The idol groups of KBSs Imitation will be standing on the same coveted stage in the upcoming final episode of the drama.
Ahead of the final broadcast, KBS released stills of Tea Party, SHAX, LA LIMA, and Sparkling performing at the MML Concert. In the drama, the MML Concert is a special end-of-year showat which only the top artists in Korea are invited to perform. It isconsidered to bethe dream stage of rookie singers. In the previous episode, Tea Party and Sparkling were thrilled at getting the invitation, while SHAX and LA LIMA proved their top idol status by beingnamed as headliners on the show.
Tea Party, which is composed of Ma Ha (Jung Ji So), Hyun Ji (Lim Nayoung), and Ri Ah (Minseo), will perform their debut song Show Me and their past resurgent hit as Omega 3, Call Me. Their performance will show the girl groups growth over the course of the drama.
SHAX, composed of Kwon Ryoc (Lee Jun Young), Do Jin (Yuri), Jae Woo (Ahn Jung Hoon), Lee Hyun (Hwiyoung), and Hyuk (Jongho), will perform MALO and AMEN and show off their trademark dark charisma and sharp synchronized choreography.
LA LIMA (Jiyeon) will perform No Answer and Closer,songs that alternately showher sultry appealand explosive charisma. Sparkling, composed of Yoo Jin (Yunho), Hyun Oh (Suwoong), Se Young (Seonghwa), and Min Soo (San), will perform DIAMOND and show a different appeal from SHAX with their refreshing charm, as well as their new rise after fighting through the danger of reorganization.
The production staff stated, The MML concert scene is intended as a gift to ease the regret of the show coming to an end. All the cast members and staff worked hard to prepare the scene, so please look forward to it.
The European Union, as one of the largest greenhouse gas emitters behind China and the United States, is set to become the leader of global climate change initiatives as they release their new Fit for 55 plan last Wednesday.If successful, the EU will cut their total emissions 55% by 2030, based on levels from 1990. Already, they are on track to reach their target, as emissions have been reduced by 24%, leaving another 21% to be cut in 9 years. The policies included within the plan cover many sectors of the economy that have been slower to reduce emissions, including industry, transportation, energy, and housing. With a goal this ambitious, the 27 member states and the European Parliament will go through months of negotiations before the package is passed. However, it looks promising that the EU will become the first and largest economy to be driven by greener, more sustainable practices.
European lawmakers have so far responded positively to the new policies, with EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen at the forefront, calling the target to cut emissions our generational task and the package a part of political aspiration [turning] to legal obligation. Even though other states made initiatives to reduce their overall negative impacts on the environment, the Fit for 55 plan is the first of its kind to have an effect on global trade flows. But, as U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen claims, theres a powerful incentive once one significant country has adopted this that might inspire other states to follow suit. In all, the transition to a greener economy might be difficult, but beneficial in that our economy will look a lot better, and we can get the climate crisis under control as EU Commissioner Frans Timmermans says.
The EU has made a bold step in combating climate change with their new plan, one that will force a change in how these states and the EU as a whole will operate. But this is the type of legislation needed to make a significant difference in slowing the effects of climate change, because what has been done up to now is not enough. Even if not all of the policies are passed into law, initiatives like carbon border tariffs will pressure companies to reduce their emissions and create a wider impact that reaches outside the EU. The Fit for 55 package is a symbolic move in the right direction and a call for all leaders and policymakers, such as in the U.S., to consider passing stricter legislation that will streamline companies and consumers into moving towards a green economy.
Until this point, many large-scale climate initiatives have been more on an agreement basis, where states will sign a protocol or plan without much enforcement and repercussions for not following policy, such as the Kyoto Protocol. States could even just leave, like the U.S. did with the Paris Accords. But the policies that are adopted with this new package will bind all states in the EU to these standards, and hopefully other outside states move in that direction as their industries will be left at a competitive disadvantage. The EU has already taken initiative in their larger goal towards carbon neutrality by 2050 under the name the European Green Deal. The Fit for 55 is just the most recent proposal moving to fulfill that ambition.
With the introduction of the EUs new set of climate initiatives, there comes praise that this is the beginning of widespread stricter legislation that will hold states, industries and consumers accountable in helping to fight climate change. But there are also its critics, for questions are being raised concerning rising consumer costs such as with energy bills and renovated housing, as well as industry opposition against higher taxes. There is also to consider the gap between richer and poorer states within the EU and being able to front the extra costs ofmoving to renewable practices. Either way, whether those view the Fit for 55 deal as too much or too little, it is still an important step in the wider movement to combat climate change, for the good of everyone.
U.S. Sen. Rand Paul announced Thursday hes backing Republican Don Huffines in his campaign to unseat Gov. Greg Abbott in a GOP primary next spring.
The Kentucky Senator, who grew up in Lake Jackson and attended Baylor University, said hes known Huffines, a Dallas developer, for more than 20 years.
