$5 million ‘gold card’ . Swiss gold . Airplane on the golden beach of Benin

President Trump reveals $5 million ‘gold card’ /On April 3, President Donald Trump revealed the “gold card,” which would give wealthy individuals a path to U.S. citizenship for $5 million.

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Switzerland and Gold / Swiss Public Broadcasting Documentary / March 27, 2025 / 51 min
Four of the seven largest gold refineries in the world are located in Switzerland. However, legal regulations are weak. How clean is the gold from Switzerland?

Gold mining is often associated with environmental destruction and human rights violations. What is the industry doing to ensure that no "dirty" gold ends up in Switzerland? What consequences does this business have for the mining countries, and what could Switzerland do to improve conditions?

Switzerland is the international hub for gold. Nowhere else in the world is as much of the precious metal processed as in the Alpine country. Swiss refineries melt between one-third and one-half of all gold processed worldwide. Once it is melted, no one can trace its original origin – a fact that poses major challenges and responsibilities.

In 2023, the UN sent a letter to the Swiss government. The accusation was that Swiss laws were too lax and that Switzerland could be a gateway for gold, which is linked to human rights violations, child labor, mercury poisoning, environmental destruction, or the financing of illegal groups. However, the industry and government assert that significant efforts are being made to make supply chains transparent.

In this film, director Dave Leins explores the question of how well the gold processed in Switzerland is traceable. Is it actually possible to completely monitor supply chains? And if so, how?

He visits Swiss gold refineries, has them explain what measures are being taken and how they work. He also speaks with the UN Special Rapporteur on Toxic Substances and Human Rights, Marcos Orellana; Marc Pieth, anti-corruption expert and author of the book "Goldwäsche"; and Christoph Wild, head of the industry association and the NGO Swissaid, which has long fought to improve conditions in gold mining.

To gain an insight into the diverse methods by which gold is mined, the filmmaker travels to Ghana, Africa's largest gold producer. He visits a large industrial mine and a small illegal mine. He wants to find out for himself where the challenges lie in tracing supply chains and what is being done to achieve improvements. Is there a way for the mining country to mitigate the devastating consequences?

The film is an open-ended and personally directed report in Switzerland and Ghana, which, with striking images from gold production in both countries, explores a highly relevant topic, all the more so as the price of gold is currently racing from record high to record high. /srf.ch

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ShakoMakoIRL
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Narcissism via British broadcasting...
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