Capsule that can withstand vacuum? Check. Low-pressure spacesuit? Check. Space-friendly Doritos? Check. The first spacewalk by private citizens showcases SpaceX’s prowess, the viability of privately funded exploration—and extraplanetary product placement. Gene editing has revolutionised the treatment for certain conditions, but can the staggering prices be brought down (11:30)? And some big news about Espresso, our daily briefing app (20:20).

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One of America’s stalwart tech giants is on the ropes, having first missed the move to mobile and then the one to AI. We ask what fate awaits it. Our correspondent meets with Vadym Sukharevsky, head of Ukraine’s Unmanned Systems Forces—the world’s first drone commander (9:05). And what is behind Donald Trump’s outlandish claim of immigrants eating pets in Ohio (16:40).

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The vice-president turned in a confident if imperfect performance, leaving Donald Trump flustered. But will it change anything? A global shortfall of blood plasma is hampering the development of new medicines; we argue for some simple market forces that could plug the gap (11:40). And how Nigerians are slimming their legendarily lavish weddings amid a cost-of-living crisis (18.10).

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The EU’s unofficial chief technocrat issued a doorstop of a report outlining how the bloc can boost growth and keep up in a changing world. Is it all too ambitious? Mexico’s lame-duck president has one last project in mind: undermining the judiciary (10:44). And as the film “Fight Club” turns 25 our correspondent finds many of its disturbing messages still resonate (17:49).

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Nicolás Maduro has stolen an election, again—but this time the rightful winner felt so threatened that he has fled to Spain. We ask what happens next. A valedictory dispatch from our global business columnist asks why the forces of “creative destruction” seem to have faded (10:27). And the youth clubs that stitched together the fabric of young Britons’ lives are disappearing (18:55).

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Two months ago, French politics was thrown into crisis after a snap election left no party with a clear majority. Michel Barnier, the new prime minister, has a huge task ahead. Donald Trump’s campaign took time to adjust to the nomination of Kamala Harris. Now he’s on the attack again (9:40). And celebrating the life of stonemason, Simon Verity (17:37).

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Though we use more renewable energy than ever before, electricity grids need ways to cope with intermittent wind or solar power. Innovations that make batteries to store that energy bigger, cheaper and more efficient can help. Why tourists are flocking to Asia (9:41). And a listener asks how we should talk to our children about AI (16:59).

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We take a look at the grim conditions in and prospects for the frontlines in the country’s east and north. But not all of the fighting is military in nature. We examine a far wider cultural revival going on (10:59), in music and fashion and long-forgotten ingredients and methods of Ukrainian cuisine (19:13). “Oh, the Red Viburnum in the Meadow” sung by Andriy Khlyvnyuk

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The recovery of six hostages from Gaza has provoked mass demonstrations on the streets of Israel and a general strike. But Israel’s government refuses to bow to pressure and a ceasefire deal remains elusive. Why are women less likely to use AI than men (10:27)? And how to make Mars more habitable (18:10). 

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The hard right has taken Germany into uncharted territory, winning one state election and racking up a large share in another. The far left is on the march too. Is Germany dividing into East and West again? Motorbike taxis are transforming Africa’s cities (11:10). And how farmers in Spain are delivering truffles to your dinner plate (18:11).

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