Thursday, January 12, 2017

THREATS FROM NORTH KOREA: Fourth hearing on the President Park impeachment case



The fourth hearing of the impeachment case of South Korean president Park Geun-hye held earlier today.

Former president as well as a current reporter of a local daily Segye Ilbo, both testified about how the daily were able to obtain documents that detailed the ties between Chung Yoon-hoi, the ex-husband of Choi Soon-sil, and senior presidential officials that led it to run an exclusive report in late 2014.

The daily said it was subject to tax audits and search and seizure raids after the report was published and that the Park administration had ordered the actions.

Meanwhile, a former member of a special investigative team that looked into the Sewol tragedy said based on his ten-year experience working for the presidential office of Cheong Wa Dae, the top office can promptly deliver emergency situations to the president's secretaries.

Source: Arirang News

Let's Do The News! (January 12, 2017)


- Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has arrived in Manila for a two-day official visit in the Philippines. Abe landed at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 3 around 2:50 PM local time aboard a Japanese Air Force plane from Tokyo. For his visit, Abe is expected to renew Japan ties with the country by meeting with President Rodrigo Duterte and business groups in Manila and Davao City.

- China has reassured its commitment to the peaceful resolution of the region but stressed its "indisputable sovereignty over the Spratly Islands and their adjacent waters," part of which Manila claims and calls the West Philippine Sea. The State Council Information Office's policy paper released to media said that "has always been committed to resolving disputes peacefully through negotiation and consultation, managing disputes by setting rules and establishing mechanisms, realizing mutually beneficial outcomes through cooperation for mutual benefit, and upholding peace and stability as well as freedom of navigation and overflight in the South China Sea."

- ExxonMobil CEO and US President-elect Donald Trump's pick for Secretary-of-state, Rex Tillerson,  wants aggressive stance against China's island-building activities in the South China Sea. In his confirmation hearing, Tillerson likened China's activities in the South China Sea to Russia's annexation of Crimea.

- US President-elect Donald Trump held his first press conference since July 2015 at the Trump Tower, stressing his administration's mission to correct trade imbalances with other countries and put priority on national interests. He called the country's trade deals a disaster, praised companies, cooperate with Russia, and blaming Democrats. He, as always, denies the recent reports about his sexual activity during his Russian visit. Moments ago, reports told that the Russians have embarrassing personal and financial information about Trump. The media reports say the document in question contains a claim that Russian operatives may have obtained information about Trump.

- US authorities have charged two relatives of former UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon with attempted bribery. Judicial officials in New York said that they inducted an executive of a South Korean construction firm and his son, a real estate dealer based in New York. The executive is Ban's younger brother. The two are suspected of trying offer 2.5 million dollars to a Middle Eastern official as part of their effort to sell a high-rise building in Vietnam to a Middle Eastern investment funds for 800 million dollars.

- A Japanese broadcaster found an unreleased audio tape of an interview with the late novelist Yukio Mishima. The interview was apparently recorded in February 1970, nine months before the novelist committed ritual suicide in a Self-Defense Force building in Tokyo. He was 45.

- Jaguar's F-Type range has been given a minor change for the 2018 model year, featuring a revised design, new infotainment system, and the world's first ReRun app that combines vehicle data with GoPro video to enhance the driving experience. A special edition 400 SPORT was announced, equipped with a 400PS 3.0L supercharged V6 engine and special extras.

2018 Jaguar F-Type

- The second addition to Phat!'s THE IDOLM@STER Cinderella Girls anime DVD and Blu-ray cover figure range, Kirari Moroboshi and Anzu Futaba, has arrived. Two girls, one figure. What more can you expect? It's now available to order starting at 17,800 Yen plus tax and deliveries will commence this July.

Phat! THE IDOLM@STER Cinderella Girls
Kirari Moroboshi and Anzu Futaba

- Bailey May will portray the role of Daniel Padilla in an upcoming episode of ABS-CBN's Maalaala Mo Kaya.

