Cinematography and photography are intricately linked, and as a film-based medium they share many techniques and aesthetics. The exhibition, "Tales of the Film Stills", organised by the Hong Kong Film Archive (HKFA) of the Leisure and Cultural Services Department (LCSD), is being held from today (November 5) to March 13 next year at the Exhibition Hall of the HKFA, which enables visitors to appreciate the story told by each film still.   
 
     The exhibition showcases nearly 100 artefacts, including the earliest surviving film still in the HKFA's collection, film stills of long-lost movies, hand-painted coloured stills, film stills with special effects made by using darkroom techniques and promotional materials made with film stills. Videos of interviews with numerous film still photographers and publicity staff as well as the shooting tools of the photographers and their picks of film stills will also be shown.
 
     In addition, the HKFA has specially created some Instagram filters for visitors to produce their own still photographs by scanning the QR codes at the Exhibition Hall.
 
     To complement the exhibition, the HKFA will hold three seminars which will be conducted in Cantonese. A seminar entitled "The Scenes They Saw Through Their Viewfinder" will be hosted by film still photographers Chow Po-ki, Fong Ho-yuen and Karen Tang on December 18. The other two seminars entitled "A Brief on Photography Lighting" on January 9 next year and "Photography Touch Up on Mobile Phone" on February 12 next year will both be hosted by Douglas Ning, lecturer of the Hong Kong Design Institute. All seminars will be held at 2pm at the HKFA Cinema.
 
       Admission to the exhibition and seminars is free. For details, please call 2739 2139 or visit www.filmarchive.gov.hk/en_US/web/hkfa/pe-event-2021-e-tfs.html.
 
     All persons will be required to use the "LeaveHomeSafe" mobile application to scan the venue QR code before they are allowed to enter offices and venues under the LCSD except for exempted persons who are aged below 12 or aged 65 or above and those with disabilities that render use of the app difficult. Exemptions will also be granted to individual persons depending on the actual circumstances. All exempted persons are required to complete a record form to register their personal particulars and the date and time of their visits. As it will take time to verify personal particulars of exempted persons under the new arrangement, their waiting time for using public services or entering the relevant venues may be lengthened. The LCSD suggests members of the public to arrive early and appeals for their understanding. The department also encourages the exempted persons to use the app as far as possible to save time.

            

     The Road Traffic (Amendment) Ordinance 2021 (the Amendment Ordinance) will come into effect on November 7. Under the Amendment Ordinance, drivers are required to stop the vehicle if they hit any cat or dog. 

     A spokesman for the Food and Health Bureau said, "The number of cats and dogs kept by members of the public is on the rise in recent years. Traffic accidents involving injuries or deaths of these animals have occurred from time to time. Upon commencement of the Amendment Ordinance, drivers must stop the vehicle if they hit any cat or dog, so that the injured cats and dogs may receive timely medical treatment, with a view to safeguarding animal welfare. Naturally, drivers should ensure that it is safe before stopping, to avoid endangering oneself and other road users."

     The Road Traffic Ordinance (Cap. 374) provides that the driver of a vehicle shall stop if an accident involving that vehicle occurs whereby damage is caused to animals not in the vehicle. Drivers are also required to provide particulars, including name and address, to any police officer or any person having reasonable grounds for requiring the information. Otherwise, the driver must report the accident to the Police as soon as possible and in any case no later than 24 hours after the accident. Currently, the definition of "animal" covers any horse, cattle, ass, mule, sheep, pig or goat, and will include cat and dog after the Amendment Ordinance comes into effect.

     A driver failing to stop upon a relevant accident is liable to a fine at level 3 ($10,000) and imprisonment for 12 months, whereas failing to provide particulars and report to the Police as soon as possible and within 24 hours is liable to a fine at level 4 ($25,000) and imprisonment for six months.

The following is issued on behalf of the Hospital Authority:

     As at 9am today (November 5), no COVID-19 confirmed patient was discharged from hospital in the last 24 hours. So far, a total of 12 035 patients with confirmed or probable infection have been discharged.
 
     At present, there are 594 negative pressure rooms in public hospitals with 1 060 negative pressure beds activated. A total of 76 confirmed patients are currently hospitalised in eight public hospitals and the North Lantau Hospital Hong Kong Infection Control Centre, and all of them are in stable condition.
 
     The Hospital Authority will maintain close contact with the Centre for Health Protection to monitor the latest developments and to inform the public and healthcare workers on the latest information in a timely manner.

     The Centre for Health Protection (CHP) of the Department of Health (DH) announced that as of 0.00am, November 5, the CHP was investigating one additional confirmed case of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), taking the number of cases to 12 361 in Hong Kong so far (comprising 12 360 confirmed cases and one probable case).

     The newly reported case is an imported case that involved a mutant strain. The 46-year-old female patient arrived in Hong Kong from a Group A specified place (high-risk) and tested positive during quarantine.

     In addition, the CHP provided further updates on a confirmed imported case 12357 involving the L452R mutant strain announced earlier. According to the analysis of the whole genome sequencing with the sample of this case conducted by the Centre's Public Health Laboratory Services Branch, it is confirmed that the virus strain matched the Delta strain (B.1.617.2) sub-lineage AY.4.2. The CHP's epidemiological investigation of the case is ongoing. Under the current arrangement, the CHP follows up on all imported cases involving mutant strains by conducting whole genome sequencing to identify the lineage of the variant strains, including sub-lineage AY.4.2.

     AY.4.2 is a newly designated sub-lineage of the Delta strain. According to the World Health Organization, an increase in AY.4.2 viruses has been observed globally since July 2021 and over 26 000 AY.4.2 sequences from 42 countries had been uploaded to the online genome database GISAID by the end of October 2021. The majority (93 per cent) of these sequences were reported from the United Kingdom, where a gradual increase in the proportion of AY.4.2 has been observed. It was reported that AY.4.2 might be more transmissible than other Delta strains, especially among household members. So far, preliminary analysis in the United Kingdom does not find significant reduction in vaccine effectiveness for AY.4.2 compared to other Delta strains.

     A total of 48 cases have been reported in the past 14 days (October 22 to November 4) and all of them are imported cases.

     The CHP's epidemiological investigations and relevant contact tracing on the confirmed cases are ongoing. For case details and contact tracing information, please see the Annex or the list of buildings with confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the past 14 days and the latest local situation of COVID-19 available on the website "COVID-19 Thematic Website" (www.coronavirus.gov.hk). The DH has also been closely monitoring the mutant strains of SARS CoV-2 and has uploaded the relevant information on Variants of Concern (VOCs) and Variants of Interest (VOIs), based on whole genome sequencing results, to the CHP's website (www.chp.gov.hk/en/statistics/data/10/641/100135/6973.html). The data will be updated regularly.

     The spokesman for the CHP stressed, "The global situation of COVID-19 infection remains severe and there is a continuous increase in the number of cases involving mutant strains that carry higher transmissibility, and there are also reports of breakthrough infections in some vaccinated individuals. The CHP strongly urges members of the public to avoid all non-essential travel outside Hong Kong, in particular to specified places with high risk under the Prevention and Control of Disease (Regulation of Cross-boundary Conveyances and Travellers) Regulation (Cap. 599H)."

     The spokesman reminded, "If travel is unavoidable, the CHP highly recommends the public to be fully vaccinated with COVID-19 vaccines before their departure. They should avoid participating in non-essential mass gatherings or events held outside Hong Kong. They should continue to wear a surgical mask and maintain strict personal and environmental hygiene at all times. Parents are also urged to avoid taking unvaccinated children travelling."

     The Government has launched the COVID-19 Vaccination Programme. Members of the public are encouraged to get vaccinated. Details of the programme can be found at the designated website (www.covidvaccine.gov.hk). Generally speaking, COVID-19 vaccination can prevent COVID-19 infection, and if infected, reduce the risk of severe disease and death from COVID-19.

     â€‹The CHP called on members of the public to pay attention to their health condition, seek medical advice early and undergo COVID-19 nucleic acid testing as soon as possible if respiratory symptoms develop. They should also maintain strict personal and environmental hygiene at all times to protect themselves against infection and prevent the spread of the disease in the community. For more related health advice, please refer to the website www.coronavirus.gov.hk/eng/health-advice.html.

        Following is the speech by the Secretary for Innovation and Technology, Mr Alfred Sit, at the Elevator Pitch Competition 2021 today (November 5):
 
Sunny (Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Hong Kong Science and Technology Parks Corporation, Dr Sunny Chai), Albert (Chief Executive Officer of the Hong Kong Science and Technology Parks Corporation, Mr Albert Wong), Rebecca (Commissioner for Innovation and Technology, Ms Rebecca Pun), distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen,
 
     Good afternoon. It is my honour to join you all here today at the Sky100 Elevator Pitch Competition, the signature start-up pitch kickstarts of the Hong Kong Science and Technology Park. I am much delighted to meet so many brilliant and passionate technopreneurs who are eager to reach new heights and seek business opportunities at one of the tallest buildings in Hong Kong – Sky100!
      
     Since 2016, this signature event has been scaling up significantly, attracting overwhelming attention from over 160 potential tech start-up finalists and has become an eagerly anticipated annual occasion in Hong Kong. 
      
     The global pandemic gives rise to a diverse range of industries, in particular the digital behaviour in businesses and consumers alike. Fintech, healthtech, green and construction tech as well as smart city solutions are definitely playing a pivotal role. We also witness significant start-up growth in sectors such as e-commerce and supply chain and logistics, while remote learning is driving exciting developments in Edtech. 
      
     Despite the ongoing economic challenges posed by the new normal, I am glad to say that Hong Kong is making good progress as evidenced by our blossoming start-up ecosystem in the past few years. Compared to 2014, the number of start-ups tripled to around 3 800, with the number of employees increased by five-fold to around 14 000 in 2021. An increase in the number of start-ups and a continued diverse mix of nationalities from different parts of the world demonstrate our unique role as a facilitator for innovative companies to access the Mainland and Asian markets. Such phenomenal growth is exactly a testament to Hong Kong's attractiveness to start-up founders.  
      
     Promoting innovation and technology (I&T) is one of the top policy priorities of the Hong Kong SAR Government. To complement the existing multiplicity of funding schemes, the Government will make relevant investments by partnering with suitable private equity firms, focusing on assisting fast-growing I&T enterprises including start-ups. The Hong Kong Science and Technology Park will also set up the InnoExpress in the Shenzhen Branch of Hong Kong Science Park to help nurture start-ups on all fronts and support enterprises to "go global" and "attract foreign investment". We hope to attract more smart money from enterprises and venture capitalists and give a further boost to Hong Kong's thriving start-up ecosystem.
      
     Before I close, I would like to extend my heartfelt thanks to the Hong Kong Science and Technology Park for organising such a meaningful event for our young generation. Last but not least, my warmest congratulations to all the finalists. Thank you very much.