May 6, 2010 (Thursday)
- The ruling Mauritian Labour Party under Prime Minister Navin Ramgoolam wins re-election after the opposition Mauritian Militant Movement concedes the 2010 general election. (Times of India)
- Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates become the first countries to have non-Latin ccTLDs. (BBC)
- A powerful tornado hits Chongqing municipality in south-western China, killing at least 25 and injuring more than 160 people in Dianjiang and Liangping counties. (The Independent) (BBC) (news.com.au) (China Daily) (Xinhua)
- Former chief executive of collapsed Kaupthing Bank, Hreiðar Már Sigurðsson, is arrested on suspicion of embezzlement, Iceland's first high-profile arrest since the 2008 financial collapse. (BBC)
- Burma's main opposition party, the National League for Democracy led by Aung San Suu Kyi, disbands after it refuses to register under new election laws. (Al Jazeera) (AFP)
- Nigeria's acting President, Goodluck Jonathan, is sworn in as President of Nigeria following the death of Umaru Yar'Adua. (The Punch) (AP)
- The Irish Aviation Authority announces new flight restrictions at several airports, including Shannon Airport and Ireland West Airport Knock, from midnight because of the (Iceland) volcano. (RTÉ)
- Hundreds of people in Afghanistan demonstrate against alleged mistreatment and executions of Afghan refugees in Iran. (BBC)
- Robert Mugabe, Morgan Tsvangirai and Arthur Mutambara, in a rare display of solidarity, call for an end to international sanctions on Zimbabwe and instead request investment. (BBC)
- United Kingdom general election:
- Voters in the United Kingdom head to the polls to elect Members of Parliament. (BBC)
- Sit-ins result from thousands of voters being disenfranchised in the United Kingdom general election, 2010 as commentators and historians say Britain is "shamed in the eyes of the world". (Daily Mail) (The Guardian) (Businessweek)
- Nigel Farage, former leader of the UK Independence Party, is injured in a light aircraft crash in Northamptonshire. (The Daily Telegraph) (TVNZ)
- Ajmal Kasab, the only surviving member of a group responsible for the 2008 Mumbai attacks, is sentenced to death. (The Times of India) (BBC)
- United States Baptist minister George Rekers, a campaigner who opposes homosexuality, responds to allegations of a holiday in London/Madrid with a male prostitute he met at Rentboy.com. (BBC)
- Pope Benedict XVI accepts the resignation of Joseph Duffy, a bishop mentioned in the reports into child sexual abuse by clergy. (RTÉ) (BBC) (The Irish Times)
- The Dow Jones Industrial Average plunges nearly 1,000 points for a record intraday loss before recovering about 70% of its losses. (Reuters) (CNBC) (The Wall Street Journal)
- North Korean leader Kim Jong-il allegedly meets with Chinese President Hu Jintao in Beijing. (Straits Times) (BBC)
- Russian military sailors release the tanker MV Moscow University from Somali pirates. (RIA Novosti)
- Ireland's Supreme Court rules, after a ten-year campaign, that there is no constitutional obligation for political and legal acts to be written in both the English and Irish languages (RTÉ)
- The inaugural African Grandmother Gathering convenes in Swaziland to discuss HIV/AIDS. (BBC) (The Hindu)
- The funeral of broadcaster Gerry Ryan takes place in Dublin, attended by many public figures and broadcast live on RTÉ 2fm. U2 perform a special version of "With or Without You", while Westlife also perform. (Irish Examiner) (RTÉ) (Sky News)