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Lyt når som helst, hvor som helst 

BBC World Service

The Inquiry gets beyond the headlines to explore the trends, forces and ideas shaping the world.

The Inquiry

Gold has been prized throughout history for its value and its beauty, which has also made it attractive to those prepared to exploit this precious metal for their own ends. The European Union recently banned the purchase, import and transfer of gold from Sudan, one of Africa’s largest gold producers, saying it had become a key source of financing for the country’s civil war. 

And in other parts of the world where there are gold reserves, there can be similar exploitation. Many artisanal and small-scale miners are vulnerable to organised crime syndicates who find the risks of gold mining lower compared to those of drug trafficking. 
And illicit gold is much easier to launder into the legal market, because it can be melted down with legitimate sources of gold and smuggled across borders, making its origins much harder to trace. 

But the challenge for governments trying to enforce the law is how to protect those at the bottom of the chain and provide them with sustainable alternatives to illicit gold mining, whilst clamping down on the criminal groups behind the operation. So, can the illicit gold trade be stopped?’

This week, our panel includes Campbell Harvey, professor of finance, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, USA; Dr Dan Watson, research associate, International Institute for Strategic Studies, London, UK; Bram Ebus, consultant with International Crisis Group, founder and co-director Amazon Underworld, Bogotá, Colombia and Louis Maréchal, senior adviser on minerals and extractives, OECD, Paris, France. 

(Photo: Gold nugget and gold coins. Credit: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

Presenter: Tanya Beckett 
Producer: Jill Collins
Sound engineer: Cameron Ward
Researcher: Amelia Cox
Production co-ordinator: Phoebe Lomas
Production management assistant: Liam Morrey
Editor: Tom Bigwood

Can the illicit gold trade be stopped?

Gene therapy has changed what is possible for people living with sickle cell disease. New treatments have shown that the condition can be successfully treated. But the therapy is costly and available to only a small number of patients. 

Millions of people around the world still rely on early diagnosis and preventative medicines, with access to basic care remaining a challenge in many places, including sub-Saharan Africa, which has almost 80% of global sickle cell cases. Are we closer to gene therapy for sickle cell disease being accessible?

We speak to Dr Natasha Archer, director of the Sickle Cell Program at the Dana-Farber/Boston Children's Cancer and Blood Disorders Center, US; Dr Alexis Thompson, paediatric haematologist at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia and a professor of paediatrics at the University of Pennsylvania, US; Dr Leon Tshilolo, professor of paediatrics and haematology at the University of Mbuji-Mayi, DR Congo and Prof Baba Inusa, consultant paediatrician in the School of Life Course & Population Sciences at King's College London, UK

(Photo: Cell lines are prepared in a laboratory in Maryland, US. Credit: Brendan Smialowski/Getty Images)

Presenter: Daniel Rosney
Producer: Matt Toulson 
Researcher: Evie Yabsley 
Sound engineer: Cameron Ward
Production Co-ordiantor: Phoebe Lomas
Production Management Assistant: Liam Morrey
Editor: Tom Bigwood

Are we closer to gene therapy for sickle cell disease being accessible?

Last year Kenya’s President William Ruto established a task force to investigate the escalating cases of gender-based violence including femicide. The task force travelled around the country gathering information and at the beginning of this year published its recommendations, which are now being debated in parliament. One of those recommendations is the legal recognition of femicide as a standalone crime. 

UN Women, the United Nations agency which promotes the empowerment and rights of girls and women, have been working with grassroots organisations in Kenya on male engagement strategies, to change perceptions of the role of men and women. But the UN Women’s representative in Kenya, acknowledges that challenges remain. 

In the meantime, women continue to march in protest and the country waits to see if President Ruto will implement the task force recommendations. So, is Kenya serious about ending femicide?

