Sunday, January 13, 2019

ABB FIA Formula E S5: Marrakesh ePrix

The ABB FIA Formula E Championship really rings in the new year with a chaotic race held at the streets of Marrakesh, Morocco, and why the race became chaotic for the drivers? Here's how it sums up...


The chaotic Marrakesh ePrix sums up in numerous moments; there was last season's winner Jean-Eric Vergne got spun in the first corner, and then, the two BMW drivers, Sims and Da Costa, got involved in the collision where Sims pushed Da Costa to the wall. What a mess this race is but despite the messy Marrakesh race, only the strong and defiant managed to survive the ruckus.

There was this race's winner Jerome D'Ambrosio of Mahindra, who started 10th and won the race, Robin Frijns of Envision Virgin, who made an aggressive drive from 8th to 2nd, and Sam Bird of Envision Virgin, placing 3rd.


Next race is on Santiago, Chile, on the 26th of January, 2019.

Saturday, January 12, 2019

#BubbleGang - January 11, 2019

On the January 11, 2019 episode of Bubble Gang...

- Bar gags

- The loud mouth family

Homework


- Uncle Jak returns to solve life's problems

- Alien-terrogation

- The bad influence demon

- Beware of the white lady

- 5 levels of istambay

Istambay Level 1
Istambay Level 2
Istambay Level 3
Istambay Level 4
Istambay Level 5

- Drug segregation

- Pik-pik Bato!

Let's Do The News! (January 12, 2019)



- Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said that they have no plan to employ purely military solution in ending communist insurgency in the country despite the bogging down of the peace talks marked by harsh exchanges between President Rodrigo Duterte and Communist Party of the Philippines founder Jose Maria Sison.

- Hundreds of checkpoints and chokepoints are expected to be set up by the Philippine National Police across the country as part of the election security for the midterm elections in May.

- Solicitor General Jose C. Calida said Saturday the re-opening of the rebellion case against Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV before the Makati City regional trial court does not violate his right against double jeopardy.

- The recent US government shutdown, on its 22nd day, officially becomes the longest in history, eclipsing a 21-day closure that ended Jan. 6, 1996, during President Bill Clinton’s administration.

- According to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, the United and Poland will hold an international meeting on the Middle East that will seek to build pressure on Iran next month. Pompeo made the announcement on a tour of the Middle East aimed at reassuring US allies after President Donald Trump’s shock decision to withdraw all US troops from Syria, which sparked concerns among Arab states and Israel that Iran’s influence could grow.

- French officials said Friday they expect this weekend’s “yellow vest” demonstrations to be bigger and more violent than a week ago, as the protest movement which had shown signs of fatigue gains fresh impetus.

- Lexus to showcase their LC Convertible Concept at next week's NAIAS.

Lexus LC Convertible Concept

- Opel unveiled the new Zafira Life MPV, which is based on the Peugeot Traveller.

2020 Opel Zafira Life

- The last installment of the Fate/stay night Heaven's Feel film trilogy will hit theaters Spring 2020.

- Seiyuu Haruka Tomatsu announces her marriage.

TTFN!!!

Fate/stay night Heaven's Feel II. lost butterfly

Sakura Matou's story in the world of Fate/stay night continues in the second part of the Heaven's Feel film trilogy and what better way for anime otakus to start the new year with a continuing story of the film trilogy based on the Heaven's Feel route of the original Fate/stay night visual novel game.

Fate/stay night
Heaven's Feel II. lost butterfly

The second chapter of the Heaven's Feel trilogy is titled "lost butterfly" and continuing Sakura Matou's story where the first film left off, this latest installment of the trilogy delivers a much darker tone compared to the first film and the appearance of the Assassin servant really adds the dark suspense to this film and for longtime Fate fans since...that, there's so much not to miss about the middle part of Sakura Matou's story.

With all the drama, the suspense, and the thriller in typical Fate fashion, not to mention the added surprises in store, this second installment really is an improvement from the first part of the Heaven's Feel trilogy and with memorable characters in place, this film is going full circle even though this is the middle chapter of this route and as the tense builds, this film shows its true colors and it appeals rather well.

