Informing, engaging & connecting the people of the world. MAY 5, 2020

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In the race for a vaccine to end the global COVID-19 pandemic, eight contenders are at the front of the pack. These potential vaccines are being tested on humans in clinics in China, the United States, Britain and Germany. Behind them are at least 94 others in various stages of development.

ON THIS DAY IN AMERICAN HISTORY On May 5, 1961, astronaut Allen B, Shepherd Jr. becomes the first American in space while aboard Freedom 7 . The Navy veteran’s flight was suborbital and lasted only 15 minutes, but it restored faith in the American space program as it tried to catch up with the Soviet Union, which put a man in orbit less than a month earlier. Nearly a decade later, Shepherd would command Apollo 14 and become the fifth man to walk on the moon. Shepherd died in 1998 at the age of 74.

Before the coronavirus pandemic began, Julio Castro’s days began at 6:30 a.m. with a long walk to the parking lot of a Home Depot, hoping someone would hire him to do odd jobs. Now, with much of the U.S. economy at a standstill, he’s lucky to see any work at all.

Greece has lodged a stern demarche with Turkey, claiming Turkish officials ordered fighter jets to buzz a military helicopter carrying Greece’s defense minister over the Aegean sea. Turkey denies the accusation, saying Greece—in the words of Turkish officials—is over dramatizing what Ankara says are routine flights in the region.

With Turkey battling COVID-19, Turks are turning to a traditional custom to contain the virus: sweet smelling cologne. With its high alcoholic content, cologne is widely accepted as useful in killing the coronavirus on people’s hands. From major producers to local chemists, all are working to keep up with the surge in demand.

VIDEO: Nigeria has eased some coronavirus lockdown measures to reduce damage to the economy. The move Monday followed weeks of a nationwide shutdown that hurt millions of businesses.