THREATS FROM NORTH KOREA: N. Korea's cultural delegate visits South

The 7-member inspection team from North Korea, led by singer Hyon Song-wol, has looked around three venues in Seoul. Hyon's team visited three concert halls today, spending the most time at the National Theater of Korea. After having dinner at their hotel, they will go back to North Korea using the western route via the Gyeongul Line Train.

On Tuesday, South Korea will send an inspection team to the North to prepare for the joint sports training and joint cultural events to be held prior to the Olympicas at the North's Masikryong Ski Resort and Mount Kumgang.

Seoul plans to send a 12-member team to the North suing the eastern land route for three days of inspections.

Source: Arirang News

Let's Do The News! (January 22, 2018)

- Motoring journalist James Deakin draws flak over his pic and video with former Senator Bongbong Marcos. In defense, Deakin says he's neither a supporter or a detractor to the late strongman's son. He was just a motoring journalist finding solutions to ongoing traffic problems in the Philippines.

- Former Health Secretaries Enrique Ona and Janette Garin are in a middle of a word war over the controversy of the anti-dengue vaccine, Dengvaxia. During Monday’s Senate hearing on the Dengvaxia controversy, Garin denied Ona’s earlier statement that he was never approached regarding the anti-dengue vaccine.

- Former DILG Secretary Raffy Alunan said in an interview that China is going to overtake the United States as the sole superpower to dominate over other regions. According to Alunan, Beijing’s success over the West Philippine Sea would ensure its inferiority over the current superpower, the United States.

- Two days have passed since the government shutdown in the US but the US Embassy in Manila remained open despite the shutdown.

- A motorcycle bomb exploded in Thailand's southern Yala province, killing three people and injured 22. The mostly Muslim provinces of Narathiwat, Pattani and Yala in Thailand’s far south are home to a long-running insurgency by ethnic Malay Muslims fighting for autonomy in which more than 6,000 people have been killed since 2004.

- Korean actor Jeon Tae Soo passed away after suffering from long years of depression at the age of 34, according to his agency. Jeon was the younger brother of South Korean actress Ha Ji Won.  He has also appeared in numerous dramas including Sungkyunkwan Scandal, It’s Okay, Daddy’s Girl and The King’s Daughter, Soo Baek-hyang among others.

- Volvo's Skovde factory in Sweden goes carbon-neutral courtesy of its switch to renewable heating from the beginning of this year. This plant is one of the few in the world that is climate-neutral and marks an important step towards the company's goal of making its global manufacturing operations carbon-neutral by 2025.

- The New England Patriots and the Philadelphia Eagles are set for next month's Super Bowl 52. This is the tenth time Patriots make it to the Super Bowl and a first for the Eagles.

- Love Live! Sunshine!! teamed up with Sony and the city of Numazu for a crowdfunding campaign to fund production of nine manhole covers featuring the Aqours heroes. The crowdfunding campaign is aiming to raise 22,170,000 yen ($201,000) but right now, they've succeeded the crowdfunding by about 138% of the goal.

- Japanese AV actress Maria Ozawa seeks help from journalist Raffy Tulfo over complaint against a TNV driver. Thanks to the recent Aksyon sa Tanghali from TV5, the actress complained about getting sexually harassed by an Uber driver and threatened her to be his textmate.

TTFN!!!

Winners of the 2018 Dakar Rally

For 14 days, the 2018 Dakar Rally has been one helluva offroad excursion for the brave and the bold drivers who can stand themselves through the tough and unforgiving routes that stretches from Peru, Bolivia, all the way to Argentina.

Many have participated, some have been broken down, only few survived their way through Argentina until the  best of the best are named so let's get to know who are the best of the best of this year's Dakar rally.

