Hello and welcome to the Intelligence on Economist Radio.

I'm your host, Jason Palmer.

Every weekday we provide a fresh perspective on the events shaping your world.

Early in the pandemic, the question was whether a cooped up planet would produce more babies

or fewer.

The answer is now clear.

Many, many fewer.

We look into the prospect that on a planet with fewer people, there are fewer transformative

ideas.

And a famed series of sculptures known as the Benin Bronzes has become a focal point

in a global discussion about the restitution of artworks to their home lands.

It's a debate that raises tempers and a great many questions.

Just up though.

Since 2013, French armed forces have been stationed in the Sahel, fighting jihadists.

France's forces have been stretched, just over 5,000 of its troops, for a region roughly

the size of Western Europe.

Such counterinsurgency operations might be challenging, but these days, France's generals

have their sights on something far larger.

In the forests and the plains of the Champagne-Arden region, the armed forces are beginning to prepare

for the return of a major conflict.

Exercise Orion, a giant drill planned for 2023, will involve the full range of French

military capacity on a scale not tested for decades.

...