TTFN!!!

Third-Generation Toyota Vitz (2017 minor change) and Vitz Hybrid

2017 Toyota Vitz

So, the current-generation Toyota Vitz has been around since December 2010 and while the sharper looks captures most baby boomers and millennials alike, its driving can be somewhat "regular". It's been on the block for about seven years and for the second time, the third-generation Vitz has been given a minor change for the 2017 model year.

2017 Toyota Vitz
2017 Toyota Vitz interior

For the 2017 minor change, the Vitz now features a brand new exterior design that keeps it edgier than the previous facelift. First, there's a new, sleeker, front nose that makes it very sleek for a compact hatchback made for baby boomers and millennials alike, and then the rear view has been drastically altered to resemble more of its big brother, the Auris. Although not much has changed on the interior, the lineup is what gets you noticed. You still have a choice of either a 1.0L or a 1.3L 1NR-FKE engine mated with a Super CVT-i gearbox but there's bad news for speedo boys in the world; the RS variant has been sadly deleted from the lineup, which is very disappointing for the speedo boys despite hearing the news that the Vitz will be ready for the World Rally Championship for the first time after 18 years. Sure is sad to see the hotter Vitz go away for the 2017 model year but there's one major addition in the 2017 Vitz range that will get you noticed also and let's cut to the chase; there's a hybrid variant.

You heard it right. There's now a hybrid variant on the Vitz and while it can be questionable to sell it alongside its relative, the Aqua, because both of them are hybrid compacts, it's undeniable proof that no car in Japan is safe from being turned into a hybrid. That's political climate for you. Anyway, the hybrid variant features a 1.5L 1NZ-FXE engine connected to an electric motor and a nickel metal battery, which Toyota keeps on using it on their hybrids rather than the Li-ion batteries most carmakers are using right now. Taking advantage of the THS II and the CVT mated on it, the Vitz Hybrid produces a total power output of 100PS and fuel efficiency of 34.4km/L. In general, that's about 2.6km/L less than the Aqua relative.

Although it isn't as enjoyable as the Vitz you are familiar with seven years ago, its compact sizing makes it good for a daily driver for work and play. The 4.5m turning radius makes it easier to park and easier to get in and out in the narrowest of situations. As for safety, the Vitz offers the Toyota Safety Sense C, comprising of Pre-Collision System, Lane Departure Alert, and the Automatic High Beam function.

2017 Toyota Vitz
The Vitz Hybrid starts at 1,819,800 Japanese Yen while the regular Vitz lineup starts at 1,181,520 Yen. Needless to say, while the new exterior design is a major improvement for the aging third-generation Vitz, the fun factor as a compact is already gone and in return, it's still a regular compact with regular tastes that is somewhat too normal for its own kind and with the addition of the hybrid variant, resistance is futile because as Japan keeps on selling more and more hybrids, the definition of "fun" will soon be wiped out from their vocabulary and who can blame them?

Photo: Toyota Motor Corporation

Emperor Akihito announces his abdication at the start of 2019


Japanese Emperor Akihito is set to be abdicated an allow his eldest son to take over his throne at the start of the year 2019, according to reports.

Akihito, aged 83, who succeed from his father Hirohito, who passed away in 1989, hinted last summer that he wants to retire, as his ailing health conditions made him difficult to take his duties.

The Japanese government is making preparations for the nation's first abdication for two centuries as the possibility of the Crown Prince Naruhito taking over is very likely, according to reports. 

The last abdication took place in 1817 when Kokaku announced his abdication and let his son Ninku take over his throne.

Wednesday, January 11, 2017

Extra Service

ABS-CBN's Star Cinema starts the year 2017 with a bang as the first offering of the year is a hilarious spy flick featuring the hottest celebs in showbiz as Extra Service locks their crosshairs to the cinemagoers and shoot them with their blend of wit, humor, and hotness this action-comedy flick can offer.

