Let's Do The News! (October 14, 2024)

                

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

- The Department of Migrant Workers confirmed that eight OFWs from Lebanon have arrived in the Philippines, bringing the total number of Filipinos who returned home from the war-torn country to 450.

- Senator Bong Go denies reports that he's involved in the Duterte administration's war on drugs.

- According to the PH Department of Justice, A witness linked to POGO "kingpin" Alice Guo may be included in the Witness Protection Program.

- Hezbollah claims responsibility for the deadly drone attack in northern Israel. The Israeli army says four soldiers were killed while over 60 were hurt. The United Nations demanded answers after Israeli tanks drove into their compound in Lebanon.

- SpaceX catches Starship rocket booster for first time ever as it returns to Earth after launch. It marks a huge milestone in the history of space exploration, bringing SpaceX closer to its goal of achieving rapid reusability.

- The Renault 4 returns as an all-electric crossover equivalent of the 5.

2026 Renault 4 E-TECH

- Citroen, at the Paris Motor Show, unveiled the C4 range's 2025 minor change as well as the C5 Aircross concept and the Ami minor change.

- Mini unveiled the first-ever JCW Electric and the JCW Aceman.

- The Audi Q6 e-tron Sportback range, as well as the SQ6 e-tron Sportback range, was unveiled.

- Aston Martin unveiled the DB12 Goldfinger Edition made in honor of the movie's 60th anniversary.

Aston Martin DB12 Goldfinger Edition

- The Alpine A110 R Ultime was unveiled. Limited to 110 units, the ultimate version saw its 1.8L petrol engine producing 345hp of power, making it the most powerful A110 ever made.

2025 Alpine A110 R Ultime

- Comedian Lee Jin Ho confesses to illegal gambling.

- Game 2 of the WNBA finals saw the New York Liberty level the score with one win each after beating the Minnesota Lynx at the score of 80-66.

TTFN.

2024 NASCAR Cup Series - Bank of America ROVAL 400

Who will be eliminated? The fight for the Final 8 in the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series playoffs ends in Charlotte Motor Speedway for the Bank of America ROVAL 400. Time to find out who's in and out.

As the green flag waved, the elimination match in Charlotte began. As Tyler Reddic won Stage 1, Stage 2 saw Chase Briscoe lose a right rear on Lap 35 and forced him to pit. With Stage 2 belonging to Alex Bowman, the final stage saw Ross Chastain spin on Lap 56 followed by Austin Dillon losing his left front tire on Lap 81.

Screengrab from NASCAR

After an intense elimination fight in Charlotte, Kyle Larson won the Bank of America ROVAL 400 of the NASCAR Cup Series! Due to a breach in weight rules, Alex Bowman was disqualified, joining Austin Cindric, Daniel Suarez, and Chase Briscoe on the list of drivers eliminated from the playoffs.

The Final 8 is set and the fight for the Championship 4 has begun. Who will survive and make it to the finale in Phoenix? The 2024 NASCAR Cup Series playoffs will continue in Las Vegas Motor Speedway for the South Point 400 this Sunday, October 20th, 2024.

2024 O-NE SUPERRACE CHAMPIONSHIP - Jeonnam GT

The 2024 O-NE SUPERRACE CHAMPIONSHIP continues with the penultimate event of the season known as The King of Korean Motorsports; Jeonnam GT.

Set in the backdrop of Korea International Circuit, which used to host the Korean Grand Prix of Formula 1 from 2010 until 2013, the headliner Super 6000 class race was joined by other class-specific races such as the TC1600 class, the Sports Bike 400 class, and the Sports Prototype class.

Screengrab from Superrace

Focusing on the Super 6000 class, Superrace veteran Hwang Jin-woo of Jun-Fitted Racing is unanimously this race's winner while Brand New Racing's Park Gyu-seung finished 2nd, and Seohan GP's Kim Jung-gun finished 3rd.

With Jang Hyun-jin and Kim Jung-gun now 24 points between them, who will be crowned the 2024 champion? Find out in the 2024 O-NE SUPERRACE CHAMPIONSHIP finale this November 2-3, 2024. Don't miss it!

2024 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship - Motul Petit Le Mans

Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta is the final destination for the 2024 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship. The Motul Petit Le Mans is the title fight to decide who will be crowned champions as the night falls.

Screengrab from IMSA

As darkness falls in the final race of the season, the winners are named. The #01 Cadillac Racing Cadillac V-Series.R is the winner of the season finale while the #11 TDS Racing ORECA LMP2 07 wins the LMP2 class, the #19 Iron Lynx Huracan GT3 EVO2 in the GTD PRO class, and the #34 Conquest Racing Ferrari 296 GT3 for the GTD class.

As the 2024 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship came to an end, the #7 PORSCHE PENSKE MOTORSPORT emerged as the champion, the #77 AO RACING in the GTD PRO class, and the #57 Winward Racing in the GTD class.

This concludes the 2024 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship. Congratulations to this season's winners and see you in Daytona next year.

2024 Repco Supercars Championship - Repco Bathurst 1000

The Great Australian Race returns at the 2024 Repco Supercars Championship. The Bathurst 1000 is the ultimate challenge for Supercars' finest as they will survive a mammoth 161 laps of no-holds-barred endurance racing action on Mount Panorama, whatever it takes.