Rating: 3.7 out of 5

Friday, January 11, 2019

THREATS FROM NORTH KOREA: Kim boosted by China talks



North Korean leader Kim Jong Un came away from his fourth meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping with his hand strengthened in nuclear talks with the US, analysts say, even as Seoul urged him to do more.

Beijing is Pyongyang’s sole major ally and key provider of trade and aid, their ties forged in the blood of the Korean War.

The relationship had soured in recent years as China became frustrated with its neighbor’s nuclear antics but warmed dramatically in 2018 as Kim and Xi met three times, each occasion coming shortly before Kim’s summits with US President Donald Trump and the South’s Moon Jae-in.

A second Kim-Trump meeting is expected soon, and the North Korean and Chinese leaders had far deeper security discussions this time in Beijing than in any of their talks last year, pointed out Lim Eul-chul, professor of North Korean studies at Kyungnam University.

Kim and Xi agreed to jointly study and co-ordinate “the management of the situation of the Korean peninsula and the denuclearisation negotiations in particular”, the North’s official KCNA news agency reported.

That will give China a central role in future US-North Korean discussions, Lim told AFP, even if it is not in the room at the time.

“Closer ties between China and North Korea in pursuit of a security alliance will not be welcomed by the US,” Lim told AFP.

“It could be a challenge to Washington to face Pyongyang officials with firm backing from their neighbour.”

The negotiation process has stalled since Kim and Trump’s first high-profile encounter in Singapore, where they signed a vaguely-worded statement on denuclearisation and have since disagreed on what it means.

Pyongyang is demanding the easing of sanctions imposed over its nuclear weapons and ballistic missile programmes, while Washington insists they must remain in place until it gives up its atomic arms — something it has made no public promise to do.

China — which regards northeast Asia as its back yard and is engaged in a range of disputes of its own with the US, including a trade spat that threatens to upset the global economy — also wants the sanctions relaxed.

Xi agreed with the “principled issues” raised by North Korea in talks with the US and that its “reasonable points of concern should be resolved properly”, according to Pyongyang’s official KCNA news agency.

Pyongyang has a long history of playing major powers off against each other, with Kim’s predecessor and grandfather Kim Il Sung adept at winning backing from the then Communist rivals Beijing and Moscow in turn.

“North Korea uses engagement with China to reinforce its leverage with the United States and vice versa,” said former US diplomat and Korea specialist Mintaro Oba.

It could be “annoying” for Pyongyang to have to face Beijing emphasizing its “superiority” in their relationship, he tweeted, but that was “a small price to pay for a strengthened position” in talks with Trump.

Source: AFP

Let's Do The News! (January 11, 2019)



- The Philippines is more inclined to purchase military equipment from Israel and South Korea rather than its longtime traditional ally United States, according to President Rodrigo Duterte.

- President Duterte ordered the military and police to ensure free, peaceful and credible January 21 plebiscite on the Bangsamoro Organic Law as well as May 13 midterm elections.

- 70 young Filipinos are set to attend this year's World Youth Day in Panama from the 22nd to the 27th of January.

- Australia's foreign minister has lauded Thailand for handling a young Saudi woman who fled her family to seek asylum but reminded of a continuing concern about a Bahrainin soccer player granted asylum in Australia who remains in Thai detention.

- US lawmakers, friends of murder journalist Jamal Khashoggi and press freedom groups marked 100 days since the Saudi dissident's assassination. Featuring a portrait of Khashoggi against a backdrop of American flags, the ceremony began with a moment of silence.

- German Chancellor Angela Merkel heaped praise on Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras in a show of post-austerity solidarity during a visit to Athens, lending diplomatic support for a name change for Greece’s neighbor Macedonia.

- An Israel opposition leader slammed Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s public criticism of authorities investigating him on graft allegations, saying such behavior was not “normal”. “In a normal country the prime minister does not attack the justice authorities,” Labour party leader Avi Gabbay told a party convention for the first time since the start of campaigning for April’s general election.

