The British public vote in local government elections on Thursday, May 7. But there’s a bigger issue at stake.

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

The surprise encounter – believed to be the first-ever adult great white filmed underwater in the region – occurred as a team removed abandoned fishing nets from a shipwreck near Sicily.

In his first encyclical, Leo urged governments to slow down and closely regulate AI, warning about some autonomous weapons systems.

Moments after the blade glinted in the street lights, three brave residents rushed at the attacker as horrified residents and passers-by looked on.

The local publican thought he was a retired scientist. There was little to give away that the quiet and convivial gentleman was in fact Oleg Gordievsky.

The political shift in the UK is significant and real. The recent local elections, followed by a large weekend protest in the capital, show it’s not just about a few rabble-rousers.

France’s first lady denies the suggestion – made by a writer promoting his new book – that she flew into a jealous rage over an Iranian actor.

Dramatic footage showed the Royal Marines commandos storming the private quarters of the ship, the Smyrtos, in the pre-dawn hours.

Foreign media have highlighted Pauline Hanson’s admiration for Donald Trump and the growing electoral support globally for populist right parties.

The “division will get worse” if young white men felt police were prejudiced against them, the Reform leader said, adding: “This has to end”.

The British PM has refused to quit, putting the onus on his critics – including Australian-born MP Catherine West – to launch a formal leadership challenge.