Maniolas

ŠKODA VisionS: SUV Design Study to Premier in Geneva©Skoda (Relaxnews) – At the Geneva Motor Show Skoda will be taking the wraps off a larger SUV concept, the VisionS, which boasts a strong design language as well as room for all the family. Skoda is one of the few European marques with just one crossover in its range, the compact yet excellent Yeti. But as the company continues to enjoy record sales — 1.05 million cars sold worldwide in 2015 — it is going to have to start focusing more seriously on vehicles with an SUV aesthetic if it wants to continue building on its popularity. According to new data published on Tuesday from Jato Dynamics, when total European sales for 2015 are added up, for the first time in history, SUVs outperformed both subcompact and compact cars, the vehicular heartbeat of the continent. SUV registrations jumped in all of the 29 countries the organization monitors and now represent 22.5% of the European market or 3.2 million vehicles. “Similar to the shift towards SUVs in the US car market, Europeans are clearly favoring these vehicles. In 2015 this segment drove most of the growth as more consumers moved away from the traditional segments and MPVs, towards SUVs and crossovers,” said Felipe Munoz, Global Automotive Analyst at JATO Dynamics. What’s more, some of the biggest gains have been in the mid-size and large SUV categories, hence the VisionS. Though just a show car, something very much like it, with the same Read More …

Asian Journal / INQUIRER.net News Partner By: Allyson Escobar, January 28th, 2016 09:00 PM Irene and Teofilo Mesina of Virginia Beach, Virginia, claiming their $1 million prize. POWERBALL PHOTO LOS ANGELES–While most people were closely watching the national Powerball lottery drawing live on television on Wednesday,  January 13, an 82-year-old Filipino man from Virginia Beach, Virginia was not one of them. It wasn’t until he checked online that he realized he had a winning ticket. Teofilo Mesina won $1 million – before taxes – from the record $1.5 billion jackpot, after correctly picking five numbers. He missed only the Powerball number. “Not many people win that kind of money,” Mesina told The Virginian-Pilot on January 19, as he claimed his prize. Mesina bought his ticket from a 7-Eleven at Lynnhaven Parkway and Salem Road in Virginia Beach. “I would buy just sometimes,” he said. “I played a mix of my own numbers, and some computer-picked numbers.” His numbers – 04, 08, 19, 27 and 34 – were selected from significant dates for loved ones, he said. (A friend was born in April, the fourth month of the year, so he chose number 4.) When Mesina looked at the numbers, he first thought he was misreading. He checked with his wife, Irene, then other family members to make sure he had won. “I was shocked; I couldn’t believe it,” Irene Mesina said. Including Messina, 72 ticket holders were $1 million winners — 12 of them from California. There were eight $2 Read More …

The current Ferrari FF is a supercar for all the family. ©Ferrari (Relaxnews) – If you are an existing Ferrari client then you will have received an official invitation to a special event on February 15 that promises to show you a “Whole New World.” The current FF is Ferrari’s family car: a true four-seat load-lugger with iPads in the back to keep the kids distracted and a huge 651bhp 6.3-liter V12 at the front to keep the driver more than happy. It can drag a family from 0-100km/h in 3.7 seconds and onto a top speed of 208mph (335km/h). It’s also got a very clever four-wheel drive system so that more of that power can be used on the road, rather than simply on the track. And, more importantly, so that the car lends itself even more to being a classic European GT, one that can as confidently navigate snowy mountain passes as easily as it can sun-soaked Rivieras. However, after five years in production it’s starting to show its age  — even if it was the world’s first car to officially come with Apple’s CarPlay — and the new model is expected to keep the overall hatchback shape but with sharper lines and updated detailing that will bring it in line with the new 488 GTB and California T. And, now that the company has launched an even more potent version of its F12 Berlinetta, the tdf, which offers a staggering 780hp on tap without help from turbochargers Read More …

COCONUT WEEK. Senator Cynthia Villar, chairperson of the Senate Committee on Agriculture & Food, tours the exhibits during the 29th National Coconut Week and 2nd International Coconut Festival & Trade Fair at the Megatrade Hall, SM Megamall in Mandaluyong City. The senator was the guest speaker in the said event organized by the Philippine Coconut Authority. In her keynote address, Villar undercores the importance of supporting the coconut industry especially the micro, small, medium enterprises (MSMES), to be more competitive. She also cites the need to help our farmers who belong to the country’s poorest sector. (MNS photo) MANILA  (Mabuhay) – Lawmakers are unlikely to succeed in overriding President Aquino’s veto on the P2,000 monthly increase for Social Security System (SSS) pensioners, Senator Cynthia Villar admitted Friday. Villar said that at least 16 senators – two-thirds of the total number of members of the upper chamber – are needed to override the president’s veto. This proves a gargantuan task, Villar said, because senators seldom even reach a quorum of 13 as the election period nears. She said getting two-thirds of the House of Representative, or 217 congressmen, to reverse the veto of the President is even more difficult because many of them are in the provinces. “Dapat naman realistic tayo. Hindi natin ipinapangako iyung something na hirap tayo. Kasi kahit kami’y makakuha ng two-thirds sa Senate, paano ang House, 280 [representatives]. Ang two-thirds noon, mabigat,” she said. The senator emphasized that allies of the President in Congress may hesitate to Read More …

MANILA, Philippines – The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) trimmed its losses in the first 10 months of last year as it continued to book gains on foreign exchange fluctuations.  According to official data on the BSP website, the central bank’s net losses amounted to P4.41 billion from January to October, 11.8 percent down from P5 billion the previous year.  Revenues jumped 12.9 percent to P447.87 billion from P42.39 billion, while expenses rose 5.2 percent to P59.9 billion from P56.92 billion.  The BSP booked gains on foreign exchange fluctuations amounting to P7.63 billion during the period, although a fifth lower compared with P9.54 billion in 2014.   Gains or losses from fluctuations in foreign exchange rates are recorded from matured, sold, paid and/or exchanged or settled foreign exchange assets and liabilities.   Broken down, bulk of revenues came from interest earnings, which rose 17.7 percent to P32.08 billion. Meanwhile, miscellaneous income from reduced trading gains from domestic and foreign currency securities reached 15.79 billion, up 4.2 percent. Business ( Article MRec ), pagematch: 1, sectionmatch: 1  On expenditures, interest expense on loans and other foreign currency deposits, including cost of minting or printing of currencies increased 6.6 percent to P40.75 billion in the first 10 months last year.  The BSP’s primary objective is to promote price and financial stability conducive to balanced and sustainable economic growth. It also seeks to maintain monetary stability and the convertibility of the peso by performing a wide range of functions involving money, banking and Read More …