He is a loyal, steadfast fighter for limited, constitutional government, Paul said. He has been in the thick of every conservative fight since I have known him. He is unafraid to stand up to the establishment. He is someone who will defend our freedoms.
The endorsement gives Huffines, a former state senator, backing from a leader in libertarian-conservative circles, and it aligns him with one of the most vocal critics of Dr. Anthony Fauci and the nations handling of COVID-19. Huffines has built a key part of his campaign around being critical of Abbotts mask mandate last summer and other executive orders he released during the COVID-19 pandemic.
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When Abbott had the chance to protect the freedoms of all Texans, he instead sided with power-hungry, pro-lockdown politicians in Washington, Huffines said. Abbotts lockdowns killed more than 3 million Texas jobs in one week.
Huffines is one of two high profile Republicans who have announced they are challenging Abbott in a primary next year when Abbott will be seeking a third four-year term as governor. Earlier this month, former Florida Congressman Allen West announced he too is running for the Republican nomination for governor.
Abbott has never faced a major primary challenger in his previous two campaigns for governor. Campaign finance reports show Abbott has more than $55 million ready for the 2022 election cycle.
Paul is the son of former U.S. Congressman Ron Paul of Texas, who became a leader in the Tea Party movement and has run for president both with the Libertarian Party and the Republican Party.
In late June, the Council of the European Union gave the green light to the first European Climate Law, following the adoption of the legislation by the European Parliament a few days earlier. The law is designed to reduce greenhouse emissions by 55 per cent (compared to 1990 levels) by 2030 and reach climate neutrality in the next 30 years. The EU is gradually turning into a climate champion, and this step converts its moral commitment into a legal obligation. The law provides European citizens and businesses with certainty and clarity about the path for the green transformation.
While MEPs from opposing sides of the political spectrum rejected some of the provisions of the law, 26 member states voted in favour of it at the Council of the EU. The only exception was Bulgaria. The countrys caretaker government, which has been in place since mid-May, explained the abstention with a brief, vague comment: the final compromise does not reflect sufficiently our national position. Subsequently, the Bulgarian Ministry of Environment and Water specified that the adopted text does not take into consideration several requests from the Bulgarian government, such as the inclusion of natural gas as transition fuel until 2030; recognition of the technology neutrality approach in the transition; or a proposal for a smoother reduction of coal subsidies, which currently sustain Bulgarian coal mining and processing.
The Bulgarian government has acted too late to oppose or affect the EUs legal framework for tackling climate change. The abstention runs counter to both the expectations of Bulgarian citizens and the unions long-running efforts to transform Europe into the first climate-neutral continent.
Successive Bulgarian governments and leaders have been reluctant to commit to a clear path for the green transition within a set timeframe
Since early 2021, the Sofia office of the European Council on Foreign Relations has conducted extensive research into the ways in which Bulgarian businesses and citizens view the EUs green recovery and climate policy efforts. According to a public opinion poll commissioned by ECFR, 80 per cent of Bulgarians support the 55 per cent emissions-reduction target and only 3 per cent oppose it. The survey shows that Bulgarians are strongly supportive of climate-oriented policies, but their concerns are not reflected in the programmes of the political parties. In Bulgaria, 85 per cent of respondents believe that global warming and its consequences are a problem of paramount importance, while just 3 per cent are climate change sceptics 4 percentage points lower than the EU average. Despite their concerns, three-quarters of Bulgarians do not feel informed about or satisfied with the governments position on climate issues. These polling numbers are confirmed by recent Eurobarometer findings. The Eurobarometer study reveals that only 10 per cent of Bulgarian respondents regard their national governments climate actions as sufficient, compared to the EU average of 20 per cent.
Generally, Bulgaria is among the least advanced EU countries in terms of the public debate and executive decisions within the framework of the European Green Deal. Climate change and the commitment to net zero still receive too little attention from Bulgarian politicians and scientists. Lately, the Bulgarian public debate on the European Green Deal has concentrated on the amount, timing, and allocation of EU funds Bulgaria will receive from the blocs planned financing mechanisms. The main rationale for the new EU policy achieving carbon neutrality and resource-saving or recycling has been absent from the national discussion. Successive Bulgarian governments and leaders have been reluctant to commit to a clear path for the green transition within a set timeframe.
The political debate in the country does not reflect the urgency of the issue and, instead of producing forward-looking solutions, is mainly focused on populist slogans on issues such as the danger of high unemployment in the energy sector. This is particularly apparent in the region of Stara Zagora, where a coal mine and two thermal power plants are located. One cannot expect much support for the climate agenda from residents of this area, as political actors have prevented a reasoned debate on the potential closure of the plants.