- Toyota will bid the Mark X farewell with a final special edition model; the Mark X GRMN. Limited to 350 units, the final special model will be mated with a 6-speed manual gearbox and will be based on the 3.5L V6 350RDS variant with numerous upgrades in store.

2019 Toyota Mark X GRMN
- Toyota has showcased the GR Supra Super GT concept at the 2019 Tokyo Auto Salon and it's set to race at the Super GT for the 2020 season.

Toyota GR Supra Super GT Concept
- Creatures draws flak from netizens over their controversial visit to the Yasukuni Shrine.

- Maho Yamaguchi of NGT48 apologizes for speaking out after alleged assault.

TTFN!!!

Thursday, January 10, 2019

Forza Horizon 4: Double Winter Treats

If you managed to get the Hudson Hornet and the DS3 Racing through the last minute of the winter season of Forza Horizon 4, then congratulations. You finally get to keep those two machines that made a comeback in the world of Forza since their XBOX 360 years. They maybe long forgotten but here you are, finally got yourselves some remnants of Forza's glorious pasts.



Beginning with the Hudson Hornet, this machine raked 40 out of 48 wins because of its straight-six Twin-H power engine, making it truly an innovator and race champion. It even has a role in Disney-Pixar's cars as Doc Hudson.



Next up is the DS3 Racing and looks like we have a case of wrong car blues here because while Forza Horizon 4 introduced DS Automobiles for the first time, they brought in the wrong car to the range and this is basically a Citroen DS3 Racing and it was emerged by the time it was called the Citroen DS3 before it was called the DS Automobiles DS3 years later. Never mind about that but anyway, the DS3 Racing is the special limited edition model made in honor of its involvement in the World Rally Championship. Its specially-developed 1.6L THP engine produces 207hp of power and 275Nm of torque. It was extensively tuned by Citroen Racing to deliver motorsports knowhow to this hot hatch.





Now that we get to know about these prize cars, let's take these two cars for a spin round Britain to see what it's like on the winter wonderland.



These cars worked perfectly as they are meant to be but since I'm in a middle of my Fortune Island journey...





Let's hit the "one more" button on these two cars and see if the Hornet and the DS3 Racing have the guts to take on the Fortune Island challenge. Bring it on.


Fortune Island may be unforgiving but these two cars gave it a good show to the whole world to see.

Enjoy driving your two new additions to your Horizon garage!

THREATS FROM NORTH KOREA: North Korea should take ‘bold’ steps towards denuclearization



North Korea needs to take “more bold, practical measures for denuclearization” to ensure sanctions are lifted, the South’s President Moon Jae-in said Thursday with negotiations stalling between Pyongyang and Washington.

“Corresponding measures must be devised in order to facilitate North Korea’s continued denuclearization efforts,” he added, such as the US agreeing a “peace regime” and formally declaring an end to the 1950-53 Korean War.

The North has repeatedly pledged to work towards “denuclearization of the Korean peninsula”, a vague term that could be taken to also include US forces in the South and in the wider region.

Moon acknowledged that the agreement North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and US President Donald Trump signed at their first summit in Singapore was “somewhat vague”.

He also said there was “skepticism” that Kim’s “concept of denuclearization” will be different from that demanded by the US.

“But Kim has assured many foreign leaders, including myself, Trump, Xi Jinping, and Putin, that his concept is no different in any way from what the international community demands,” Moon told reporters at the Blue House in Seoul.

“Kim also stated that denuclearization and the issue of ending the war have nothing to do with the status of US troops in South Korea,” he added. “Kim Jong Un understands that the issue is entirely up to the decision of South Korea and the United States.”

US strategic assets in the region involved not only North Korea, “but also overall stability and peace in Northeast Asia”, Moon said. “I don’t think it will be discussed in North-US nuclear talks.”

The North Korean leader’s trip to China this week was a sign a second Trump-Kim summit was “imminent”, he added.

