Briefly

THE PHILIPPINES

Duterte confirms he'll run for VP next year

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has confirmed rumblings that he will run next year for vice-president. He said in comments broadcast on Wednesday: "I will run for vice-president. I'm worried about the drugs, insurgency. Well, number one is insurgency, then criminality, drugs." Polls suggest that running Duterte on a ticket with his daughter, Sara Duterte, currently the mayor of Davao City, as the presidential candidate would be a strong pairing, said Manila-based political analyst Richard Heydarian.

MALAYSIA

New PM, opposition seek to ease tensions

Malaysia's new Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob and the opposition pledged on Wednesday to find "common ground" to tackle a coronavirus outbreak and boost the economy, seeking to ease long-running political turbulence. Ismail Sabri was inaugurated at the weekend following the resignation of his predecessor after a tumultuous 17 months in office. On Wednesday, he held discussions with opposition leaders as they seek to put aside their differences.

Agencies via Xinhua