BIKE - Matthias Walkner (Red Bully KTM Factory Team) - 43h 06' 01"
QUAD - Ignacio Casale (Casale Racing) - 53h 47' 04"
CAR - Carlos Sainz (Team Peugeot Total) - 49h 16' 18"
SXS - Reinaldo Varela (South Racing - Can Am) - 72h 44' 06"
TRUCK - Eduard Nikolaev (Kamaz - Master) - 54h 57' 37"

FULL RANKINGS: https://www.dakar.com/en/rankings

Check out the best of this year's Dakar Rally at: https://www.dakar.com/en/home-gallery/galerie-videos-best-of-2018

Congratulations to the winners of this year's Dakar Rally!

THREATS FROM NORTH KOREA: South Korea suffers Kimchi Deficit

South Korea imports more kimchi than they export as the nation's kimchi market brought in 275,000 metric tons of kimchi last year, while only sending 24,000 metric tons overseas, making it the biggest defict since kimchi data reporting began at the start of the 21st century.

The kimchi trade first went into deficit in 2006.

Source: CTV News

EB's Broadway Boys performed their first original song

What started as four boys who did very well in Eat Bulaga's Lola's Playlist segment years ago, now became the sensation that have been performing the greatest hits every Saturday afternoon, the Broadway Boys have done it again by performing us, for the first time on Philippine television, their very first original song.

Photo: Official Eat Bulaga Twitter

The Broadway Boys consist of four boys who did well in Lola's Playlist years ago such as Joshua Lumbao, Joshua Torino, Benedict Aboyme, and the boy who won that segment, Francis Aglabtin. Every Saturday, they've performed us with the greatest hits of local and foreign songs in the past, especially those from music's greatest legends from the last century.

Recently, they've performed alongside Jamie Rivera, the self-styled queen of inspirational music, and after that, the Broadway Boys performed their first original single composed by Senator Tito Sotto. It's titled "Nag-Iisa" and as the as the song states, we are not alone in times of challenges.

Their original song will be coming soon on Spotify and iTunes so watch for it, but in the meantime, let's take a moment of gratitude to say how heartwarming the Broadway Boys performed because they really nailed the sweet spot to show the world what the Broadway Boys are capable of, so well done, Broadway Boys. The Dabarkads are very proud of you.

Bubble Gang - January 19, 2018 #BGTalentadoKa

On the January 19, 2018 episode of Bubble Gang

- Hippies gags

- Party at the afterlife

- The official photographer for your divorce!

- The funeral restaurant

- A different kind of security guard

- A talent show for everyone with a sad story.

- Pervs trying out a new kind of recognition feature on their phone

- Basa-basa pik

Let's Do The News! (January 20, 2018)

- Yesterday, the Philippine National Police demands that the procurement of body cameras for the anti-illegal drugs campaign of the administration be hastened. According to PC/Supt. Dionardo Carlos of the PNP-Public Information Office, the body cameras are important since they plan to resume Oplan Tokhang.

- At the vote of 50-49, the US Senate has failed to pass deal to fund the government, causing the nation's federal government to shut down. In a late-night vote, Senate Democrats blocked the bill that would have kept the government running until mid-February. The shutdown is only the fourth government closure in a quarter-century. It will only partially curb government operations.

- Meanwhile, the Supreme Court announced that it would consider a challenge to US President Donald Trump's latest attempt to limit travel from countries that pose a threat to the nation's security. Right now, countries like North Korea and Venezuela are the latest to be hit by the blacklist set by the US President himself.

- Netflix's Castlevania TV series will return this summer, according to series writer.

- Japanese actor Ken Watanabe is joining the live-action Detective Pikachu film, which comes this 2019 and stars Ryan Reynolds (which lends his voice to Detective Pikachu), Justice Smith as the film's main character, and Kathryn Newton.

- A certain Pretty Rhythm fan made a web app that blocks strong graphic images from fellow users' feeds on Twitter.

- New Pokemon Nendoroid on the radar! The ruthless leader of Team Rocket, Giovanni and Genetic Pokemon Mewtwo are joining the lineup and it's available to order at Pokemon Center online shops and arrives this August.

TTFN!!!