Our daily trip around the world

🇫🇷 President Emmanuel Macron appointed the youngest PM in France’s modern history. Gabriel Attal, 34, first rose to prominence as Macron’s government spokesperson, then later served as education minister. He’s the first openly gay politician to become France’s PM, and is now tasked with naming a new cabinet. Attal’s predecessor, Elizabeth Borne, resigned on Monday following political turmoil over an immigration law strengthening the government’s ability to deport foreigners.

🇨🇳 China surpassed Japan as the world’s largest car exporter. In a report published yesterday, China’s Passenger Car Association estimated that domestic automakers sold 5.3 million vehicles out of the country in 2023, or roughly 1 million more than Japan, the world’s previous leader. A large portion of China’s recent increase in international auto sales can be attributed to a 5x surge in purchases from Russia, after Western automakers left the Russian market when its ongoing war in Ukraine began in February 2022.

🇰🇷 South Korea banned the consumption of dog meat. The new law, set to come into force by 2027, stipulates that anyone who butchers or breeds dogs for human consumption could face 2-3 years in prison or a fine of up to $23,000. The centuries-old practice of dog consumption was common in the Asian country in the decades following the Korean War when meat was scarce, but became highly unpopular and rare after domestic incomes, pet ownership, and concern for animal welfare rose in the late 20th century.