From Shinto new year rituals in Japan to the ongoing military tensions between Ukraine and Russia, these are the best photos from around the world in the past week, as chosen by The Age's photo editors.

A New York judge has given the green light for a civil trial to go ahead against the prince. What legal avenues are open to him now?

A United Nations panel of experts that monitors sanctions on North Korea has accused Pyongyang of using stolen funds to support its nuclear and ballistic missile programs to circumvent sanctions.

Deputy Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov raised the stakes over Ukraine by saying he could not exclude the possibility of a military deployment to Cuba and Venezuela if tensions with the US rose.

In announcing that Prince Andrew’s “military affiliations and Royal patronages have been returned to the Queen”, Buckingham Palace made clear that they will never be returned.

The gathering is the first allegation of lockdown-breaking in Downing Street in 2021 to have emerged, marking a new front in the row engulfing Boris Johnson.

The subpoenas to the tech companies are the latest development in the House Select Committee’s investigation into the causes of the attack on the US Capitol by former President Donald Trump’s supporters.

At the same time, the court is allowing the administration to proceed with a vaccine mandate for most health care workers in the US.

“The Duke of York will continue not to undertake any public duties and is defending this case as a private citizen,” Buckingham Palace said in a statement.

The best photos from the international wire agencies as chosen by our picture editors

Stewart Rhodes, the highest-ranking member of the extremist group to be arrested in the siege, is the first to be charged for seditious conspiracy by the Justice Department.

The spy agency used a bombshell memo to British MPs to identify a Chinese spy accused of conducting covert interference operations in the UK.

The man being heralded as a medical pioneer, David Bennett snr, was the same man who’d been convicted in 1988 of stabbing Leslie Shumaker Downey’s younger brother.

“The introduction of live rounds onto the set, which no one anticipated, combined with the rushed and chaotic atmosphere, created a perfect storm”: lawsuit.

The World Health Organisation has reiterated its stance that vaccination status should not be used to disqualify people from travelling internationally.

Forecasters are expecting similar trends elsewhere in the country but the ongoing strain on some hospitals continues.

French leader lays out plans to ramp up the Continent’s defence autonomy during his six months at the helm. France would be in pole position for contracts.

The US and NATO rejected key Russian security demands for easing tensions over Ukraine but left open the possibility of future talks with Moscow on arms control.

In coming weeks, civil servant Sue Gray will complete her inquiry into the Downing Street parties. If she blames the Prime Minister, he could resign.

Prince Andrew’s somewhat bizarre claims about being unable to sweat and visiting a pizza shop on a key date will be placed under intense scrutiny.

At a hearing this week in the US District Court for Washington, lawyers argued that Trump, by inspiring the January 6 riot, was liable for major financial damages.

The first signs of a Tory rebellion appear to be emerging, with Boris Johnson under increasing fire after admitting he attended a Downing Street party during the lockdown.

The Duke of York has failed to convince a US judge to toss out Virginia Giuffre’s suit accusing him of sexually abusing her when she was a teenager.

The city’s economic prosperity lies with the mainland, says the finance minister, as Western investment and those qualifying to live abroad head for the exits.

The best photos from the international wire agencies as chosen by our picture editors

And why don’t positive COVID-19 cases get told? Here’s how coronavirus variants are being tracked in the United States.

The company is also testing hybrid combinations of vaccine to target multiple coronavirus forms, as well as larger doses.

With a property crisis, energy crisis, food shortages and a significant slowdown in economic growth, Xi Jinping is seeking to stabilise the country and extend his authority.

Wheatley residents have gone from shock to dismay to anger that more hasn’t been done to solve the mystery of the explosion or to start working on repairs.

The US President called for a controversial shift to Senate rules in the hope of safeguarding future elections.

Benjamin Netanyahu and his family are seeking thousands in libel damages from Ehud Olmert after he claimed that they needed psychiatric treatment. 

After Senator Rand Paul confronted him at a Senate health committee hearing, a clearly furious Fauci demanded to speak uninterrupted.

Bitcoin was supposed to create a monetary system that functions without trust and the modern right is all about fostering distrust.

The plea coincided with a World Health Organisation prediction that half of Europe’s population would be infected with the highly transmissible variant of COVID-19 by March.

The European Parliament represents the 450 million citizens of the European Union and refers to itself as “the heart of European democracy”.

The perjury charges concern allegations that Maxwell lied about her knowledge of Jeffrey Epstein’s behaviour.

China is already upgrading facilities in Kiribati, prompting Kurt Cambell to say he is “most concerned” about such moves.

East-West tensions have risen after nearly 100,000 Russian troops gathered near the border of Ukraine, eight years after Russia annexed Ukraine’s southern Crimean Peninsula.

The best photos from the international wire agencies as chosen by our picture editors

If proven successful, scientists hope pig organs could help alleviate shortages of donor organs.

Johnson, who won a landslide victory in a 2019 election, has faced a barrage of criticism over alleged parties in government offices, including his own, in breach of COVID-19 rules. 

Ichthyosaurs were marine reptiles that lived in Britain 250 million years ago and became extinct 90 million years ago.

The New York real estate heir was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole for killing his best friend in October.

Prosecutors said the 72-year-old defendant of Rockaway Beach, New York threatened to do “everything I can” to ensure the death of Trump,

A court on Monday found the Nobel laureate guilty of illegally importing and possessing the devices and violating coronavirus restrictions.

The Chinese port city has been effectively sealed off as authorities implement exit controls after 21 people tested positive for COVID-19 on Sunday.

As of Saturday, 708 people needed mechanical ventilation. A year ago, more than 3000 people were on ventilators.

At least 19 people, including nine children, have died at the Bronx affordable housing complex.

The best photos from the international wire agencies as chosen by our picture editors

Ten people have been confirmed dead and dozens injured when the face of a massive cliff collapsed at a popular spot full of day trippers on boats.