Robert Harris never meant to write novels. A political journalist, who, at 30, moved from the BBC to become political editor of the Observer, he enjoyed writing longer pieces; and between 1982 and 1990, he penned five works of non-fiction.

The Catholic church has chosen a new pope.

The conclave to elect a new pope follows a set ritual every day until the Catholic Church has a new leader. Here is an approximate schedule. Local time listed first.

IN a message to the 1995 United Nations Conference on Women in Beijing the late Pope John Paul II wrote: “As far as personal rights are concerned there is an urgent need to achieve real equality in every area, equal pay for equal work, protection for working mothers, fairness in career advancement, equality of spouses with regard to family rights.”