Greenland says goodbye to clock changes

When residents of Greenland turned their clocks forward to daylight saving time this past weekend, they did so for the last time.

The semi-independent Danish territory has opted to remain in summer time permanently, meaning the island will stay three hours behind Copenhagen time when Europe’s clocks move back in the autumn.

Visit Greenland, the island’s tourism arm, told the Associated Press “the shift of time zone marks an exciting new beginning, an equal connection to North America and Europe.” Greenland, while politically European, is just 600 miles from Canada.

Greenland’s Parliament, the Inatsisartut, voted to adopt the change late last year, arguing that it gives residents more time to do business with Europe.

The decision will also give residents an extra hour of sun in the afternoon. In the capital, Nuuk, residents might see up to 20 hours of daylight per day.

Lebanon reversed course Monday on an unpopular decision to delay daylight saving time by a full month after many institutions refused, leaving residents split between time zones.

The government had wanted to delay the time change until the end of Ramadan, which would have allowed the country’s Muslims to break their fast an hour earlier.