Volkswacht Bodensee - News from Lake Constance, St. Gallen, Thurgau, Schaffhausen, Switzerland, Europe and the whole world

Vladimir Tretchikoff's iconic painting "Lady from the Orient" has sold for more than $1.7m in a new world record for the Russia-born South African painter, a Johannesburg auction house said Wednesday.

A German court on Wednesday rejected a climate case brought by a Peruvian farmer against German energy giant RWE, but set a potentially important precedent on polluters' liability for their carbon emissions.

A French court is to give its verdict Wednesday in the trial of a surgeon who admitted to sexually abusing hundreds of patients over more than two decades, in one of the country's largest child sex abuse cases.

The Kremlin on Wednesday rebuffed a call by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky for a three-way summit with Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin as Kyiv seeks to force Moscow to halt its three-year-long invasion.

Leaders of ECOWAS are gathering on Wednesday to celebrate 50 years since its formation and are expected to address regional security challenges as the continent also seeks answers in the face of US trade tariffs and aid cuts.

The UN on Wednesday condemned a US-backed aid system in Gaza after 47 people were injured during a chaotic food distribution that saw shots fired by the Israeli military.

Nearly 380 writers from the UK and Ireland, including Zadie Smith and Ian McEwan, penned an open letter Wednesday denouncing what they called Israel's "genocide" in Gaza and urging a ceasefire.

Liverpool's beloved former manager Jurgen Klopp said there are more "serious things in the world than football" after car ploughed into supporters at the end of a parade to celebrate the club's Premier League title triumph.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky visited Germany on Wednesday to meet Chancellor Friedrich Merz, who has pledged muscular backing for Kyiv in its fight against Russia.

The Indian Premier League has finally reached the playoff stage, later than planned, leaving four teams to battle for the title beginning on Thursday.

Virat Kohli can fulfil his dream of finally winning the Indian Premier League when the playoffs begin this week, desperate to banish the "heartbreak" of losing the final as captain nine years ago.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky was due to visit Germany on Wednesday for talks with Chancellor Friedrich Merz, who has pledged muscular backing for Kyiv in its fight against Russia.

At least 10 people were killed and 43 injured as strong winds and thunderstorms triggered flash floods and destroyed homes in central and northern parts of Pakistan, officials said Wednesday.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has called for a three-way summit with Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin as he seeks to force Moscow to halt its three-year-long invasion.

France and Indonesia called Wednesday for progress on "mutual recognition" between Israel and the Palestinians at a key meeting next month as Emmanuel Macron visited Jakarta, bringing the world's most populous Muslim-majority nation into his diplomatic efforts.

The US State Department on Tuesday ordered the suspension of student visa processing, as President Donald Trump's administration seeks unprecedented control of the nation's universities by slashing funding and curbing international enrollment.

Asian equities wobbled Wednesday as investors struggled to track a Wall Street rally fuelled by forecast-beating US consumer confidence data, with a weak Japanese debt sale adding to worries about rising bond yields.

Auto giant Stellantis, whose brands include Jeep, Peugeot and Fiat, on Wednesday named company veteran Antonio Filosa as its new chief executive officer as the US-European group navigates US tariffs and slumping North American sales.

With its sun-drenched beaches and vibrant nightlife, Spain has long been a top destination -- not just for tourists, but also for criminals looking to vanish.

The European Union is on track to reach its 2030 climate targets, Brussels said on Wednesday, but uncertainty remains over the bloc's ambitions to cut greenhouse gas emissions much further by 2040.

French President Emmanuel Macron met his Indonesian counterpart on Wednesday, seeking to deepen trade and defence ties with Southeast Asia's largest economy on the second leg of a three-country tour promoting France as a balancing power between the US and China.

Australia on Wednesday approved a 40-year extension to a major liquified gas plant, brushing off protests from Pacific island neighbours fearful it will inflame climate damage.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Tuesday ordered a suspension of student visa processing in the latest swipe at foreign students in the country.

Sitting deep in east Indonesia's lush jungle, Bokum, one of the country's last isolated hunter-gatherers, has a simple message for the nickel miners threatening his home: "This is our land."

A court will rule Wednesday on whether a Peruvian farmer's fight against a German energy giant can proceed, a judgement his lawyers hope will have far-reaching consequences for climate justice.

Sumo crowned a new grand champion in record time on Wednesday as Onosato became the fastest to attain the exalted rank of yokozuna in the Japanese sport's modern era.

Simone Inzaghi is on the verge of becoming a true Inter Milan great as he leads his team to the Champions League final with another chance for an era-defining triumph to make up for the pain of conceding the Serie A title to Napoli.

Francesco Acerbi could crown his long, turbulent career with the biggest prize in club football after bouncing back from cancer, depression and alcoholism to play a key part in Inter Milan's charge to the Champions League final.

Tyrese Haliburton delivered his second career playoff triple double to power Indiana over New York 130-121 on Tuesday, lifting the Pacers one win from the NBA Finals.

"When you see tweed on the runway, you don't expect it to come from here," joked 38-year-old former banker Alexander MacLeod as he set up his loom in a converted barn on the shores of a Scottish loch.

The Panamanian government on Tuesday declared a state of emergency in one province after US banana giant Chiquita Brands laid off about 5,000 workers following a strike that had ground its production to a halt.

Alix Popham, one of hundreds of former rugby players to bring a lawsuit against the sport's authorities for head injuries, told AFP he wants his day in court so he can look in the face some of the officials "who are part of the reason why we are in the mess we are in."