Our daily stroll around the world

🇫🇷 A French man regained the ability to walk thanks to the first spinal implant to treat Parkinson’s disease. In a study published this week in Nature Medicine, European researchers surgically implanted a device that stimulated the spinal nerves of a 63-year-old Parkinson’s patient to prevent the shuffling and sudden freezing of motor functions often associated with the disease. The patient, who was previously homebound and fell several times each day, is now walking nearly four miles/day after receiving the new implant.

🍷🍇 Global wine production is on track to reach a 62-year low. Wine production this year is projected to reach 244 million hectoliters (or 32.4 billion standard bottles of wine), which would mark the lowest level since 1961, per new data from the International Organization of Vine and Wine. The organization attributes the decline to recent harsh weather including frost, heavy rainfall, and droughts. Wine production fell across almost every country in the EU – which makes over 60% of the world's wine – while the Southern Hemisphere saw production fall as much as 25%.

🇪🇺🇺🇦 The EU Commission recommended starting membership talks with Ukraine. The country launched its bid to join the European bloc shortly after Russia’s invasion in February 2022, and was named a candidate in June of the same year. The recommendation comes with the condition of Kyiv completing seven reform benchmarks – including tackling corruption and curbing oligarch power – which the EU says are over 90% satisfied to date. Separately, President Volodymyr Zelensky said Ukraine will continue its ongoing military counteroffensive against Russia well into 2024.