London ( CNN ) -- The election of Jorge Bergoglio as Pope Francis , head of the Catholic Church and spiritual leader of the world 's 1.2 billion Catholics , has dominated CNN.com 's coverage over the past 24 hours . You can read all about the first Latin American pope here . But while all eyes were on the Vatican , watching for the white smoke that signalled the announcement , there was plenty going on elsewhere . Here are five stories you may have missed while you were getting to know the new pontiff . 1 . Xi Jinping was formally named as China 's new president , as part of the country 's once-in-a-decade leadership change . Xi , who took over as General Secretary of the Communist Party four months ago , replaces outgoing president Hu Jintao . Xi 's new role was rubber-stamped in a vote by 3,000 deputies at the National People 's Congress . China 's premier , Wen Jiabao , is also stepping down as part of the leadership overhaul ; he will be replaced by Li Keqiang . 2 . Israel 's Benjamin Netanyahu formed a new government following weeks of negotiations . Netanyahu and his conservative Likud Beitenu Party forged a coalition deal with centrists and ultra-conservatives , which excludes ultra-religious parties . The ultra-orthodox Shas Party will join the Labor Party on the opposition benches of the Knesset , Israel 's parliament , while former opposition leader and government minister Tzipi Livni makes a return to government , as the coalition 's Justice Minister . 3 . Plans to embalm the body of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez and put it on public display like Lenin and Mao Zedong appear to have hit a snag , with acting president Nicolas Maduro admitting the process might be `` quite difficult . '' Maduro reported that scientists had said `` the decision should have been taken much earlier , '' though it is not clear why . He insisted , though , that Chavez , who died earlier this month after a battle with cancer , would always remain in the country 's collective memory . 4 . One of the leaders of Cambodia 's brutal Khmer Rouge died while on trial for war crimes at a U.N. tribunal . Ieng Sary , who served as foreign minister of the regime , was the brother-in-law of infamous dictator Pol Pot . Ieng Sary 's passing , at the age of 87 , leaves just two defendants facing judgment by the tribunal investigating the actions of the Khmer Rouge , which terrorized Cambodia in the 1970s , killing more than one million people . 5 . The bloated carcasses of 6,000 pigs were found in China 's Huangpu River , sparking health fears over contamination , after traces of porcine circovirus were found in a water sample . Sanitation workers , clad in masks and plastic suits , were called in to fish the bodies from the river , as Chinese state media reported that a farm had admitted dumping the dead pigs .
Xi Jinping formally emerges as China 's new leader as part of once - in - a - decade change . Israel 's Benjamin Netanyahu forms a coalition government excluding ultra - religious elements . Plans to embalm the body of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez hit a snag . Ieng Sary , one of the leaders of the Khmer Rouge , dies while on trial for war crimes .