THREATS FROM NORTH KOREA: Two Koreas hold joint rehearsal at Panmunjom ahead of summit

The 2018 Inter-Korean Summit is tomorrow as the the Presidential Chief of Staff, Im Jong-seok, held a press briefing at 1100 hours local time, to announce the final details prior to the meeting.

He said the first encounter will take place at 0930 local time at the border village of Panmunjom.

North Korean leader Kimg Jong-un will cross the Military Demarcation Line between the Military Armistice Commission T2 and T3 building. He will be greeted by South Korean leader Moon Jae-in and the two will then walk together toward the Peace House and review the honor guard together, as part of the official welcoming ceremony. When they enter the building, Kim Jong-un will sign the guest book on the first floor.

And starting at 1030, the summit meeting between them will take place on the second floor of the Peace House, which will be followed by lunch.

In the afternoon, the two leaders will plant a ceremonial pine tree on the military demarcation line, in recognition of their historic meeting and then will take a short walk together. Once returned, they will sign and announce a statement of agreement.

The format and the location of the signing are yet to be determined, and yet starting at 1830 hours, a welcoming dinner in honor of the North Korean leader will take place. And the historic day will end with a farewell party.

The Presidential Chief of Staff said there will be total of 9 officials from North Korea and there was no announcement on whether Kim Jong-un's wife will accompany him. According to Im, an agreement hasn't been reached yet, but the Blue House is anticipating her to attend the welcoming dinner.

Source: Arirang News

Let's Do The News! (April 26, 2018)

- According to Malacanang officials, President Rodrigo Duterte will soon sign written orders for the closure of Boracay, even as the 6-month shutdown began today. Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque said the relevant documents, including the declaration of a state of calamity on the island, are now on the President’s desk. Right now, as the closure began, heavy security has been deployed at
- entry points to the once-pristine island that has become tainted by heavy commercialization and overdevelopment.

- The mother of death row convict Mary Jane Veloso said she would go to Indonesia to visit her daughter in prison and press authorities to spare her life. Veloso will be marking the third year of her reprieve on April 29.


- Yesterday in American politics, Republican Senator Rand Paul flip-flopped his opposition to US President Donald Trump's secretary of state nominee Mike Pompeo, guaranteeing his imminent confirmation while Republicans rammed through the confirmation of 5th Circuit Appeals Court nominee Kyle Duncan.

- Meanwhile, Democrats scored big at the special election in Arizona's 8th Congressional District - the seat recently vacated by Trent Franks and one of the deepest red congressional districts imaginable. Republicans held the seat but by a mere 5 points, according to sources, a 20-point swing in the Democrat’s favor from the partisan lean of the district. Then, a state assembly race in New York made another flip to their expanding numbers, bringing the total to a whopping 40 flipped state legislative seats since Trump took office.

- 13 children were killed on Thursday when a school van collided with a train at an unmanned railway crossing in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, a police official said.

- The Fast and the Furious franchise will spawn a TV cartoon show on Netflix.

- Matt Kenseth is set to make a NASCAR comeback at an upcoming Kansas race in his #6 Roush Fenway Fusion Stock Car.

- Ford Motor Company will phase out almost all of its cars in the North American market including the Fiesta, Focus, Fusion, and Taurus.

- Jaguar celebrates 50 years of the XJ with a special model called the XJ50.

Jaguar XJ50

- Paramount Pictures announced that the sequel to the Star Trek film franchise and A Quiet Place is in the works.

- A Studio Ghibli theme park is set to open in Aichi in 2022.

- Sadie Stanley and The Goldbergs' Sean Giambrone are named to play as Kim and Ron in next year's Disney Channel Original Movie remake of hit cartoon series Kim Possible.

Sadie Stanley (@sadieastanley) and @TheGoldbergsabc’s Sean Giambrone (@seangiambrone) will star as Kim Possible and Ron Stoppable in the live-action #KimPossible Disney Channel Original Movie set to debut in 2019.

A post shared by DisneyChannelPR (@disneychannelpr) on Apr 25, 2018 at 9:00am PDT

TTFN!!!

THREATS FROM NORTH KOREA: Two Koreas holding joint rehearsals at Panmunjom

South and North Korea are holding a joint rehearsal for Friday's Inter-Korean summit. The South Korean presidential office said this morning that President Moon Jae-in and his staff will only focus on preparing for the summit today and nothing else.

North Korea is set to send their delegates led by Kim Chang-son, and official from Pyongyang's State Affairs Commission to the Peace House, located at the South Korean side of Panmunjom, and the two Koreas will hold a joint rehearsal this morning.

The Blue House said the joint rehearsal takes place behind closed doors thus the exact time will not be released. They did say the joint rehearsal will take place at the exact same time that the two leaders are set to meet this Friday.