Extra Service

Extra Service is about three women named Aw (Arci Munoz), Em (Coleen Garcia) and Gee (Jessy Mendiola) as they're starting their new lives as your basic masseurs but behind their daily lives as masseurs, they're a trio of spies who are on a mission to reclaim a valuable treasure in exchange for their freedom. Sure is a challenging attempt for the ladies but how hard can it be?

In addition to the actresses starred in this flick, we can expect other celebs like Enzo Pineda, Ejay Falcon, Vin Abrenica, and Carmi Martin, among many others.

As a comedy flick, this movie fails to gut the viewers with their own brand of jokes because some say, it's a bit bland and very corny to laugh on their misfits. As a action flick, meanwhile, it doesn't pack some thrills until it hits the right spot where things starting to unfold to deliver the "extra service" this film deserves. So, it's not quite funny nor thrilling as any other action comedies had but what does this film loaded with is the sex appeal and seeing the stars dishing out their brand of hotness really wants to get your butt kicked by this film, get choked to unconsciousness, or get your bones break, whichever this film throws at you.

Extra Service may not be funny or thrilling but the sexual sensation of this film really stimulates your senses into beating yourself up right through the very end of this flick.

My rating: 2.6 out of 5

THE IDOLM@STER LIVE THE@TER FORWARD 02 BlueMoon Harmony

THE IDOLM@STER LIVE THE@TER FORWARD 02
BlueMoon Harmony

The second installment of THE IDOLM@STER LIVE THE@TER FORWARD trilogy of CDs now highlights on the BlueMoon Harmony gals of the 765 MILLION STARS from THE IDOLM@STER Million Live mobile game.

For this installment, fans got their ears on the next batch of their favorite Million Live idols such as Reika Kitakami (CV: Emi Hirayama), Karen Shinomiya (CV: Yui Kondou), Julia (CV: Aimi), Sayoko Takayama (CV: Yuri Komagata), Tomoka Tenkubashi (CV: Kotori Koiwai), Megumi Tokoro (CV: Yukiyo Fujii), Subaru Nagayoshi (CV: Yuka Saito), Yuriko Nanao (CV: Miku Ito), Chizuru Nikaido (CV: Kanako Nomura), Ayumu Maihama (CV: Megumi Toda), Mizuki Makabe (CV: Rika Abe), and Shizuka Mogami (CV: Azusa Tadokoro). In here, fans are greeted with five brand new songs and six brand new audio drama parts focusing on BlueMoon Harmony team and its sub-units Sagittarius, Pisces, Virgo, and Aquarius. Need to expect more?

Be sure to pick up the Sunshine Rhythm installment of the LIVE THE@TER FORWARD trilogy CDs and brace yourselves for the upcoming Starlight Melody installment, coming this February. There are more reasons why you should come back for more at THE IDOLM@STER Million Live.

TRACK LISTINGS:
01 ドラマ1「開演のご挨拶」
02 Raise the FLAG
03 ドラマ2「MC01~その頃舞台裏では」
04 P.S I Love You
05 ドラマ3「MC02~その頃舞台裏では」
06 プリムラ
07 ドラマ4「MC03~その頃舞台裏では」
08 待ちぼうけのLacrima
09 ドラマ5「MC04~その頃舞台裏では」
10 brave HARMONY
11 ドラマ6「終演後~その頃舞台裏では」

Let's Do The News! (January 11, 2017)


- President Rodrigo Duterte sworn in over 200 appointees to various government posts, stressing his fight against corruption. It was the first speech he made after his weeklong hiatus and the President reminded the new officials to cooperate and render the kind of service Filipinos deserve.

- Secretary Gina Lopez and three other officials of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources are facing criminal and administrative charges from a consumer group over an allegedly anomalous purchase of air quality monitoring equipment. In a nine-page complaint filed yesterday, the United Filipino Consumers and Commuters accused Lopez of inaction for not launching any investigation on what it called an anomalous purchase of equipment by the DENR's Environmental Management Bureau-Air Quality Monitoring System.

