2021 Albanian parliamentary election Prime Minister Edi Rama claims victory for his Socialist Party, making Rama the first Albanian prime minister to win three consecutive parliamentary elections.
Spanish postal service Postal workers of Spanish Correos intercept a letter with bullets mailed to Madrid President Isabel Díaz Ayuso.
European Parliament The European Parliament votes to lift the immunity of far-right MEP Ioannis Lagos, who was sentenced to 13 years in prison in 2020 for being a leader of Golden Dawn, a party linked to acts of racist and political violence. Belgian police arrest Lagos ahead of his likely extradition to Greece.
Israel–Palestine relations A report published by Human Rights Watch accuses Israel of committing a crime of apartheid against the Palestinian people.
Brexit The European Parliament ratifies the EU–UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement with the United Kingdom by a 660–5 vote, with 32 MEPs abstaining.
United States Navy The United States Navy says that three Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy patrol boats approach the USS "Firebolt" at "an unnecessarily close range with unknown intent" and retreat after warning shots are fired.
DDT More than 27,000 barrels containing DDT insecticide are discovered in a 36,000 acre "dump-site" in the Gulf of Santa Catalina. Usage of DDT has been banned worldwide since 1972 due to the chemical's catastrophic effect on human and environmental health.
COVID-19 pandemic Fiji reports its first six cases of the Lineage B.1.617 variant originally detected in India.
Lockdown restrictions are lifted in Perth, Western Australia, after no new community transmissions are reported. However, some indoor venues will remain closed, and the mask mandate will continue.
Pakistan's National Command and Operation Centre announces a ban on all tourism between May 8 and May 16 following a third wave of COVID-19. The country also bans all intercity and interprovincial travel during the Eid al-Fitr holidays, with the exception of travel within Gilgit-Baltistan.
Thailand reports a record 15 deaths from COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, thereby bringing the nationwide death toll to 163.
Iran reports its first three cases of the Lineage B.1.351 variant first discovered in South Africa. The Health Ministry warns of "harder days ahead" as it is predicted that the number of deaths due to COVID-19 will increase.
Iceland bans unnecessary travel from high-risk areas in an attempt to reduce the spread of COVID-19 infections. This ban applies to all international travelers and will be in effect until May 31.
Canadian Army general Dany Fortin, the person in charge of Canada's vaccination campaign, receives his first dose of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine.
Quebec reports Canada's first death from a vaccination. The death has been linked to a blood clot after a 54-year-old woman received the Oxford–AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine and died due to cerebral venous sinus thrombosis.
The CDC says that fully vaccinated Americans can go outside without wearing a mask unless they are in large crowds.
2021 Quincentennial Commemorations in the Philippines The Philippines celebrates the 500th anniversary of the Battle of Mactan, where Filipino natives led by chieftain Lapulapu killed Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan.
Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia says that it detected and destroyed an incoming remote-controlled ship containing explosives in the Red Sea.
Insurgent The Karen National Union attacks an army outpost near the Myanmar–Thailand border at dawn. The Myanmar military retaliates with airstrikes as some 450 Thai villagers are moved to safety by the Thai military. There are no immediate reports of casualties.
Northern Chad offensive At least four people in N'Djamena and one in Moundou are killed during protests requesting the military government to concede to a civilian transition. Police use tear gas to disperse protesters. The military council has banned protests.
War in Afghanistan The U.S. State Department orders a portion of their staff to leave the Kabul embassy as a step of withdrawing troops from Afghanistan.