“I think Chairman Kim Jong Un’s visit to China will have a very positive effect on the success of the second US-North Korea summit,” he told the press conference.

A second summit should produce an agreement that was “more clear on actions by each side”, he added.

Moon has actively pursued engagement with the North to bring it to the negotiating table, a stance that has at times seen Seoul and Washington take increasingly divergent approaches.

Conditions for resuming two key economic projects between North and South Korea — the Kaesong Industrial Complex, where Southern companies used to employ North Korean workers, and Southern tourism to Mount Kumgang in the North “have essentially been met already”, he said.

But many analysts say that restarting the schemes would at present violate sanctions imposed on the North over its nuclear and ballistic missile programmes.

Seoul would cooperate with the US and international community to seek to “resolve” the issue of sanctions “as soon as possible”, Moon said.

Source: AFP

Let's Do The News! (January 10, 2019)



- Director General Oscar Albayalde, chief of the Philippine National Police, warned all policemen to refrain from going to bars and nightclubs and other public drinking places and establishments even if they are in civilian attire.

- As 945 new HIV cases in the Philipines recorded, Health Secretary Francisco Duque III lauded the recent signing into law of the Philippine Human Immunodeficiency Virus and Acquired immunodeficiency syndrome Act.

- 714 people are hurt during yesterday's Black Nazarene procession, according to the PNP.

- A woman and a child were bitten by a shark in the popular Whitsunday Islands near Australia’s Great Barrier Reef in the latest of a string of such attacks, reports, and officials said.

- Two Ukrainian oligarchs were the intended recipients of US polling data President Donald Trump’s former campaign chairman admitted to sharing with a Russian during the 2016 presidential race, according to reports. Pro-Russia Ukrainians Serhiy Lyovochkin and Rinat Akhmetov had paid Paul Manafort millions of dollars over the years for lobbying work.

- Former Nissan chief Carlos Ghosn has been suffering from a high fever and was unable to meet investigators for questioning, according to reports.

- Ford unveiled the new-generation Explorer crossover, which now runs on a rear-wheel drive architecture.



- McLaren teases a Spider variant of the 600LT ahead of its January 16 unveiling.



- Shochiku and other companies establish their joint venture company with the focus on virtual reality, augmented reality, and mixed reality technologies for entertainment.

- Oklahoma City Thunder's Nerles Noel is out from the hospital after suffering concussion.

- The penultimate addition to the WithFans' Love Live! Sunshine!! anime Blu-Ray jacket figure collection, Kanan Matsuura, has been added. It's available to order starting at 15,278 Yen plus tax and delivery and arrives November 2019.



TTFN!!!

Wednesday, January 9, 2019

THREATS FROM NORTH KOREA: North Korean leader left Beijing to return to Pyongyang




The special train carrying Kim Jong-un and his entourage left the Chinese capital this afternoon and is on its way back to Pyeongyang.

It takes about 14 hours from Beijing to Pyeongyang by train, so it's expected the North Korean leader will get home early tomorrow morning.

Earlier today Kim Jong-un visited an economic district in Beijing and had lunch with the Chinese President.

The North Korean leader went to Beijing's Economic and Technological Development Area -- a zone run by the Chinese government that hosts industrial facilities for the country's pharmaceuticals, information technology, machinery and electronics products.

Specifically, Kim Jong-un looked around a factory owned by China's representative pharmaceutical company Tongrentang for 20 to 30 minutes.

Kim and Xi have already had their summit meeting yesterday for about an hour.

They could have discussed ways to coordinate strategies ahead of Kim's possible second summit with U.S. President Donald Trump.

Another important topic would have been strengthening their bilateral ties since this year Pyeongyang and Beijing celebrate 70 years of diplomatic relations.

Source: Arirang News

Let's Do The News! (January 9, 2019)



- The image of the Black Nazarene has left the Quirino Grandstand and heads to Quiapo Church as part of the annual procession of the Feast of the Black Nazarene.