Moreover, Bulgarias abstention on the European Climate Law not only isolates the country within the EU once again but also reveals two familiar shortfalls in Bulgarian diplomacy. Firstly, the abstention on such an important and unprecedented law shows the Bulgarian civil services lack of expertise and negotiation skill. It had years to negotiate a solution to Bulgarias grievances, while equipping the economy for a low-carbon future. Secondly, the reaction to the abstention in the union resembles the response to the Bulgarian veto of the start of EU accession talks with North Macedonia in late 2020, which damaged Sofias reputation and diminished its bargaining power within EU institutions. And, by resisting the EUs vital efforts to create a joint carbon-neutral future, Bulgaria has undermined European taxpayers confidence that the country will efficiently allocate its share of the Just Transition and Recovery and Resilience facilities to climate mitigation and green investment. While the previous Bulgarian government was struggling to adjust to Europes ambitions of climate leadership, the Commission launched the new legislative package Fit for 55. Adopted on 14 July 2021, the package includes 13 new or revised pieces of legislation that will have a broad impact on all EU economies if the Commission succeeds in addressing all the technical, social, and diplomatic challenges it presents, as ECFRs Alex Clark recently explained. The proposed extension of carbon pricing to the construction and transport sectors is likely to have a major impact on Bulgarian society, as is the carbon border-adjustment mechanisms effect on the price of products imported from neighbouring Turkey and Serbia. This was not the case with the EU Emissions Trading System, whse effect on energy prices largely spared Bulgarian consumers (due to their countrys coal subsidies and partially regulated energy markets). The Bulgarian government will now have to face up to the climate challenge, by the raising expectations of Bulgarian voters and catching up to climate policy developments in Brussels and further afield.
The European Council on Foreign Relations does not take collective positions. ECFR publications only represent the views of its individual authors.
WHAT IS THE most important financial entity in the United States? The Federal Reserve sets the beat of global financial markets with its interest-rate decisions. JP Morgan, a bank, has a $3.7trn balance sheet. Some argue the United States Mint could help circumvent the ceiling Congress sets on the national debt by minting a trillion-dollar coin.
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And yet it is arguable that the crown belongs to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), whose massive $3.5trn in receipts is more than six times the revenues of the largest private company. Its ancillary assignments alone are vast, including the supervision of private pensions, determination of which institutions deserve tax-exempt status, and provision of payments for numerous government subsidies including $800bn in covid-19-related assistance paid to 160m people. All of these, despite their enormity, pale in comparison to its main assignment: collecting 95% of federal revenues.
For the 56% of American adults who pay taxes, the IRS serves as the primary face of the American government with a right to probe their most intimate financial affairs. It is a scrutiny that may become demonstrably sharper as the Biden administration, in search of revenue to fund large spending plans, wants more money to enhance the agencys enforcement, in the hope of flushing out hidden troves.
Support for the effort comes from a report published in July 2020 by the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimating the tax gapthe difference between the amount owed and paidbetween 2011 and 2013 to have been 14% of revenues. By adding $20bn over the next decade to enforcement (an annual increase of 40% over current levels), the CBO estimates collections would increase by $61bn. By adding $40bn, collections would increase by $103bn. Additional collections, the CBO posits, would come as the indirect consequence of potential avoiders understanding their increased risk of being caught.
Increasing funds for the IRS would be a turnabout from a decade-long freeze (see chart). In the intervening years, the number of employees in the IRSs enforcement agency has dropped by 30%, audits of individual returns declined from 1.1% in 2010 to 0.6% in 2018, and audits of returns for incomes in excess of $1m have fallen from 12% to 3%. All this reflects a problem that extends beyond money lost. Nothing is more destructive of respect for the government and the law of the land than passing laws which cannot be enforced, Albert Einstein is reputed to have said.
Yet if the proposal faces opposition, it is not merely because of the threat of increased harassment by tax authorities, but also suspicion that the enhanced spending on a more intrusive agency may miss the cause of shortfalls. Taxpayers, according to the American Action Forum, a think-tank, spend on average 17 hours on preparation; more than half pay for professional help. Polling reliably finds that Americans dislike the process. Confusion looms.
Only 3% of the 85m calls to the primary assistance number for individuals baffled by their returns reached a person during the most recent tax year, says Nina Olson, a former IRS employee who now runs the Centre for Taxpayer Rights. Confidence in the IRS has been damaged by asking the agency to decide which groups should be tax-exempt, which quickly becomes political. A decade ago the IRS removed the tax-exempt status of various Tea Party groups. Lois Lerner, who headed the relevant IRS department, was held in contempt of Congress for refusing to answer questions about this. Then John Koskinen, a lawyer brought in by the Obama administration to run the agency after the scandal, was censured by Congress too.
Republicans seethed and many concluded that expanding enforcement activity was suicidal. In June IRS tax returns from some of Americas richest citizens were leaked to ProPublica, a group of investigative journalists, with the intention of influencing the debate over tax policy. The result was scintillating reading and a further blow to the agencys neutrality.
Expectations are that the enforcement money will come from a spending bill passed by the Democrats along party lines. Better, perhaps, might be a broad reorganisation to peel off ancillary activitiesand a simpler tax code. Neither of these things, however, is being discussed.
This article appeared in the United States section of the print edition under the headline "Seeking revenue"