Contributors 
Shyleen Momanyi, executive director, Young Women’s Leadership Institute, Nairobi, Kenya 
Dr Nancy Baraza, former deputy chief justice of the Republic of Kenya, senior law lecturer, University of Nairobi, chairperson of the technical working group on gender-based violence including femicide, Kenya
Consuelo Corradi, professor of sociology, Lumsa University, Rome, Italy
Antonia Sodonon, UN Women country representative, Kenya 

Presenter: Charmaine Cozier
Producer: Jill Collins 
Researcher: Evie Yabsley 
Technical producer: Toby James 
Production Co-ordiantor: Phoebe Lomas
Production Management Assistant: Liam Morrey
Editor: Tom Bigwood

(Photo: Protesters attend a rally in Nairobi demanding an end to femicide, 27 January, 2024. Three women at the forefront, one wears a white T-shirt with a "End Femicide" slogan at the front, the middle woman wears a red T-shirt and is shouting, and the third is holding a banner with the slogan "Stop Killing US". Credit: Daniel Irung/EPA-EFE/Rex/Shutterstock)

Is Kenya serious about ending femicide?

Flesh-eating parasitic flies have been found in the US state of Texas for the first time in decades. Known as the New World Screwworm, officials have now put plans in place to try and contain its spread. The fly feeds off warm-blooded animals, like cattle, dogs and horses, but if detected early enough, with treatment, the animals can make a full recovery. It can also infest humans, but human deaths are rare and it poses no food safety issues. 

The New World Screwworm is not a new problem; it is considered endemic in South America and some parts of Central America, towards South America. But despite the United States declaring itself screwworm free in the 1960s, the country has since seen several outbreaks. Officials have been tracking this latest case since late 2024. 

To date, the most widely used method to try and control the spread of the screwworm is the Sterile Insect Technique, whereby millions of flies are hatched and exposed to radiation, before they are released into the wild. And the idea here is that as the females only mate once in a lifetime, any eggs they lay will be unfertilised and will not hatch. There is currently only one facility hatching these flies in operation and there are not enough sterile flies being produced. In addition, there is a concern over a lack of knowledge among new veterinary recruits on how to deal with a problem that many may be experiencing for the first time. So, can the New World Screwworm be stopped?

Contributors
Grace VanHoy, veterinarian and professor, UC Davis Weill School of Veterinary Medicine, California, USA 
Thomas Rath, author and assistant professor, History Department, University College London, UK
Dr Phillip Kaufman, professor and head of department of entomology, Texas A&M University, chair of the Texas A&M AgriLife New World Screwworm Task Force, USA
Rui Cardoso Pereira, head of insect pest control section, Joint FAO/IAEA Programme of Nuclear Techniques in Food and Agriculture, International Atomic Energy Agency, Vienna, Austria.

Presenter: Charmaine Cozier
Producer: Jill Collins
Researcher: Amelia Cox 
Sound engineer: Craig Boardman
Production Co-ordiantor: Phoebe Lomas
Production Management Assistant: Liam Morrey
Editor: Tom Bigwood

(Photo: New World Screwworm poster. Credit: Joel Angel Juarez/Getty Images)

Can the New World Screwworm be stopped?

This year, technology has more influence in officiating sports than ever before.

At the men's World Cup, the role of virtual assistant referee technology (VAR) has been extended to include two more on-pitch scenarios while in tennis, umpires use electric line calling systems (ELC) to make final decisions.

Both bits of kit aim to improve the accuracy. It’s become easier to consider match-defining moments through these tracking and review systems’ specialised cameras. But, this information takes human officials valuable time to analyse.

Football fans criticise VAR for this reason, saying it delays match momentum. Top ranking tennis players Aryna Sabalenka and Alexander Zverev have also complained as these systems are not yet infallible. If technology is as imperfect as a human referee or umpire and can interrupt the fan experience too, why do elite sports rely on it?

Contributors
Carlo de Marchis, independent adviser in sports and media technology in Italy
Dr Otto Koblinger, former sports scientist, Munich Technical University, Germany and senior data manager, Saudi Pro League
Professor Odilon Roble, sport philosopher and psychoanalyst, University of Campinas (UNICAMP), Brazil
Matt Moore, associate dean, University of Kentucky’s college of social work, US.

