The Current

The Current for Dec. 23, 2020

Today on The Current: U.K. facing new variant of COVID-19, as risk of a no-deal Brexit looms; Italy's oldest bell-making shop works to keep ancient craft alive; Young Canadians turning to the courts to assert their climate rights.
A photo of a woman with short blonde hair.
Laura Lynch hosts Thursday’s edition of The Current. (CBC)

Today on The Current:

A variant of COVID-19 has closed borders and cancelled Christmas celebrations in the U.K., all as the risk of a no-deal Brexit looms. Laura Lynch talks to Hazel Mitchison, who lives and works in London, about the new restrictions, and discusses the political alarm with former Guardian editor-in-chief Alan Rusbridger. Plus, former Harvard Medical professor and groundbreaking researcher William Haseltine discusses what's known — and what isn't — about the new variant of the virus.

Then, bells may be a symbol of the Christmas season, but traditional bell artisans are becoming fewer and fewer. Megan Williams brings us the story of a bell foundry in a tiny town in southern Italy, run by the same family for the past thousand years. They're determined to keep the craft alive.

And in a report from What On Earth — Laura Lynch's show about the climate crisis — we hear why young Canadians are turning to the courts to force the federal government to uphold their climate rights.

Full Episode Transcript