- The National Police Commission has approved the filling up of 765 promotional vacancies for police officers who hurdled the commission’s Special Qualifying Examinations conducted on August 7, 2016, July 30, 2017, and May 27, 2018.

- Manila Archbishop Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle cited the difference between fanatics and devotees during his midnight Mass for the Feast of the Black Nazarene on Wednesday at the Quirino Grandstand in Manila. Tagle said that fanatics do not love while devotees do so unconditionally.

- US President Donald Trump addresses America from the oval office amid the 2nd-longest government shutdown in US history. President Trump just gave a prime-time address, where he made his case for wall funding. We are fact-checking it. The Democrats also gave their response.

- House Democrats introduced a bill that would establish Universal Background Checks on all gun purchases, in an effort to combat America's gun violence epidemic. Universal Background Checks form an important first step to getting America's epidemic gun violence under control.

New York Mayor Bill de Blasio announced the city would spend $100 million to guarantee health care to all its residents regardless of their immigration status or their ability to pay, bringing coverage to 600,000 uninsured people.

- The world’s chemical watchdog said it has deployed a fact-finding team to look into allegations of a chlorine attack in the Syrian government-held city of Aleppo in November last year.

- Lamborghini unveiled the Huracan EVO, a minor change version with a 640HP V10 engine and improved dynamics as well as new rear-wheel steering and torque vectoring system.

2019 Lamborghini Huracan EVO
- The Porsche 911 (992) gets a Cabriolet variant.

2019 Porsche 911 Carerra 4S Cabriolet

- The second-generation Mercedes-Benz CLA has been unveiled.

2020 Mercedes-Benz CLA
- Yesterday, Carlos Ghosn made his first public appearance since his arrest as he denies any wrongdoing.

- A specially-made Toyota 86 made in honor of the car used by MF Ghost main character Kanata Livington will be on display at this weekend's Tokyo Auto Salon.

- Actor Tom Hardy is about to reprise his Venom role as a sequel film is in the works with Benedict Cumberbatch joining the cast as Doctor Strange.

TTFN!!!

Tuesday, January 8, 2019

THREATS FROM NORTH KOREA: Kim seeks to up ante with Xi summit



North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s surprise trip to China could herald a new round of summitry on and about the peninsula, analysts say, but may also be an attempt to pressure US President Donald Trump as negotiations between them falter.

Discussions between Pyongyang and Washington over the North’s nuclear arsenal have stalled since Kim and Trump’s high-profile summit in Singapore, with the US insisting that sanctions must remain in place until it gives up its weapons, and the North demanding an immediate easing.

In his New Year’s address — always a key moment in the North Korean political calendar — Kim said that if Washington persisted with its approach, “we may be left with no choice but to consider a new way to safeguard our sovereignty and interests.”

With his visit to China, “Kim is eager to remind the Trump administration that he does have diplomatic and economic options besides what Washington and Seoul can offer,” said Harry Kazianis of the Center for the National Interest in Washington.

The US should be “quite concerned” by any effort by Pyongyang to strengthen ties with Beijing, he added, as almost all North Korean trade flows through China and any improvement in relations would weaken the Trump administration’s “maximum pressure” strategy.

With US and Chinese officials meeting in Beijing to address a trade row that has roiled global markets, he said, “the timing could not be any better” for the Chinese side. “It shows Beijing clearly has a North Korea card to play if it sees fit.”

Chinese forces played an integral role defending the North during the 1950-53 Korean War, and Beijing remains Pyongyang’s key diplomatic backer and trade partner.

It has always feared the collapse of its neighbor, which would threaten floods of refugees streaming onto its territory and the prospect of US troops stationed on its border in a unified Korea, but in recent years became increasingly frustrated with its nuclear antics.

That changed last spring when Kim ended six years as a diplomatic recluse to go to Beijing and pay his respects to Xi in his first overseas trip as leader.

A series of visits have followed in both directions — although Xi has yet to reciprocate with a trip to Pyongyang — along with three summits between Kim and the South’s President Moon Jae-in, and Beijing lent Kim a plane to travel to Singapore.

Source: AFP