Presenter: Tanya Beckett
Producer: Evie Yabsley
Researcher: Amelia Cox
Sound engineer: Nicky Edwards
Production Co-ordiantor: Phoebe Lomas
Production Management Assistant: Liam Morrey
Editor: Tom Bigwood

(Photo: VAR check. Credit: Dan Mullan/Getty Images)

Is technology ruining sport?

A new directive strives to narrow the 11% hourly wage gap between men and women in the EU.

Around the world, the gender pay gap has been shrinking as women gain access to higher education and better employment opportunities. Though varied hours, industries and care responsibilities make this inequality a difficult problem to tackle with one universal policy.

Member states have just passed their deadline to implement measures that will hold employers to account for pay disparities in the workplace so will pay transparency solve the persistent gap?

Contributors:
Emma Duchini, assistant professor of economics, University of Essex, UK
Marianne Bertrand, professor of economics, University of Chicago Booth School of Business, US
Adamnesh Bogale, head of gender, African Centre for Economic Transformation (ACET), Ghana
Marina Tverdostup, economist, Vienna Institute for International Economic Studies, Austria.

Presenter: Charmaine Cozier
Producer: Evie Yabsley
Researcher: Amelia Cox
Sound engineer: Toby James
Production Co-ordiantor: Phoebe Lomas
Production Management Assistant: Liam Morrey
Editor: Tom Bigwood

(Photo: A woman typing)

Can Brussels crack the gender pay gap?

In May 2026, the World Health Organization declared an Ebola outbreak in western Africa a public health emergency of international concern. Within days, hundreds of cases had been recorded in the Democratic Republic of Congo, raising fears that the virus could spread further across the region.

Ebola has been causing outbreaks for nearly 50 years, but despite advances in vaccines and treatments, the disease continues to return. But why is it so difficult to treat and contain? 

Contributors:
Syra Madad, infectious disease epidemiologist at the Harvard Belfer Centre, US
Hypolite Muhindo Mavoko, professor of tropical medicine at the University of Kinshasa, the Democratic Republic of Congo
Amanda Rojek, associate professor of health emergencies at the University of Oxford, UK
Julienne Anoko, risk communication and community engagement officer at the World Health Organization Regional Office for Africa, Kenya

Presenter: Tanya Beckett
Producer: Matt Toulson
Researcher: Amelia Cox
Technical producer: Nicky Edwards
Production Co-ordiantor: Phoebe Lomas
Production Management Assistant: Liam Morrey
Editor: Tom Bigwood

(Photo: Ebola awareness banner in Democratic Republic of the Congo. Credit: Glordy Murhabazi/Getty Images)

Why does Ebola keep coming back?

In 2001, Portugal decriminalised the possession and use of all illicit drugs. It was a move designed to mitigate the country’s public health crisis, which at the time meant Portugal had one of the worst rates of overdose deaths in Europe, as well as the highest rate of HIV among drug users. Whilst drugs remained illegal, users did not receive a criminal record but were instead referred to rehabilitation and treatment programmes. It was an approach that proved so successful, that it has remained in place for a quarter of a century. 

But just over 10 years after its introduction, Portugal’s drugs policy started to come under strain as the country’s economic crisis and subsequent austerity measures led to budget cuts for drug services. More recently the rising cost of living has diverted people’s attention from investment in this field. On top of this, the trafficking of cocaine and newer substances into the country along with changing demographics is putting decriminalisation under strain. 

Contributors:
Joana Teixeira, President of the Board of Directors, Institute for Addictive Behaviours and Dependencies (ICAD), Lisbon, Portugal
Luís Mendão, Director General, Grupo de Ativistas em Tratamentos (GAT), Lisbon, Portugal
António Leitão da Silva, Chief of Police, Braga, Portugal
Keith Humphreys, Esther Ting Memorial professor of psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Stanford University, California, USA.