Screengrab from Supercard

After 161 herculean laps of blood, sweat, and tears poured across Mount Panorama, it's a Camaro podium sweep with the #01 Erebus Motorsport Camaro of Brodie Kostecki and Todd Hazelwood the winner while the #88 Red Bull Ampol Racing Camaro of Broc Feeney and Jamie Whincup finished 2nd, and the #87 Red Bull Ampol Racing Camaro of Will Brown and Scott Pye finished 3rd.

Bathurst is behind them but with Will Brown leading the championship standings with 204 points ahead of Broc Feeney, the last two events will see the two Red Bull drivers clash for the title. The next event is the Boost Mobile Gold Coast 500 in the streets of Surfers Paradise this October 25-27, 2024.

My FM Log: Midship Commencement Exercise

Update 12 concludes Year 1 of Forza Motorsport and wrapping up its first year since the game's release are two midship prize cars; the Lamborghini Huracan EVO Spyder and the McLaren Artura.

Having obtained Year 1's last two prize cars, let's get to know our midship honors before carrying out our commencement exercises.

Beginning with the Lamborghini Huracan EVO Spyder that I won from the Update 12 Open Class Tour until the October 16, 2024 deadline.

At the start of 2019, Lamborghini unveiled the Huracan EVO, the minor change version of the Huracan that became part of the Lamborghini stable in 2014.

In addition to the revamped exterior design, the 5.2L V10 engine that powers it has been updated to produce 640 hp (470 kW) at 8,000 rpm with 600 Nm of torque delivered at 6,500 rpm. The double-clutch gearbox propels the Huracan EVO from the 0-100kph time of 2.9 seconds and flat-out in over 325kph.

The Huracan EVO is the first to feature the Lamborghini Dinamica Veicolo Integrata, a new rear-wheel steering and torque vectoring system working on all wheels, controlling every aspect of the car's dynamic behavior. Functioning alongside the Lamborghini Piattaforma Inerziale and enhanced Lamborghini Dynamic Steering, it results in a more rewarding driving experience on the road and track.

The open-top Huracan EVO Spyder is the follow-up to its hardtop equivalent. Featuring the same updates as its hardtop equivalent, it comes with a foldable roof that can be opened or closed at the push of a button in just 17 seconds up to a driving speed of 50kph. It boasts improved aerodynamic efficiency compared to the previous Huracan Spyder.

Production of the Huracan lineup ended in 2024, signaling the end of the V10-powered road cars.

The last one, after clearing the Midship Tour until October 30, 2024, the McLaren Artura.

The McLaren Artura is the company's first V6-powered PHEV supercar that injects most of its motorsport know-how into the making of this unorthodox machine. The 3.0L V6 Twin Turbo engine is mated to an axial flux motor and a refrigerant-cooled Li-ion battery producing 680PS of power and 720Nm of torque. Mated to an 8-speed SSG, it sprints from 0-60mph in three seconds and has a top speed of 205mph. Running on electricity alone, it can go for as little as 19 miles.

Aside from the performance, the Artura has near-perfect weight distribution courtesy of its carbon bodywork, front double wishbone, multi-link rear, Proactive Damping Control, electro-hydraulic power-assisted steering, Carbon Ceramic Discs, forged aluminum brake calipers, and specially-developed Pirelli P-ZERO tires. It even comes with a Variable Drift Control that can adjust its drifting angle.

Quick introductions dealt with, it's time to do the commencement exercises as two midship supercars will tackle Road America, the venue of the IMSA season-ender, the MOTUL Petit Le Mans. What a way to conclude the game's first year. Anyway, let's roll the tapes.

I have to admit that the new Forza Motorsport game for the Xbox Series X and Series S consoles went to a slow start when the game was launched last year, probably because of the car content packed with old cars I am not heavily interested. Let's hope Year 2 will see some much-needed improvements for the new Forza Motorsport game to reclaim its throne. 

Seriously, let's hope Forza Motorsport's Year 2 updates will feature lots and lots of modern road cars and race cars because this is the world we live in. New World Order. As 2025 draws near, will Forza survive? Only time will tell.

And that is the end of this commencement exercise. See you next semester!

Let's Do The News! (October 12, 2024)

               

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

- The Embassy of the Philippines in Lebanon urged Filipinos in the besieged country under caution following recent Israeli airstrikes. Meanwhile, the process of repatriation of Filipinos from Lebanon continues, according to the Department of Migrant Workers.

- Dengue cases in the country have reached over 269,000 which is 82% higher than the same period in 2023, according to the PH Department of Health.

- The PH Department of Agriculture has lifted the temporary ban on the importation of goats from the United States.

- The use of "mother tongue" in teaching from kindergarten to Grade 3 was stopped after the PBBM administration signed R.A. #12027.

- The official YouTube channel of newscaster Anthony Taberna is gone due to hacking.

- US President Joe Biden urged Israel to stop firing at UN peacekeepers in southern Lebanon, after the IDF said its troops were responsible for an incident in which soldiers were injured.

- Boeing is slashing 10% of its workforce.

- The Tesla Robotaxi was unveiled.

- Alpine showcased the A390_β Concept at the Paris Motor Show, previewing Alpine's first coupe SUV.

Alpine A390_β Concept

- ICYMI: Doraemon seiyuu Nobuyo Oyama passed away at the age of 90.

- Singer Soojin's North American tour was canceled.

- ABC will simulcast six more ESPN "Monday Night Football" games, including Monday's AFC East matchup between the Buffalo Bills and the New York Jets.

TTFN.