⁍ Early data from trials of three potential vaccines showed promise of fighting COVID-19 without serious side effects.

---

⁍ European leaders pushed for massive stimulus to cushion the economic blow from the pandemic.

---

⁍ Ballon d’Or will not be awarded this year for the first time in its 64-year history after the pandemic wreaked havoc on the football calendar.

---

– Pandemic Pandemic No. 19 has claimed more than 140 lives worldwide, mostly in the Middle East, and health officials are scrambling to contain its spread. The latest numbers, per the CDC and the World Health Organization: The number of cases in the Middle East now stands at 40, with cases clustering in Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, and Jordan, reports the AP. In the US, 19 cases have been reported in seven states, with the most recent in Florida. The number of cases in Spain has tripled over the last three weeks, and authorities there say they’re running out of time to contain the outbreak before it reaches the European Union. The virus has also caused a spike in poaching in the Democratic Republic of Congo’s Virunga National Park, which is home to more than half the world’s mountain gorillas, reports Reuters. The park has been closed for six months due to the outbreak, but rangers are now being forced to reduce their presence. Meanwhile, early data from trials of three potential vaccines showed promise of fighting the disease without serious side effects, while leaders in the US and European Union pushed for massive stimulus to cushion the economic blow from the pandemic.