🇫🇷🇩🇿⚡- France has announced sending its ambassador back to Algeria to ease tensions with the North African nation.

🇲🇱🇷🇺⚡- Russian forces 10-day deadline to withdraw from Aguelhok, northern Mali, has expired. Instead of withdrawing, Russian and Malian troops have strengthened their positions, and fortified the locality.

🇮🇷🇦🇪⚡- Large plumes of smoke from Dubai, the UAE. The UAE announced it was targeted with Iranian missiles and drones earlier today.

🇺🇸🇮🇷⚡- "US military carried out more airstrikes today hitting several empty tankers trying to break the blockade.

According to a senior US official:
'these were Very Large Crude Carriers (VLCC) .... massive, empty ships trying to make it back to Iran ... attempted to run the blockde...'" - Fox News.

🇮🇷⚡- Major oil spill at Iran's Kharg Island's terminal in the Persian Gulf. Simultaneously, multiple tankers could be seen loading oil at the terminal.

The cause of the spill is unknown. Kharg is responsible for 90% of Iran's oil exports.

Imagery credits: SoarAtlas.

🇺🇸🇮🇷⚡- "U.S. forces disabled M/T Sea Star III and M/T Sevda, May 8, prior to both vessels entering an Iranian port on the Gulf of Oman in violation of the ongoing U.S. blockade.

U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) enforced blockade measures against two Iranian-flagged unladen oil tankers attempting to pull into an Iranian port on the Gulf of Oman. A U.S. Navy F/A-18 Super Hornet from USS George H.W. Bush (CVN 77) disabled both tankers after firing precision munitions into their smokestacks, preventing the non-compliant ships from entering Iran.

U.S. forces also disabled Iranian-flagged M/T Hasna, May 6, as it attempted to sail to an Iranian port in the Gulf of Oman. An F/A-18 Super Hornet from USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) disabled the unladen oil tanker's rudder by firing several rounds from a 20mm cannon gun.

All three vessels are no longer transiting to Iran.

"U.S. forces in the Middle East remain committed to full enforcement of the blockade of vessels entering or leaving Iran," said Adm. Brad Cooper, CENTCOM commander. "Our highly trained men and women in uniform are doing incredible work."

Multiple commercial vessels have been disabled and more than 50 have been redirected by CENTCOM forces to ensure compliance," - US CENTCOM.

🇺🇸🇮🇷⚡- Several Iranian outlets report renewed clashes between the US and Iran in the Strait of Hormuz over the past few hours.

🇺🇸⚡️- The Supreme Court of Virginia has overturned the state’s successful redistricting ballot that would’ve allotted the Democrats four more seats in the House.

🇻🇦- One year ago today, Our Holy Father, Pope Leo XIV, was elected and ordained as the Vicar of Christ on Earth as the Pope of the Roman Catholic Church.

🇻🇦- “On the day I was entrusted with the ministry of the Successor of Peter, exactly one year ago, the Church celebrated the Supplication to Our Lady of the Holy Rosary of Pompeii. I therefore had to come here, to place my service under the protection of the Blessed Virgin Mary.” - Pope Leo XIV.

🇬🇧🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿⚡- Wales parliamentary election results (seats):

Plaid Cymru: 43,
Reform: 34,
Labour: 9,
Tories: 7,
Green: 2,
Liberal Democrats: 1.

🇬🇧🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿⚡- Scotland parliamentary election results as of 84 of 129 seats counted (65 for majority):

SNP: 55,
Labour: 7,
Conservative: 7,
Liberal Democrats: 6,
Green: 6,
Reform: 3.

🇬🇧🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿⚡- England's local election results as of 115 of 136 declared authorities:

Reform: 1,237,
Labour: 801,
Liberal Democrats: 721,
Conservative: 647,
Green: 412,
Independent: 130.

🇬🇧🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿⚡- Great Yarmouth Party (an offshoot of Restore Britain) won every single council it stood a candidate for, winning the authorities ten councils.

🇹🇷⚡- Turkish communist political commentator Hasan Piker repeats his calls for political violence, claiming that the overturned Virginia gerrymandering proposal makes “violent revolution inevitable.”

🇬🇧🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿⚡- Scotland parliamentary election results as of 108 of 129 seats counted (65 for majority):

SNP: 57,
Labour: 13,
Reform: 10,
Green: 10,
Tories: 9,
Liberal Democrats: 9.

🇬🇧🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿⚡- England's local election results as of 124 of 136 declared authorities:

Reform: 1,416,
Labour: 922,
Tories: 740,
Liberal Democrats: 734,
Green: 468,
Independent: 154.

🇷🇺🇺🇦⚡- Ukrainian President Zelensky says he gives Russia permission to "hold a military parade in Moscow" tomorrow. He orders his military to not strike the Red Square specifically, by providing the exact coordinates of all four points of the square.

🇷🇺🇺🇦⚡- "Russia does not require anyone’s permission to hold the Victory Day parade in Moscow," - The Kremlin.