- President Duterte sent an official invitation to US President-Elect Donald Trump for the ASEAN summit to be held in the Philippines in November, President Communications Office Secretary Martin Andanar said Trump hasn't confirmed his visit to the Philippines for the summit.

- Filipino netizens draw flak against the proposed imposition of a 10-to-30 percent excise tax on cosmetic products and beauty services as an alternative to imposing additional tax on fuel products. A certain partylist representative proposed the "vanity tax" that will also be imposed on services such as liposuction, facelift, nose job, and breast augmentation and it would be better to impose it on those who want to look good, which, he said is a luxury.

- US President Barack Obama delivered his final and emotional speech of the nation in Chicago, Illinois before next week's inauguration of Donald Trump. Obama urged all Americans to stand up for US values and reject discrimination as the country transitions to the presidency of Republican Donald Trump. Obama plans to stay in Washington for the next two years while his younger daughter, Sasha, finishes high school. The president wants to give Trump the same space that his predecessor, Republican President George W. Bush, gave Obama after leaving office by not maintaining a high profile.

- Iran's political leadership has bid farewell to former president Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani at his state funeral in Tehran. Attendants at the funeral on Tuesday included supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and President Hassan Rouhani.

- A US jury recommended the death penalty of a white male charged with killing nine black people at a church in South Carolina last June. Dylann Roof faces 33 charges, including hate crimes, over the shootings in Charleston. Last month, the same jury convicted him of all the charges. They jury gave the verdict after deliberations on Tuesday on whether to sentence the man to death or not.

- FIFA says the 2026 World Cup will have 48 teams, 16 more than at present. The council unanimously approved the expansion in a meeting in Zurich on Tuesday. This is the first time in 28 years the World Cup finals will be expanded. The 2018 World Cup will take place in Russia in the summer of 2018.

- A new trailer for the upcoming Disney-Pixar's Cars 3 has arrived and looks like Lightning McQueen's not giving up without a fight, especially he has a fierce opposition against a more modern rival, Jackson Storm. With the help of his new trainer, Cruz Ramirez, can Lightning McQueen strike back in the race? Find out this Summer 2017.



- 2017 marks the 10th anniversary of everyone's favorite virtual idol, Hatsune Miku, and something big is happening to celebrate the occasion.

TTFN!!!

Stars of the 2017 NAIAS

2018 Chevrolet Traverse

The 2017 North American International Auto Show, going on now until the 22nd of January, 2017, will be the show's last outing before the incoming Trump administration that will dramatically shift the automotive sector in the United States. Thanks to the sudden rise of the controversial US President-elect Donald Trump and his tortured metaphors that changed the world for the next four years, it's assuming that car companies will go big (or go home) in the United States. during his term.

Ford, for instance, say that they will cancel building a new plant in Mexico, which Mr. Trump strongly opposes, and instead invest in building electric vehicles at their Flat Rock Assembly Plant. In addition of announcing that they will build hybrid versions of the Mustang and F-150, they also announce the return of the Ranger pick-up and the Bronco SUV in 2020. FCA, meanwhile, they would invest a billion dollars in manufacturing plants in Ohio and Michigan for new SUVs. Then Japanese car companies are planning big on the US car market. Honda launched a US-made minivan with the company's first 10-speed gearbox while Toyota launched a new-generation midsize saloon and promised over ten billion dollars to be invested in the US market in the next five years.

Anyway, while this is all in the name of Trump's "Make America Great Again" campaign, let's take a look on the stars of this year's show before giving way to the administration that we're in for a rollercoaster ride...