Source: Arirang News

Let's Do The News! (April 25, 2018)

- Numerous workers has asked the Supreme Court to stop the closure of Boracay for six months starting tomorrow. The workers pleaded for a temporary restraining order.

- MAGDALO Party List Representative Gary Alejano asked the Duterte administration to protest China's reported monument unveiling to commemorate their efforts in the South China Sea, which encompasses parts of the Philippine territory.

- Alleged drug lord Peter Lim insists that he be placed under a separate preliminary investigation over the drug complaint filed before the DOJ.

- The European Union wants Russia and Iran to bring Syria to their peace talks.

- US President Donald Trump plans to nominate Admiral Harry Harris, the head of the US Pacific Command already nominated to be the next US ambassador to Australia, to fill the long-vacant post of ambassador to South Korea instead, according to officials. President Donald Trump’s nominee to be secretary of state, Mike Pompeo, had asked Harris to take the key post in Seoul, which has been vacant since Trump took office in January last year, a source with knowledge of the situation said.

- Numerous Australians gathered at France's Somme for a poignant ceremony in memory of the soldiers who fought and died on the Western Front, a century on from the end of the First World War. 8,000 Australians worldwide commemorate a special centenary Anzac Day, Australia’s national day of remembrance on the Somme, scene of some of the most brutal battles of the 1914-18 conflict.

- Spotify is ramping up their free service, hoping that a more option-rich platform will boost its ambitions to make music streaming even bigger worldwide.

- Google unveiled a major overhaul to Gmail since 2013, capping what the company says was an expensive overhaul two years in the making to adopt security and offline functionality and better resemble Microsoft Outlook.

- The Mercedes-Maybach Vision Ultimate Luxury concept was unveiled at Beijing's Auto China, previewing an ultra-luxury crossover.

Mercedes-Maybach Vision Ultimate Luxury

- BMW unveiled the iX3 Concept at Beijing's Auto China, previewing a crossover addition to BMW's i range of electric cars.

BMW iX3 Concept

TTFN!!!

THE IDOLM@STER MILLION THE@TER GENERATION 07 Twinkle Rhythm

Hold your smartphones up, ladies and gentlemen, because the seventh installment of the THE@TER GENERATION range, inspired by THE IDOLM@STER Million Live! Theater Days app game, has arrived and this installment is all heroic and it's here to save the day from your weekday boredom.

THE IDOLM@STER
MILLION THE@TER GENERATION 07
Twinkle Rhythm

The highlight of this installment is Twinkle Rhythm comprising of Iku Nakatani (CV: Akari Harashima), Yuriko Nanao (CV: Miku Ito), and Arisa Matsuda (CV: Rie Murakawa) as they are here to save the day with two new songs titled ZETTAI × BREAK!! トゥインクルリズム and Tomorrow Program. There's even drama parts featuring Twinkle Rhythm featured in a show about themselves saving the day against a dastardly supervillain and then what's going on behind the scenes is up for the listeners to discover.

Enjoy listening to this latest addition to the range and be sure to keep playing THE IDOLM@STER Million Live Theater Days for more!

Arigato Daijobu/Believe it

Aikatsu Friends!, the third installment of Bandai Namco's Aikatsu! children's franchise, is all about Aine Yuki and Mio Minato, who share the same goal to become the best idols of Star Harmony Academy and their hopes to come face to face with the venerable duo they called Love Me Tear. In honor of the newest Aikatsu series airing every Thursday nights on TV Tokyo, the opening and closing theme songs have arrived in full swing.

Arigato Daijobu/Believe it

And here it is. Not only you are welcomed by the opening and closing theme songs but also Aine and Mio's theme named after the title itself which is, of course, Aikatsu Friends! All of these songs featured in this single are performed by members of BEST FRIENDS! which of course they're the ones who played as the characters of the shows in case you are wondering.

The opening title is "ありがと⇄大丈夫", performed by Aine and Mio, while the closing theme song is titled "Believe it", sung by Karen and Mirai. Simple as that.

For limited quantities, there's a special accessory card that you can use it on the DATA CARDDASS Aikatsu Friends! arcade game.

Aikatsu Friends! airs every Thursday nights on TV Tokyo, right before Pokemon Sun and Moon.

TRACK LISTINGS:
01 ありがと⇄大丈夫
02 Believe it
03 アイカツフレンズ!
04 ありがと⇄大丈夫 (off vocal)
05 Believe it (off vocal)
06 アイカツフレンズ! (off vocal)

2018 Verizon IndyCar Series - Honda Indy Grand Prix of Alabama

The Honda Grand Prix of Alabama race of the 2018 Verizon IndyCar Series ended up intro a two-parter due to heavy rainfall occurred at the Barber Motorsports Park at Birmingham, Alabama and following Sunday's rainfall that brought the race to a pause, they managed to continue Monday afternoon with 22 laps to go.

