stay or Should I Go by The Clash - from the Renault Zoe commercial
10) Brest by Rone - from the Nissan Europe Leaf commercial
Driving Music from Leopaul's Blog is the segment where solves every car enthusiasts' questions about the title of the song of car commercials...with the risk of MATCHED THIRD PARTY CONTENT on their status. It's your jam. Drive to the Music You Love.