2017 Audi A5 Convertible
2017 Audi S5 Convertible
2018 Audi SQ5
2017 BMW 5-Series
2018 Chevrolet Traverse
2018 Ford F-150 Minor Change
2018 GMC Terrain
2018 Lexus LS
2018 Mercedes-AMG GT Minor Change
2018 Mercedes-Benz E-Class Coupe
2018 Mercedes-Benz GLA-Class Minor Change
2018 VW Tiguan Allspace
2017 Audi Q8 Concept
2017 Infiniti QX50 Concept
2018 Porsche 911 GTS
2017 Rinspeed Oasis Concept
2017 Nissan Vmotion 2.0 Concept
2017 VW ID Buzz concept

...and more.

URL: http://www.carscoops.com/2016/12/2017-detroit-auto-shows-z-debut-guide.html

Tuesday, January 10, 2017

Citroen C-Elysee (2017 minor change)

Back when Citroen decided to sell the C-Elysee compact saloon in Europe following its success in developing markets, including the People's Republic of China, the French car company wanted to make sure that their most affordable four-door saloon tries to cut off against the likes of other low budget saloons in Europe such as the Skoda Rapid, Seat Toledo, or even the Fiat Tipo. Sadly, its regular looks never seem to please motorists as well as its regular driving characteristics. Now, Citroen revised the low-cost saloon for the 2017 model year to cope up with its regularity.

2017 Citroen C-Elysee
2017 Citroen C-Elysee interior

No time to talk because let's see what the recent minor change has done to the low-cost Citroen C-Elysee saloon and how can this new model can keep up with its "regular" characteristics as expected for first-time buyers. First up, the exterior has been revised with the new, broader radiator grill and chrome-plated chevrons that works well with the new headlamps as well as the new LED lighting strip on top of the fog lamps while the rear view has been mildly revised.

The interior has been revised and now features a new 7-inch touchscreen interface with smartphone connectivity that makes full use of its newly found Apple Carplay, MirrorLink, and Android Auto compatibility so your smartphone can feel connected with the new C-Elysee. That all sounds lovely to toy around with but in terms of comfort, it still remains the same as well as its 506-litre boot space for your recent garage sale stuff.

As always, the C-Elysee is still powered by a choice of either a 1.2L petrol engine producing 82PS of power and 1.6L BlueHDi diesel engine producing 100PS of power, both mated to a five-speed manual gearbox.

The new C-Elysee starts at 13,750 Euros, about three hundred more than the previous model but it's still on the same price bracket as the Skoda Rapid, Seat Toledo, or even the Fiat Tipo. It maybe vale for money but you have to be wise enough not to mess this low-cost saloon from the ground up.

Photo: PSA Peugeot Citroen

THREATS FROM NORTH KOREA: Third hearing on the President Park impeachment case



The third hearing of the impeachment case of South Korean president Park Geun-hye is underway. The justices of the Constitutional Court have told the president's lawyers that the document they submitted on her whereabouts and activities on the day of the ferry disaster in April 2014 isn't enough.

The court said they need more evidence and also requested her lawyers submit phone records between President Park and security officers that briefed her or received her orders on the day of the ferry sinking.

Meanwhile, Choi Soon-sil, along with President Park's aides An Chong-bum and Jeong Ho-seong, all informed the Constitutional Court that they will not attend the hearing, saying they have to prepare for their criminal trials.

Source: Arirang News

Let's Do The News! (January 10, 2017)


- A denial of service attack has kept the website of the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines offline since Monday night. "We do not know by whom but this we can say – whoever are responsible for this attack are enemies of press freedom and of free expression," the group said in a statement on its Facebook page. The mainstream media by some supporters of President Rodrigo Duterte for being biased against him and his administration and this is not the first time that journalists and journalists' groups have been hit online.

- According to Presidential Communications Secretary Martin Andanar, Vice President Leni Robredo is not involved in an e-mail group allegedly planning to oust President Rodrigo Duterte. Over the weekend, archives of supposed e-mails in a Global Filipino Diaspora Council Yahoo! Group between group members and supposed members of the Office of the Vice President circulated on social media. The supposed emails have been dubbed "LeniLeaks". Robredo denies everything, of course.