Speaking of 22 laps to go, Team Penske's ace in the hole, Josef Newgarden is taking the lead while Zachary Claman de Melo and Spencer Pigot got caught in a mess at turn 8 and Robert Wickens' overtaking surprise at turn 5. With drizzle occurred at the last 22 minutes, drivers switched themselves to wet tires while some are confused to get back on track.

Pit after pit, and with weather conditions gone crazy, the battle for the top spot is everybody's game for Newgarden and Sebastien Bourdais themselves and in the end, last year's champion dominated the Honda Grand Prix of Alabama while Ryan Hunter-Reay placed 2nd and James Hinchcliffe placed 3rd.

Onto the overall standings, Newgarden dominates with 158 points, 13 points ahead of Alexander Rossi, 39 points ahead of Bourdais.

Highlights: https://www.indycar.com/Videos/2018/04/04-23-Barber-race-completion-highlights

Next race is at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on the 12th of May.

THREATS FROM NORTH KOREA: Inter-Korean summit preparatory committee to hold a rehearsal session

The Cheong Wa Dae said they will hold rehearsal session at the summit venue in Panmunjom on Tuesday, ahead of this Friday's Inter-Korean summit, a meeting between South Korean leader Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong-in.

Officials, including the presidential press secretary and representatives from the Unification Ministry will go through every step of the summit from the two leaders walking in together to the order of the talks.

Also, the summit preparatory committee will operate its situation rooms on the third floor of the Peace House in Panmunjom and another at the Main PRess Center located at the KINTEX exhibition hall in Goyang.

Source: Arirang News

Let's Do The News! (April 24, 2018)

- President Rodrigo Duterte issued a memorandum instructing the DOLE to submit the list of companies allegedly violating labor laws in relation to illegal dismissal cases following certifying a bill boosting the Philippines' security of tenure law.

- Preparations for the 6-month closure of Boracay are all set with the Philippine National Police deployed security amid reports that there will be protests against the said government action. Aside from the PNP, the Armed Forces of the Philippines, the Bureau of Fire Protection, and private security agencies will also be ensuring the safety of Boracay, which will be closed from tourists starting April 26 for rehabilitation.

- Grab Philippines admitted that the latest LTFRB order to stop the implementation of its two perso charge to their passengers may affect their operations.

- So, far no sightings of the 29-year-old suspect behind last weekend's Waffle House shootout in Nashville that killed four people as the manhunt reached its second day. With the suspect still on the loose, Metro Nashville Police searched schools in the area near the restaurant in the Tennessee city’s Antioch neighbourhood. Schools planned to open with extra security, police said, with a “lockout” barring all visitors in effect.

- Prince William and Kate Middleton, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, welcomed the birth of their third child at St. Mary's Hospital.

- GM Korea Company managed to avoid bankruptcy with a deal between it and their labor union. Under the agreement, the union accepted the company’s request to freeze base wages and skip bonuses for the year as well as cut down on benefits, with any future base wage increases and performance pay to be dependent upon GM Korea regaining profitability. The tentative deal is still subject to a vote by union members later this week.

- Audi teases their upcoming Q8 crossover.



- ICYMI: Jet Li and Gong Li are reportedly joining the cast of the live-action Mulan film.

- Actress Sophia Lillis is set to play Nancy Drew in the film "Nancy Drew and the Hidden Staircase".

- The Pastel Palettes from Bang Dream! are getting their spin-off anime series titled Pastel Life.

- The second addition of WithFans' Love Live! Sunshine figure range, You Watanabe, modeled after the one from the Blu-Ray cover, has unveiled and it's available to order starting at 13,704 Yen plus tax and delivery. Arriving February 2019.



TTFN!!!

DOTGA: Da One That Ghost Away

For the month of April, Star Cinema offered us a hilarious horror-comedy that is so scary and funny at the same time, it kinda reminded us of all the horror comedy films we are familiar with in the past. So, what is Da One That Ghost Away?

DOTGA: Da One That Ghost Away

Featuring an eclectic cast such as Kim Chiu, comedian Ryan Bang, Ang Probinsyano alum Pepe Herrera, Marissa Delgado, Odette Khan, Matet De Leon, Chokolet, Enzo Pineda, Cai Cortez, Lassy Marquez, Moi Bien, PBB Grand Winner Maymay Entrata, Edward Barber, and comedienne and TV presenter Melai Cantiveros, DOTGA is a horror-comedy that is both scary and funny at the same time, good enough for the whole family to watch in the middle of the scorching hot summer days.

In this film, Kim Chiu plays as a phony paranormal expert who teams up with her best friend, played by Bang, and others for their ghost-hunting misfit to save her grandmother's house from evil spirits. Turns out, there's a lot more mess to run into rather than ghost-hunting her grandma's house.

