Our daily journey around the world

🇲🇳 A Mongolian boy was named the country’s new spiritual leader by the Dalai Lama. Earlier this month, the eight-year-old was revealed as the 10th reincarnation of Khalkha Jetsun Dhampa Rinpoche, making him the third-most important spiritual leader in Tibetan Buddhism. The move is expected to anger the Chinese government, which has previously insisted it will only recognise Buddhist leaders appointed by its own officials. In 1995, when the Dalai Lama named a new Panchen Lama (the second-most important spiritual leader), the child was arrested by Chinese authorities and replaced with their own candidate.

🇷🇼 The Rwandan government commuted the 25-year prison sentence of Paul Rusesabagina, the man who inspired the film Hotel Rwanda. Rusesabagina, who saved over 1,000 Rwandans from genocide in 1994, was convicted of terrorism charges in 2020, as part of a trial that was widely criticized by the US and other nations as being politically motivated. Rwandan officials told the AP on Friday that Rusesabagina was pardoned after a request for clemency by the US and Qatari governments, and that the 68-year-old has committed to living the rest of his life in America “in quiet reflection.”

🇱🇧 Lebanon is currently operating with two time zones (they usually only have one), following a Daylight Savings dispute. The small Mediterranean country typically sets its clocks forward an hour on the last Sunday in March, the same as most European countries. But on Thursday, Lebanon’s government announced plans to push the start of daylight savings by a month until the end of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. And while some local institutions were onboard with the move, others refused and opted to change their clocks anyways, leading to mass confusion across the country yesterday.