New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani on Wednesday called on King Charles III to "return" the Koh-i-Noor diamond, a 105.6 carat gem that was mined in India and is now the star of Britain's crown jewels. The diamond has been in British hands since 1849 but its ownership is contested with several countries laying claim.

US Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell on Wednesday urged central bank independence as he nears the end of his term on May 15. He said he would remain a Fed governor, drawing criticism from President Donald Trump, who mocked the decision.

Football officials gather in Vancouver on Thursday for FIFA’s 76th Congress, weeks before the expanded World Cup kicks off in North America. War in Iran, logistics and Russia’s ban top the agenda. Iranian federation officials left Canada abruptly, casting a shadow over the meeting.

President Donald Trump said Wednesday that the United States is considering reducing the number of its troops in Germany, amid a row with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz over the Iran war. Follow our liveblog for the latest updates.

King Charles III expressed “enduring solidarity with the American people” on Wednesday during a visit to New York’s 9/11 memorial, part of a state trip aimed at easing strained US-UK ties. The monarch and Queen Camilla laid white roses at the reflecting pools after earlier meeting President Donald Trump in Washington.

Air quality in Europe is improving but further action is needed to meet the European Union’s 2030 targets, the European Environment Agency said on Thursday, noting pollution still exceeds limits at up to 20% of monitoring stations across 39 countries.

US President Donald Trump said on Wednesday he believes NASA has a “good shot” at returning astronauts to the Moon before 2029, citing progress on the Artemis II program, though he cautioned against guaranteeing success during his second term in office.

Julian Alvarez scored a penalty as Atletico Madrid held Arsenal to a 1-1 draw in their UEFA Champions League semi-final first leg on Wednesday. Viktor Gyokeres had put Arsenal ahead from the spot before Alvarez equalised, while a late penalty call for Arsenal was overturned after a VAR review.

No military hardware will roll through Red Square in Russia's grand World War II victory parade next month -- a precautionary measure given the threat of Ukrainian retaliatory strikes, the Kremlin said Wednesday. The move to a slimmed-down May 9 parade -- typically a bombastic display of Russia's military might -- comes more than four years into Russia's war in Ukraine that has killed hundreds of thousands and drained vast economic resources.

A Syrian court conducted the first hearing Sunday in the trial of ousted ruler Bashar al-Assad and senior figures from his government, one of whom appeared in person. Speaking with FRANCE 24's Sharon Gaffney, Nanar Hawach, Senior Analyst for Syria at the International Crisis Group, says that despite most perpetrators being tried in absentia, "transitional justice is integral for Syria to move on past the civil war and past atrocities".

The energy shock and economic headwinds caused by the Iran war have increased uncertainty in Latin America - but the region remains resilient. That's according to Ilan Goldfajn, President of the Inter-American Development Bank. He tells France 24 there are requests for "targeted support" like energy diversification and fertilizer needs. Also in the show - Jerome Powell gives his last press conference as Federal Reserve Chair, as his successor Kevin Warsh takes a step closer to confirmation. 

Colombian President Gustavo Petro vowed to “wean” the country’s economy off oil and coal when he was elected in 2022. But as his term draws to a close – with the first round of a presidential election set for May 31 – Petro’s ambitious energy transition plan remains unfulfilled, with the country still reliant on fossil-fuel production.