As you saw from the look of the eclectic cast of characters, there's a quick blend of terror, humor, tearjerkers, and silliness in store of this film and although it couldn't escape its corniness this film possess, this film reminded us of all of the horror-comedy films we watched from the past such as D'Anothers, Bulong, and those other ones I couldn't think of but you get the point.

Corny and silly aside, this film is not half bad to enjoy and there's going to be a lot of conversation after watching this film because while this film is downright rowdy, it's decent and fun for everyone who want to beat the summer heat by going to the movies and this is how this movie rolls.

My rating: 3.3 out of 5.

THREATS FROM NORTH KOREA: Trump leads on North Korea as G7 ministers meet

According to sources, US President Donald Trump is leading international efforts to persuade North Korea to give up its nuclear weapons.

US ambassador to Canada Kelly Craft offered that assessment as foreign ministers from the G7 group of industrialized nations began meetings in Toronto to discuss global peace and security challenges, with the North Korean nuclear crisis and tensions with Russia taking center stage.

“President Trump is really carrying the water on the North Korea issue. It’s something we’ve also been working closely with Canada on,” Craft said in a statement.

North Korea has pledged to suspend long-range missile tests and close its nuclear test site ahead of a meeting between North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and South Korean President Moon Jae In.

Trump is also working on his own landmark meeting with the North Korean leader in the coming weeks, after dispatching CIA Director Mike Pompeo on a secret mission to meet with Kim two weeks ago to set the table. No date has been set, and there is uncertainty about what Trump might be able to accomplish.

Trump has nominated Pompeo to be US secretary of state but Pompeo isn’t in Toronto as his confirmation faces opposition in the Senate. Deputy Secretary of State John Sullivan is representing the US instead.

The foreign ministers meeting precedes a June summit in Canada of leaders of the G7 countries — the United States, Britain, Canada, Germany, France, Italy and Japan.

Source: Associated Press

Let's Do The News! (April 23, 2018)

- The Philippine National Police is seeking help on President Rodrigo Duterte on cases involving high-value targets allowed to post bail despite yielding kilos of shabu in drug busts. Based on the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002, a mere possession of 10 grams of shabu is already a nonbailable offense but in the case of Li Hong Peng, he was once collared for possessing 20 kilograms of shabu but later monitored to have been walking out of his detention cell.

- Kuwaiti authorities arrested two Filipinos for allegedly convincing housemaids to run away from their employers' homes as the Philippines’ ambassador faced questions for comments about his embassy’s work in aiding abused workers, authorities said Sunday. This comes as relations are tense between Kuwait and the Philippines, which sends many domestic laborers to the Gulf Arab emirate.

- The International Monetary Fund will systematically address corruption and its impact on economic growth with all its member countries under new guidelines launched on Sunday.

- Failed presidential candidate Hillary Clinton became the target of the Republican Party's midterm plan. With control of Congress up for grabs this fall, the GOP’s most powerful players are preparing to spend big on plans to feature Clinton as a central villain in attack ads against vulnerable Democrats nationwide. The strategy, which already has popped up in races in Pennsylvania, Indiana and North Dakota, illustrates the resilience and political potency of Republican voters’ antipathy for Clinton. As difficult as it’s been for Democrats to move past the Clinton era, it may be even harder for Republicans.

- Prince Harry will attend Monday's memorial marking the 25th anniversary of the racist murder of black teenager Stephen Lawrence in a killing that triggered far-reaching changes to British attitudes and policing.

- Nabi Tajima, the world's oldest person, passed away at the age of 117. Born on August 4, 1900, she was the last living person born on the 19th century. Tajima claimed the distinction in September when fellow 117-year-old Violet Brown died in Jamaica.

- Strong rainfall prompted today's Honda Indy Grand Prix of Alabama to postpone for tomorrow while in a middle of a race.

- The 991.2-spec Porsche 911 GT3 RS lapped the Nurburgring Nordschleife at 6:56.4, the third fastest car to lap round the legendary track.

- Honda teases their upcoming N VAN kei van coming this summer.

Honda N VAN teaser

- Volkswagen unveiled the I.D. R Pikes Peak machine, which is powered by that provide a total system output of 680 PS (500 kW) and 650 Nm of torque while the machine weighs 1,100kg, delivering a 0-100kph time of 2.25 seconds, faster than a Formula 1 car. Romain Dumas will be driving this car in the upcoming Pikes Peak Hill Climb.

Volkswagen I.D. R Pikes Peak

- Taron Egerton is set to play as Sir Elton John in the biopic titled Rocketman.

- ABS-CBN Chairman Gabby Lopez has stepped down from his post and his cousin, Mark Lopez, is named his replacement.

- Last night's Rated K episode featuring James Yap has drawn criticism from Kris Aquino.

TTFN!!!