- The image of the Black Nazarene was returned to the minor basilica known as Quiapo Church, around 0345 hours local time after a 22-hour procession around Manila. The procession known locally as "traslacion" of the image pulled on a carriage left the Quirino Grandstand at 0520 hours on Monday, the start of the annual crowded Roman Catholic celebration.

- People in Nigeria have marched the 1,000th day since Boko Haram Islamic extremists abducted hundreds of schoolgirls. In April 2014, the extremist group took over 200 girls from their school in the western African nation, threatening to traffic them as slaves.

- A US Navy destroyer has fired warning shots at Iranian military boats at the entrance to the Persian Gulf. Officials at the US Defense Department say that 4 boats from the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps approached the USS Mahan at high speed on Sunday. Pentagon officials say that the Iranian ships ignored US radio warnings and came within about 800m of the US ship.

- Two aging nuclear reactors near New York City will be shut down by the next four years. The state of New York and Entergy, the operator of the reactors have agreed to take the two operating reactors at Indian Point nuclear power plant offline. The reactors were first licensed for operation in the mid-70's. The two reactors combined can produce over 2,000 megawatts of electricity.

- Russia condemned the recent US intel report which concludes that President Vladimir Putin ordered cyber-attacks to help Donald Trump win the US presidential election. Last week, the US Office of the Director of National Intelligence concluded that Putin ordered cyber-attacks against computers used by Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton's team.

- The Federal Bureau of Investigation reported arrested an executive of Volkswagen on charges of conspiracy to defraud US regulators by altering emissions data. Reports told of the arrest of Oliver Schmidt, who headed the automaker's regulatory compliance in the US from 2014 to March 2015.

- In addition to US President-elect Donald Trump drawn flak by Meryl Streep's Golden Globe awards speech (and countered it via one of his infamous tweets), the mixed martial arts community got offended from her speech as well. Bellator MMA president Scott Coker wrote her an open letter inviting her to attend a fight to prove that MMA is art, as Streep opposed aside from American football as said from her speech.

- A new Biohazard/Resident Evil stage play will be running at Tokyo's Zepp Blue Theater Roppongi from the 10th to the 26th of February, and in Kobe's Shin Kobe Oriental Theater from the 4th to the 5th of March. Ryusei Yokohama, Yuki Fukumoto, Reo Shimura, and many others will star in the original stage play based from the hit survival horror franchise.

TTFN!!!

Forza Horizon 3: Saint's Row


Cue the Legendary Tribe Music because it's time for another barn find rumor! And this month's barn find rumor is located somewhere beyond Yarra Valley. Some say that the barn find in question was famous for being a car of choice of a certain smart aleck detective and played by a certain someone who landed in this role before he became the agent we all know and love.

Without further ado, let's get this treasure-hunting started!



And now, the moment of truth...

1800

Let's see...Hmmm...A car famed for being the choice of a certain detective from a classic TV show. No way! It's a Volvo 1800! This is the car of choice for Simon Templar, the smart alecky detective and the star of The Saint. It's the TV show Roger Moore starred in before he became 007 number three. Just imagine, living like The Saint is like you're on the move, stopping criminals with his brand of honesty and wise-cracking ideas, something you'd expect from binge-watching some detective shows.

Seen here is the 1800E and this Volvo comes with a B20E engine with fuel injection producing 130HP of power, resulting to a 0-100kph time of 9.5 seconds and a top speed of 190kph. Not as quick by modern standards but it is still a good car to drive. Picturing myself as The Saint driving this Volvo while gunning down against members of a drug cartel in their Jeeps, Broncos, and Scouts in a middle of a wilderness is something they should have done in the first place. In fact, I did trying to live the fantasy of The Saint giving chase to the notorious drug syndicate operating in Australia, just to give you a hint on its star power that Roger Moore propelled it in the TV show. Let's cue The Saint theme song and let's get cracking.



And they said The Saint got them red-handed. Case closed but not for me because there are still more barn finds waiting to be discovered within a couple of months so the case is still on for The Saint.