Presenters：Azam Khan and Mike Rowse
Backchat is RTHK Radio 3's week-daily current affairs discussion programme, with expert panels and listener participation. It airs every Monday to Friday from 9.05am - 10am (HKT).
Have your say by calling us on 233 88 266, find us on Facebook - Backchat on RTHK Radio 3, or email backchat@rthk.gov.hk
Listen live on Radio 3's homepage - www.rthk.hk/radio/radio3
On this programme, we speak to a lawmaker about the government considering to expand the buyout plan for Wang Fuk Court to cover the only building in the residential estate not to have been affected by November's inferno.
We then talk to another lawmaker about a potential expansion of a proposed pilot scheme that would see the private sector manage certain public beaches.
After the break, we learn all about how a rescue team from Ocean Park successfully performed a world-first surgery on a cownose ray, after it suffered from a life-threatening gastric rupture.
And to wrap-up, we learn more about this year's GBA Fashion Fusion in Shenzhen, where four local fashion designers and graduates joined the project in the hopes of promoting their work on the mainland.
9:05am-9:18am: Wang Fuk Court buyout plan
Speaker:
Bill Tang, Lawmaker
9:18am-9:30am: Private sector to operate public beaches
Speaker:
Judy Chan, Lawmaker
9:32am-9:47am: World’s first cownose ray surgery
Speaker:
Dr Chris Perkins, Ocean Park vet
9:47am-10:00am: GBA Fashion Fusion
Speakers:
Elmer Ho, Fashion designer and Founder of AEPEL
Wayne Lo, Co-Founder Chief Designer at Hoopla, a Hong Kong fashion designer label
Presenters：Azam Khan and Mike Rowse
On Friday’s programme, we started off in Venezuela, where tensions are escalating after Washington carried out several strikes on alleged drug-carrying boats in recent weeks, killing dozens. UN-appointed human rights experts have described the raids as "extrajudicial executions."
US President Donald Trump admitted to giving the CIA the green light to conduct covert operations in Venezuela, with US officials reportedly saying they aim to topple Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro. Mr Maduro, for his part, accused Washington of plotting regime change, and said he is mobilising the military, police and a civilian militia to defend Venezuela's "mountains, coasts, schools, hospitals, factories and markets." We talked to leading geo-political analysts about the latest developments.
After the break, we found out more about an upcoming arts and musical festival in Hong Kong.
And to wrap up the show, we heard from medical experts from the Chinese University - one with research findings on pregnancy, and the other to brief us on a medical breakthrough that may pave the way to treating arthritis.
9:05am-9:30am: CIA "covert operations" in Venezuela
Speakers:
Einar Tangen, Senior Fellow at the Centre for International Government Innovation and Chairman of Asia Narratives
Prof Jeffrey Sachs, Economist and Director of the Center for Sustainable Development at Columbia University
9:34am-9:44am: LCSD's "Cheers!" series
Speaker:
Kit Tung, Manager (Multi-Arts), Cultural Presentations Section, Leisure and Cultural Services Department
9:44am-9:49am: Pregnancy and blood sugar level study
Speaker:
Prof Ronald Ma, Head at the Division of Endocrinology and Diabetes at the Department of Medicine and Therapeutics, Faculty of Medicine, The Chinese University of Hong Kong
9:49am-10:00am: Leading study on arthritis
Speaker:
James Griffith, Chair of the Department of Imaging and Interventional Radiology, Faculty of Medicine, The Chinese University of Hong Kong
