Let's Do The News! (May 19, 2026)

          

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

- Former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte appointed Australian lawyer Kate Gibson as his associate counsel.

- The Philippine National Police has officially submitted to the Department of Justice the general timeline and initial results of the investigation regarding last week’s Senate shootout.

- Representatives Zia Adiong and Renee Co are named House trial spokespersons regarding the ongoing impeachment trial of Philippine Vice President Sara Duterte.

- Allies of Senator Bato dela Rosa appealed to the public to avoid spreading the Court’s decision.

- The PH Department of Health are on alert on the possible spread of the Ebola virus in the country.

- Elon Musk loses high-profile court battle against OpenAI boss Sam Altman.

- US President Donald Trump announced the cancelation of the US attack on Iran at the request of the Gulf Coast Countries.

- A shootout occurred at a mosque in San Diego. Two teen suspects opened fire at the mosque. Both shooters were shot dead by police officers. Authorities belived to be a hate crime.

- The Kimera K39 was unveiled. It's an all-new supercar built from the ground up. It's powered by Koenigsegg's twin-turbo engine producing 1000hp of power.

- Stellantis planning to launch more affordable EVs by 2028.

- EA Sports F1 25's 2026 season expansion was teased and will be unveiled tomorrow. The expansion will feature all F1 2026 season vehicles, including the Audi R26 and the Cadillac MAC-26.

- AO Racing unveiled a new character for the 2026 24 Hours of Le Mans; an LMP2 race car named Rockie the Pegasus.

- Alex Lynn will not take part in next month's Le Mans race due to injury and he will be replaced by Louis Deletraz.

- LE SSERAFIM member Kim Chaewon takes a histus duecto health concerns.

- Actor Bill Wise dies at 61.

TTFN.

Toyota Land Cruiser FJ

The baby Land Cruiser has arrived as the first-ever Toyota Land Cruiser FJ, starting at 4,500,100 Yen plus additional costs, aiming to be a decent rival to the Suzuki Jimny Nomade.

2027 Toyota Land Cruiser FJ

2027 Toyota Land Cruiser FJ

Sourced from Thailand, the first-ever fully imported Land Cruiser FJ is the smallest member of the Land Cruiser family. Its pricing positions it below the legendary 70 Series, often regarded as the greatest of the Land Cruiser lineup. Despite sharing the FJ name, which was previously used for the discontinued FJ Cruiser from the last decade, this model brings a fresh perspective to the off-road category. Don't be misled by its name; it is indeed the most compact off-roader in the range.

Beginning with the styling, the LCFJ was heavily inspired by the Euro-styled Compact Cruiser Concept, another fine example of concept cars becoming living realities, at least in SUV terms, because in today's climate, SUVs are as profitable as Hollywood superhero movies. Although squarish in form, the Land Cruiser FJ has 4575mm of length, 1,855mm of width, and 1,960mm in height, with a wheelbase of 2,580mm, which is 10mm less than its main rival, the Suzuki Jimny Nomade.

Yes, the back door has a spare tire and a side-opening mechanism, making it easy to open and close even in tight spaces.

2027 Toyota Land Cruiser FJ interior

2027 Toyota Land Cruiser FJ interior

The dashboard design is similar to that of its larger counterpart, the Land Cruiser 250. On the driver’s side, it features a 7-inch color driver information display and a 12.3-inch touchscreen with smartphone connectivity. Additional conveniences include buttons on the steering wheel, a leather gear knob, an eight-way power-adjustable driver’s seat, and an automatic climate control system.

The rear seats can be adjusted forward and backward by 75mm and can be folded in a 55:45 split to create more boot space. The interior dimensions are 1030mm high, 1135mm wide, and 1480mm long, making it quite spacious overall. With the rear seats present, it will have about 735mm of boot length.

2027 Toyota Land Cruiser FJ

The Land Cruiser FJ may be tiny, but it has the strength of a Land Cruiser thanks to its ladder frame and the IMV platform, which will be used in the next-generation Hilux, not to mention the standard part-time 4WD system with different settings suitable for various road conditions.

Powering the Land Cruiser FJ is a 2TR-FE 2.7-litre gasoline engine mated to a 6-speed Super ECT. It produces 163PS of power, 246Nm of torque, and a fuel economy of 8.7km/L based on WLTC Mode standards, which is less efficient than the Suzuki Jimny Nomade.

It also includes Toyota Safety Sense, an active safety package with advanced features such as the Pre-collision Safety System, ensuring enjoyable driving with peace of mind.

Here it is, the first fully imported Land Cruiser FJ. While it may be more expensive and less fuel-efficient than the Jimny Nomade, it offers high quality and luxury, making it suitable for everyday use. This Land Cruiser is designed for everyday people, perfectly blending practicality with durability.

Available Colors: Platinum White Pearl Mica, Ash, Attitude Black Mica, Oxide Bronze Metallic, and Smoky Blue.

Photo: Toyota Motor Corporation

Let's Do The News! (May 18, 2026)

         

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

- Senate President Alan Peter Cayetano will not block the coup against his leadership this afternoon during the plenary session. According to Cayetano, it is the right of any senator to change the Senate leadership if they wish.

- Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. is mobilizing the Department of Energy (DOE) to immediately resolve the power disruptions that have caused rotational brownouts in several areas of the country in recent days.

- The House prosecution panel believes there is a connection between last week's decision to impeach Philippine Vice President Sara Duterte and the Senate coup that resulted in the overthrow of Vicente Sotto III from his position as Senate President, which was then filled by Alan Peter Cayetano.

- The Philippine National Police (PNP) is on high alert in Metro Manila and various parts of the country in connection with the expected protest actions during the convening of the Senate as an impeachment court today against Vice President Sara Duterte.

- Artificial intelligence (AI) and electronic warfare have been incorporated into the curriculum of the Philippine Military Academy (PMA) to prepare future officers of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) for modern threats and warfare.

- The winners of the 2026 Nurburgring 24 Hour endurance race.

- BMW showcased the Vision Alpina Concept at the Villa d'Este Concours.

- The Volkswagen ID.POLO GTi was unveiled.

- Lee Jae Wook enlists in the military.

- KBS reality show "2 Days & 1 Night" casts Lee Yong Jin.

- Manchester beats Chelsea 1-0 to win the FA Cup.

- Aaron Rai becomes the first Englishman to win the PGA Championship in over a century.

- Scotland rugby legend Scott Hastings passed away at the age of 61.

- Action star Keanu Reeves will star in the stop-motion Hidari animated movie.

TTFN.

2026 NASCAR Cup Series - NASCAR ALL-STAR RACE

Dover is the venue for the 2026 NASCAR All-Star race, where drivers risk it all to win this million-dollar race.

As the green flag waved, NASCAR's million-dollar race commenced. The opening stage saw a fiery crash for Ryan Preece following a mishap that caught Cole Custer, Todd Gilliland, and Kyle Larson into it. As Bubba Wallace wins the opening stage, more disasters happen on Stage 2 where John Hunter Nemechek, Chase Elliott, Ross Chastain, and Bubba Wallace got caught in separate accidents. As Tyler Reddick wins Stage 2, the final stage saw the No.22 slip.

Screengrab from NASCAR

After a thriller of a race in Dover, Denny Hamlin wins the NASCAR All-Star Race!

The next race is at Charlotte Motor Speedway for the Coca-Cola 600 on May 24, 2026.

Guinness Women's Six Nations 2026 SUMMARY

For five rounds, the 2026 Guinness Women's Six Nations championship delivered some memorable moments from the finest teams from England, Scotland, Wales, Italy, France, and Ireland.

Screengrab from Six Nations

For the 2026 W6N season, England proved its unrivaled status by sweeping all five rounds to obtain their 12th Grand Slam title and their 14th W6N champion title.

Congratulations to the England Rugby team for winning the 2026 Guinness W6N!

ABB FIA Formula E S12 - Monaco E-Prix

Monaco is the next stop of the 12th season of the ABB FIA Formula E championship with the Monaco E-Prix, where drivers are blitzing through the legendary Côte d'Azur by all means necessary in this two-part street race where the trickiest corners test their might.

Screengrab from Formula E

In the first part of the event, Nyck De Vries, representing Mahindra, ended his winless streak by defeating Mitch Evans from Jaguar and Pepe Marti from KIRO to claim victory. In the final race, last season's champion, Oliver Rowland, representing Nissan, achieved his first win of the season. Meanwhile, Felipe Drugovich, representing Andretti, made headlines by finishing in second place, marking his first-ever Formula E podium finish, ahead of Jaguar's Antonio Felix Da Costa.

Post-Monaco, Mitch Evans is leading with 128 points, 19 points ahead of Oliver Rowland, while Edoardo Mortara is in third with 103 points.

The next race is the Sanya E-Prix on June 20, 2026.

Let's Do The News! (May 15, 2026)

         

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

- The PH Department of Energy and the Energy Regulatory Commission are urging the NGCP to explain regarding power disruptions in Luzon and Visayas. Meanwhile, the Philippine National Police is tightening its security amid rotational brownouts.

- The NBI named Senator Robin Padilla as a "person of interest" over the escape of Senator Bato dela Rosa following Wednesday's shootout.

- Before the Ombudsman imposed a 6-month 'preventive suspension' today, Senate Sergeant-at-Arms Mao Aplasca became emotional when he expressed his feelings about the current situation of his colleague, Senator Ronald "Bato" dela Rosa.

- Labour MP Josh Simons says he will resign to allow the Mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham, the chance to run for parliament.

- UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer responds to Wes Streeting's resignation, telling him "we must deliver on all the promises we made". Meanwhile, James Murray was appointed as the UK's new health secretary.

- At the recent Honda presentation, two next-generation hybrid concepts were unveiled: the Honda Hybrid Sedan Concept and the Acura Hybrid SUV Concept. These concepts preview the company's next-generation hybrid models coming this 2027.

- Jeep unveiled this month's Twelve 4 Twelve drop: the Wrangler America250 Edition, made in collaboration with Marvel Comics.

- BBC denied reports about the Top Gear TV show's comeback.

- Seiyuu Wakana Yamazaki passed away at age 61.

- Golfer Jon Rahm apologized for hitting a volunteer with a divot after he took a swing in frustration during the first round of the 108th PGA Championship.

- Amazon MGM Studios issued a statement denying reports about the announcement of a new James Bond actor in the next 007 movie. The studio will reveal this information at the "right moment" and in the "right time."

TTFN.