HONG KONG -- The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) government on Wednesday suspended the vaccination of BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine due to problems with their vial caps.

The HKSAR government made the decision on receiving a written notice from Fosun Pharma, saying the packaging problem of the vaccines of batch number 210102 has been noticed.

German drug manufacturer BioNTech and Fosun Pharma are the developers of the vaccine. (Hong Kong-BioNTech Vaccine-Suspension)

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MANILA -- Philippine troops have killed eight suspected militant rebels in a running gun battle in central Philippine Negros Oriental province, the military said on Wednesday.

The military said the three-hour firefight erupted around noontime on Tuesday when troops clashed with at least 30 New People's Army (NPA) rebels on the outskirts of Guihulngan City. No soldiers were killed or wounded.

Troops captured six M16 assault rifles, two M14 rifles, a M60 machine gun, a KG9 gun, two improvised explosive devices, and several rounds of ammunition, the military added. (Philippines-Gun Battle-Toll)

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SEOUL -- The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) fired two cruise missiles off its west coast on Sunday, the South Korean military said Wednesday.

A South Korean military official, who declined to be identified, told Xinhua that two projectiles, estimated to be two cruise missiles, were launched westward from the DPRK's west coast on Sunday morning.

The official said the projectiles were detected through the South Korean military assets, noting that the military was analyzing further details such as the exact missile type. (DPRK-Cruise Missile-Test Launch)

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CANBERRA -- Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison has apologized after wrongfully claiming that News Corp Australia was dealing with harassment complaints.

During a press conference addressing the treatment of women in Parliament, Morrison on Tuesday responded to a question from a Sky News reporter about Parliament's workplace culture by suggesting that News Corp was investigating claims of harassment against one of its employees. (Autralia-PM Apology-News Corp)

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MANILA -- The second batch of Sinovac vaccines donated by China arrived in the Philippines on Wednesday amid the rapid surge of COVID-19 infections in the Southeast Asian country.

Chinese Ambassador to the Philippines Huang Xilian turned over the vaccines to the Philippines.

Health Secretary Francisco Duque said the Philippines is "grateful for the arrival of additional donated vaccines." (Philippines-Chinese Vaccine-Arrival)