Presenter: David Baker 
Producer: Jill Collins
Technical Producer: Toby James 
Production Co-ordiantor: Phoebe Lomas
Production Management Assistant: Liam Morrey
Editor: Tom Bigwood

(Photo: Discarded syringes and drug paraphernalia. Credit: Andy Buchanan/AFP)

Is Portugal’s drugs policy in need of reform?

At the beginning of this year Bulgaria, considered as one of the poorest countries in the European Union, became the latest to officially join the eurozone. Bulgaria’s legal tender since 1881 had been the lev, but since the mid-1990s it had been pegged to other European currencies, first to the German deutschmark and now to the euro. But it remains to be seen if the country’s economic policy can take advantage of the opportunities that joining the single currency can afford, in terms of trade and economic development. 

Monetary unions are not a new concept, some like the Scandinavian monetary union date back to the 19th Century, involving Denmark, Sweden and Norway. It established a fixed exchange rate system based on the gold standard, whilst member countries still had their own currencies before it was gradually dissolved from the outbreak of World War One onwards. 

Today, the biggest monetary union is the eurozone, used by around 358 million people across 21 European Union countries. It has one monetary authority for all the members and a standardised currency and coinage. 

And now the Economic Community of West African States, known as Ecowas is actively planning a monetary union with a common currency called the eco and pegged to the euro. The ambition is for greater economic sovereignty and regional economic integration. 

But with the US dollar as the world’s dominant global reserve currency, even though it is not part of a global monetary union, is there an argument for one currency across all borders and if so, what should it be?

Contributors:
Assoc Prof Ralitsa Simeonova-Ganeva, Sofia University St Kliment Ohridski, Bulgaria 
Prof Barry Eichengreen, University of California, Berkeley, USA
Prof Mohamed Ben Omar Ndiaye, Cheikh Anta Diop University, Senegal
Dr Judy Shelton, Senior Fellow, The Independent Institute, California, USA

Presenter: Charmaine Cozier
Producers: Daniel Rosney and Jill Collins 
Researcher: Evie Yabsley
Sound engineer: Toby James
Production Co-ordiantor: Phoebe Lomas
Production Management Assistant: Liam Morrey
Editor: Tom Bigwood

(Photo: Euro and US dollar banknotes)

What’s the future for monetary unions?

The Himalayan glaciers are melting more rapidly as global temperatures rise, raising concerns about the future of ecosystems and communities across the Himalayan mountain range. Glaciers store more than two thirds of the world’s freshwater and help regulate global temperatures by reflecting the sun’s rays.

Across South Asia, melting ice is contributing to the formation of unstable glacial lakes and increasing the risks of floods, droughts and avalanches. The Himalayas are a vital source of water for millions of people, supporting agriculture, energy production and livelihoods from tourism.

Experts warn that continued glacier loss could have significant consequences for people living in the region and the mountainous ecosystem, but what can be done to respond to these changes?

Contributors: 
Pasang Yangjee Sherpa, assistant professor at the University of British Columbia, Canada
Pam Pearson, director and founder of the International Cryosphere Climate Initiative, US
Matthias Huss, glaciologist and senior scientist at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich, Switzerland
Alton Byers, faculty research scientist at the Institute of Arctic and Alpine Research at the University of Colorado, US

Presenter: Tanya Beckett
Producer: Matt Toulson 
Researchers: Evie Yabsley and Amelia Cox
Technical Producer: Mitch Goodall
Production Co-ordiantor: Phoebe Lomas
Production Management Assistant: Liam Morrey
Editor: Tom Bigwood

(Photo: Trekkers walk to Everest Base Camp in Nepal. Credit: Kriangkrai Thitimakorn/Getty Images)

Are the Himalayan glaciers at a tipping point?

As governments spend huge sums to get through the coronavirus crisis, how will they fund it all? Slash spending, raise taxes or just accept debt is here to stay? 

With Tanya Beckett.

(Photo: Variety of world currency notes: Credit: Getty images)

How will the world pay for Covid-19?

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