Cheap movie tickets, food fairs, and a new carnival by Victoria Harbour are some of the initiatives under the government's "Happy Hong Kong" drive aimed at cheering people up and boosting the economy. As Violet Wong reports, officials say the campaign is expected to cost around $20 million:

The "Happy Hong Kong" campaign kicks off on Saturday with $30 cinema tickets available all day. The Hong Kong Theatre Association is among the groups backing the initiative. It said it aimed to encourage people to return to cinemas and enjoy the unique experience of collective movie viewing. Mike Leeder, an English casting director and producer based in Hong Kong, told Elvis Yu that the cheap movie tickets would help boost the cinema business:

Lan Kwai Fong Group group chairman, Allan Zeman, has described the Happy Hong Kong campaign as "very bold" with just a small price tag. He denied that more consumption vouchers was a better approach, saying Hong Kong was an events capital and the activities would boost the city's reputation. He told Samantha Butler that the last 3.5 years had been difficult for residents, and a happiness campaign would lead to prosperity:

Four medical associations have urged people to get vaccinated against pneumococcus, warning that illnesses caused by the bacteria can be serious for young children and the elderly. An advisor to the government on the Covid pandemic urged John Lee's administration to look at providing them for free. Maggie Ho reports:

A paediatrician is urging the government to provide a subsidy for people aged 50 and above for a pneumococcus vaccine, so the city has better protection against the bacterial infection. Mike Kwan, honorary clinical associate professor at the University of Hong Kong, said such infections were expected to rise, especially among the young and old. He said not many cases of pneumococcus were seen during the pandemic because of social distancing rules and mask-wearing. Dr Kwan told Janice Wong that he was surprised the government only recommended the vaccine for those aged two and under, and the over-65s:

The Secretary for Security says public activities in Hong Kong come with security risks. And to back this up, Chris Tang said there was an attempt to hijack a women's rights march last month that was eventually called off. As Ada Au reports, Tang was speaking just before leaving Hong Kong on Monday for a trip to the mainland:

The Chief Executive says the four-day visit to the Greater Bay Area by senior government officials and lawmakers showed that Hong Kong has to make up for lost time. John Lee also said the trip was just the beginning of journeys to the north. Violet Wong reports:

John Lee and his entourage toured a sewage treatment plant in Guangzhou on Monday on the final day of their trip, and held talks with city and Guangdong provincial officials. Towards the end of the four-day GBA visit, Executive Council convenor and lawmaker, Regina Ip, spoke to Wendy Wong and told her she was impressed by the technological advancement in the various mainland cities:

China says it respects the "sovereign state status" of all post-Soviet countries, after Beijing's ambassador to France sparked outrage in Europe by questioning the sovereignty of those nations. The Foreign Ministry spoke out after Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia summoned Beijings' envoys to explain the comments on post-Soviet states by the envoy. Mike Weeks reports: