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.

Iraq will host a Pope for the first time.

The country's Christian minority is much reduced and frequently ostracized.

Pope Francis hopes to give them strength, to draw the displaced back home, and to forge greater

ties with Shia Muslim leaders.

And for all the businesses that are starting to think about reopening, nightclubs face a particularly tricky task.

Distance isn't really the point.

Clubs have been hammered by the pandemic, but the truth is they were struggling even before that.

First up, though, Today began the annual meeting of the National People's Congress, or NPC, China's Parliament.

Li Jean-Shu, chairman of the Standing Committee, declared the session open. China's parliament. Now I'll show,

Chairman of the Standing Committee, declared the session open.

The three-year,

the National People's Daybue,

the four-tse-hea-heye,

the next four-year

thousands of delegates from across the country

have congregated in Beijing to witness the release of the Communist Party's next economic five-year plan

and to shape a political agenda for the year ahead.

There's no question that those plans will be approved.

Party officials used to grumble at suggestions that all this parliamentary pomp

...