Let's Do The News! (June 25, 2022)

                               

Your daily round-up of today's news:

- Millions of American women have lost the constitutional right to abortion as the SCOTUS voted to overturn the historic Roe v Wade ruling.

- Some Democrat-controlled US states said they will enact laws that will ensure abortion access. New York City mayor Eric Adams denounced the ruling and said his city will be a safe haven for abortion access.

- US President Joe Biden denounced the SCOTUS ruling, saying it was "cruel and driven by extremism that regressed America to the 19th century." He pledged to help women to cross state lines for abortion and urge voters for the November midterms to put personal freedoms on the ballot. His predecessor Donald Trump and other Republicans praised the ruling.

- One of the SCOTUS justices said they are now reconsidering decisions protecting the right to contraception and same-sex marriage, as they are on the same basis as Roe v Wade. The three liberal judges warned that rights are under threat.

- The US House of Representatives passed the gun safety bill and it's set to be signed by US President Joe Biden.

- Ukraine has begun withdrawing its forces from Sievierodonetsk following weeks of intense bombardment and fighting. 

- Bentley recreated the Speed Six with a limited-to-12 Continuation Series vehicle.

1929 Bentley Speed Six

- Porsche unveiled its LMDh competitor for the 2023 WEC and IMSA season. Called the 963, the LMDh-spec prototype has 680PS of power output. It will have an exhibition run in the FIA WEC season finale in Bahrain in November and it will debut in January 2023's Daytona 24-Hour endurance race.

Porsche 963

- Game 5 of the NHL Stanley Cup finals saw the Tampa Bay Lightning defeat the Colorado Avalanche at the score of 3-2. Colorado leads 3-2.

TTFN.

#BGWrongCom

In the June 24, 2022 episode of Bubble Gang...

- Holdapper training

- Pak Pak Shorts

- More Master Wushu jokes

- Psychic wife

- Sundot Balita

- Patibong takes on...the pervert who peeps at a woman during bathtime by the window.

- Hila-Hila Lang.

UKRAINE CONFLICT: 6/24/2022

                            

The latest in the ongoing Ukraine conflict:

• EU grants Ukraine candidate status, ‘beginning a long journey together’
• Ukraine's EU candidacy will strengthen Europe as Russia threatens freedom - Zelensky

COVID-19 SITUATION: 6/24/2022

                                                                                      

The latest in the ongoing COVID-19 situation:

• Keep economy open without compromising healthcare system, says vaccine expert
• COVID-19 vaccines saved 20 million lives in first year: study
• Macau locks down some buildings as COVID infections creep up
• Cebu guv agrees to wait for IRR before optional mask rule, says DILG
• Lawmaker to schools, LGUs: Prepare for rollout of COVID booster shot for minors aged 12-17.

Let's Do The News! (June 24, 2022)

                              

Your daily round-up of today's news:

- The Philippines ends the talk for a joint oil-gas search with China in the West Philippine Sea.

- Manila's roads will be closed as early as June 26 ahead of Bongbong Marcos' inauguration next week.

- The SCOTUS voted in favor of gun rights.

- The US Senate passes the gun safety bill.

- The US CDC confirms evidence of local monkeypox transmission.

- Afghanistan seeks emergency medical supplies for earthquake survivors.

- Toyota announced a recall for the bZ4X electric crossovers.

- Paolo Banchero was named the number one overall pick in this year's NBA Draft.

- LIV golfers have been reportedly banned from the Scottish Open.

TTFN.

My FH5 Log: File B9

Almost a decade ago while playing the original Forza Horizon on my XBOX 360, I sampled the Audi RS4 Avant B8 and I got hooked by its moves as well as its naturally-aspirated V8 engine that sounds like the old BMW M3 Coupe. Life was nearly cool for this high-performance wagon back then.

Now, the B9-spec Audi RS4 Avant has arrived as a prize car obtained from the Series 8 Hot Season Playlist and looks like it's time to move on from the practical party pooper and into the all-out slugfest that is ready to slug through any ball game like a real baller.

So, what's it all about the Audi RS4 Avant B9?

Unlike its B8 predecessor, the Audi RS4 Avant B9 replaced the old model's V8 engine with the 2.9 TFSi V6 BiTurbo engine derived from the second-generation RS5. It produces 450PS of power and 600Nm of torque while mated to an 8-speed Tiptronic transmission. It does 0-100kph in 4.1 seconds and it has a governed top speed of 250kph but it can be bumped up to 280kph with an optional extra.

As expected, the RS4 Avant B9 feels mild and tangy while in the middle of a "twist and shout" session on the road, probably because it doesn't have the wonderful feature that today's BMW M5 had. What this means, is this wagon on mild steroids prefers to grip rather than letting all out in the handling department. I guess Audi is very serious about their high-performance machines; they want to behave like normal Audis but in a big and exciting kind of way, Long story short but you get the picture.

Having expressed my disappointment over the RS4 Avant B9's mild driving feel, I was going to call it quits...unless there's a way to appreciate this model. With that...

Using my stylist skills, this RS4 Avant was given a thumbs-up approach, or to put it in Nino's context; MARS! See what I did? MARS!

With the out-of-context "insert Martian joke here" approach done, my RS4 is ready for the slugfest it will never forget. Send in the tape!

Looks rough and dirty at the end but she's a great slugger, isn't she?

Well-sculpted proportions, mild driving feel, turbocharged V6 engine, quattro all-wheel-drive, the RS4 Avant B9 is a slugger that needs to be appreciated as much as its B8 predecessor. Sure, it doesn't have the raw charm of its predecessor and the competition alike but it sure loves a good ball game in the end. Although not a wise choice for the fun-loving Festival participants, the RS4 B9 is quite a rising star of the show.

Guess I'm going to take a few painkillers after this. As expected, the grip is so cringy. Huhehe...

THREATS FROM NORTH KOREA: North Korea’s Kim oversees military meeting amid potential nuclear test

 

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un continued to preside over the second day of the nation’s major party meeting on its military and defence policies on Wednesday, the state media reported on Thursday, amid concerns over a potential imminent nuclear test.

At the meeting, the party discussed adding operation duties of the frontline units, modifying operation plans and restructuring key military organisational formations, Korea Central News Agency (KCNA) said, adding Kim stressed the importance of efforts to enhance the operational capabilities of the frontline units.

The meeting is being closely watched as it could provide clues on the timing of a nuclear test, which the North is seen to have been preparing for weeks. South Korean officials have said the test can come “at any time” and that the timing would be decided by Kim.

But an official at South Korea’s presidential office on Wednesday said he thought North Korea could be delaying what would be its seventh nuclear test in consideration of China’s political calendar and the nation’s COVID-19 situation.

Kim Jong Un on Tuesday presided over the military meeting, which KCNA reported would discuss major tasks to further enhance the function and role of the military commissions at all levels as well as the military policy line and key defence policies of the party.

Last year, Kim laid out military development plans that included smaller nuclear bombs, hypersonic missiles, spy satellites, and drones.

In April, he called on the country’s military to “bolster up their strength in every way to annihilate the enemy”, and has tested an unprecedented number of ballistic missiles this year, including massive intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs), new hypersonic missiles, and a short-range missile potentially designed for tactical nuclear weapons.

Meanwhile, North Korea has recently reported an outbreak of an unidentified intestinal epidemic in its faming region, which has been adding further strain on the isolated economy, already battling chronic food shortages and a wave of COVID-19 infections.

Source: Reuters