Let's Do The News! (April 28, 2025)

                                       

                                        

Your daily round-up of today's news...

- Tensions between the Philippines and China have reignited following reports of China's flag-planting in the disputed Sandy Cay reef. The Philippine Navy denies China's claim that it has occupied Sandy Cay in the South China Sea.

- The NBI may prepare a case against alleged Chinese interference in the Philippine elections scheduled for May 12, according to the NSC.

- House Ways and Means Committee Chairman and Albay 2nd District Rep. Joey Sarte Salceda is hopeful that the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology or PHIVOLCS Modernization Act will be an effective protection for the Philippines against volcanic eruptions and eruptions. According to Salceda, the new law will be a great help in our preparation against the 24 active volcanoes and 100 seismic faults in the Philippines.

- Residents around Kanlaon Volcano, Office of Civil Defense (OCD), prepare for the possibility of raising Alert Level 4.

- A magnitude 5.5 quake hits Cagayan.

- Suspect in the car plowing into a Filipino street party in Vancouver, Canada, that killed 11 people, has a history of mental health problems, authorities say.

- Slate Auto has revealed its low-cost EV truck.

- The BMW M2 Racing was unveiled, commencing its new one-make race series this 2026.

2026 BMW M2 Racing

- Tigst Assefa set a new London Marathon record win in the women's division. Sabastian Sawe won the men's division in his major marathon debut.

TTFN.

2025 NASCAR Cup Series - Jack Link's 500

After a long Easter break, the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series returns to Talladega Superspeedway for the Jack Link's 500. Drivers are going all-out in this oval behemoth by all means.

As the green flag waved, the action in Dega is on. The first stage saw an incident at the entrance to the pit road with Ryan Blaney and Brad Keselowski badly affected, followed by a collision between Christopher Bell and Chris Buescher. With Kyle Larson winning Stage 1, Stage 2 goes to Bubba Wallace. The climax is long story short.

Screengrab from NASCAR

Finishing with a close-shave margin against the #60, Austin Cindric wins the Jack Link's 500 of the NASCAR Cup Series! Moments after the finish, Ryan Preece and Joey Logano got disqualified following post-race inspection due to spoiler infractions. Kyle Larson is promoted to 2nd and William Byron to 3rd.

The next race is at Texas Motor Speedway for the Würth 400 presented by LIQUI MOLY this May 4th.

DTM 2025: Oschersleben

Reviving the DTM for the next four decades, one of Europe’s legendary motorsport series has undergone a makeover. Even with the new DTM logo, the thrilling action remains unchanged. For the 2025 season, the DTM welcomes back Aston Martin and Ford with the Vantage GT3 EVO and the Mustang GT3 race cars. 

With the world’s best drivers and top GT3 machines coming together, the refreshed DTM kicks off at Oschersleben, the first stop of the 2025 season.

Screengrab from DTM

In the season opener, Lucas Auer, driving for the Mercedes-AMG Team Landgraf, claimed victory by beating Jordan Pepper, the underrated driver from TGI Team Lamborghini, as they headed to victory lane. Maro Engel from Team Winward Racing secured a third-place finish. Later in the weekend, two lesser-known drivers made an impressive impact; Ayhancan Guven of Manthey EMA achieved a narrow victory over Jules Gounon from Team Mann-Filter. Thomas Preining, also driving for Manthey EMA, completed the podium with a third-place finish.

The next race is at Lausitzring this May 22-25, 2025.

WRC 2025: Rally Islas Canarias

The legendary Rally Islas Canarias made a comeback in the 2025 World Rally Championship as the new breed of WRC drivers are going all-out in this new take on the legendary rally event spanning the Canary Islands.

Screengrab from WRC

Surviving through Canaria's technical asphalt roads and sweeping mountain passes, Kalle Rovanpera survived his way to victory at a rate of 53.5 seconds over fellow Toyota Gazoo Racing driver Sebastien Ogier. Elfyn Evans completes the podium with 23.6 seconds behind Ogier.

After Canaria, Elfyn Evans is in the lead with 109 points, while Rovanpera is in 2nd place with 66 points, and Hyundai driver Thierry Neuville, following his messy campaign, is in third with 59 points.

The next race is the WRC Vodafone Rally de Portugal this May 15-18, 2025.

THREATS FROM NORTH KOREA: South Korea Announces 5-Year Plan to Boost Animation Industry

 

The South Korean Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism (MCST) announced the "2025–2030 Basic Plan for Animation Industry Promotion" on April 24, presided over by Acting President and Prime Minister Duck-soo Han.

The new plan is a long-term strategy aimed at developing animation into a high-value industry. Key initiatives include expanding industry investment, diversifying content distribution, cultivating specialized talent, and supporting overseas expansion.

To revitalize the industry, the government will establish a 20 billion won (about US$15 million) animation-focused fund this year, aiming to expand it to 150 billion won (about US$106 million) by 2029. To attract international co-productions, incentives such as partial reimbursement of domestic production costs will also be introduced.

In response to media trends, the plan emphasizes broader IP utilization. Support for producing content targeted at young adults, as well as projects optimized for streaming platforms and short-form content, will be expanded. The government will also encourage cross-adaptations with webtoons and web novels.

The government also plans to support AI-based video content production and distribution, build Korean-specific AI training data, and establish related technologies.

Education programs will also be enhanced. As demand grows for webtoon and web novel adaptations, new training programs for planning producers and professional scriptwriters will be introduced, alongside AI-based video content courses in partnership with universities and affiliated institutions.

Through this plan, the government aims to grow the animation industry's domestic market size from 1.1 trillion (about US$780 million) in 2023 to 1.9 trillion won (about US$1.35 billion) by 2030 and expand the workforce from 6,417 to 9,000 employees.

Source: Anime News Network 

Guinness Women's Six Nations 2025 SUMMARY

The 2025 Guinness Women's Six Nations season promises to deliver the same excitement as in previous years. Throughout five rounds, six of Europe's top rugby teams from the UK, Italy, and France will compete fiercely for the title, with only one team ultimately being crowned champion. For the defending champions, England Rugby, the path is smooth sailing.

Screengrab from Six Nations

The England Rugby team made their statement throughout the 2025 W6N season. They've swept the entire season to nick their 11th Grand Slam title and their 13th Six Nations championship title. Their victory shows there's no stopping W6N's most powerful team.

Congratulations to the England Rugby team for winning the 2025 Guinness Women's Six Nations!

Doctor Who S2E3 Episode Review

The Doctor and Belinda continue their journey in the third episode of Doctor Who Season 2, where they face hell... in The Well. Yes, there's hell in the well.

Doctor Who S2E3

HOLD IT! Before my quick review, ensure you have already watched the episode. Then, come back here when you have.