jorgegarcia (jorgegarcia)

Army to MagNorte aspirants: Reject violence in BARMM polls Military and police authorities continue to host candidate forums and peace covenant signings in a bid to ensure next month’s balloting is orderly and peaceful. A day earlier, Caballero joined other military officials, Commission on Elections (COMELEC) personnel and candidates in a peace covenant signing of BARMM candidates organized by the 1st Marine Brigade, led by its commander, Brig. Gen. Larry Batalla, held at a resort in Datu Odin Sinsuat, Maguindanao del Norte. Caballero said the 603Bde remains committed to supporting initiatives that promote peace, protect communities, and help ensure the safe, orderly, peaceful, and credible conduct of the first BPE. The COMELEC earlier cited that no areas were placed under the red category for the upcoming regional parliamentary polls.

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‘Granular’ domestic security strategy One of the new appointments brings back a veteran intelligence figure as the head of the Basij volunteer militia, which is under the Guards’ control and was heavily involved in the brutal suppression of protests in January. Hossein Taeb – a close ally of Mojtaba Khamenei – “was a particularly controversial and divisive figure during his tenure as head of IRGC Intelligence, closely associated with the hardline security apparatus’s repression of dissent,” wrote Sina Toossi, senior fellow at the Center for International Policy, on X. The United States sanctioned Taeb in 2010 for his involvement in suppressing protests the previous year after a presidential election widely thought to have been rigged. His new mandate “calls for strengthening the Basij’s ‘public intelligence network,’ exploiting modern technologies, and expanding neighborhood organization” of the militia, Toossi said.

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Army to MagNorte aspirants: Reject violence in BARMM polls COTABATO CITY – Military authorities in Maguindanao del Norte have urged Monday candidates in the historic Sept. 14 Bangsamoro Parliamentary Elections (BPE) to uphold the rule of law and reject violence. The Philippine Army in the province has been facilitating peace dialogues among election stakeholders to help ensure that the forthcoming elections in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) are conducted peacefully and orderly. In a statement, Col. Glenn Loreto T. Caballero, commander of the Army’s 603rd Infantry Brigade, emphasized that maintaining peaceful elections is a shared responsibility. "Together, let us protect the gains we have achieved, respect one another despite our differences, and remain united in building a peaceful, credible, and prosperous Bangsamoro," Caballero said referring to all candidates and political parties in Maguindanao del Norte.

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US and Canada say they are close to final trade deal WASHINGTON: The United States and Canada signalled Wednesday (Aug 19) that they were close to finalising a comprehensive trade deal, after US President Donald Trump paused implementing a new round of crippling tariffs. "We've come to a deal with Canada," Trump said Wednesday, adding that it's "subject to finalization of documents." Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney remained more cautious, saying on social media that Ottawa and Washington "are now moving towards an agreement." The planned US tariffs, set at 50 per cent, were originally due to take effect Wednesday on select Canadian goods. But Trump announced late Tuesday that he would delay their rollout by three days as both sides worked to finalize a deal. Carney on Wednesday applauded his Canada-US trade minister, Dominic LeBlanc, and Trump's top negotiator Jamieson Greer, for "significant progress" in the negotiations.

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