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

Oil prices sank Thursday on hopes for an Iran nuclear breakthrough after Donald Trump said a deal was "getting close" and US media reported Tehran had indicated it could be open to curbs on its atomic programme.

A Russian delegation landed in Istanbul on Thursday for the first direct peace talks with Ukraine in more than three years, Russian state media reported, but without President Vladimir Putin as many world leaders had urged.

China's emissions fell in the first quarter of 2025 despite rapidly growing power demand thanks to soaring renewable and nuclear energy, a key milestone for world's top emitter, analysis showed Thursday.

Groans and giggles typically greet votes at the annual Eurovision Song Contest, loved and mocked for its kitsch music and seemingly partisan outcomes.

Sixteen countries are competing in the Eurovision Song Contest's second semifinal on Thursday, with viewers deciding which 10 go through to the grand final.

Israel's participation in the 2025 Eurovision Song Contest has drawn protests but its competitor Yuval Raphael -- who escaped the Hamas attack on her country -- is hotly tipped to qualify from Thursday's semifinal.

Three years ago, Thomas Kazungu Karisa was struggling to make ends meet as a petrol station attendant in the Kenyan county of Kilifi, when a sudden cash donation changed his life.

Cuba's sole producer of cigarillos cannot keep up with exploding demand abroad for the smaller, cheaper, machine-rolled version of the island nation's much more famous hand-crafted cigars.

A Croatian town has come up with a novel solution to solve the dilemma of working parents when there are no public childcare spaces available: pay grandparents to do it.

Casandra Ventura, the former girlfriend of Sean "Diddy" Combs, is set to receive intense cross-examination from the music mogul's defense team Thursday in his sex trafficking trial.

A mother watched in despair as an excavator demolished her Kinshasa home, part of a campaign to clamp down on unauthorised buildings after deadly floods.

Scottie Scheffler, Rory McIlroy and defending champion Xander Schauffele -- the world's highest-ranked golfers -- tee off together Thursday morning in a showcase group certain to seize the spotlight at the PGA Championship.

Ukrainian director Sergei Loznitsa's new film is a warning about despots -- and the danger of failing to spot them until it is too late.

Unfounded online rumours warning that a huge earthquake will soon strike Japan are taking a toll on travel firms and airlines who report less demand from worried Hong Kongers.

The Minnesota Timberwolves routed the Golden State Warriors to advance to the NBA Western Conference finals on Wednesday as the Boston Celtics kept their playoff campaign alive with a blowout victory over the New York Knicks.

The feverish diseases dengue and chikungunya could soon become endemic in Europe as the tiger mosquitoes that transmit these viruses spread farther north due to global warming, according to new research published Thursday.

Taiwan will turn off its last nuclear reactor on Saturday, fuelling concerns over the self-ruled island's reliance on imported energy and vulnerability to a Chinese blockade.

Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian says that he has bought a stake in serial English women's football champions Chelsea.

Three-time Olympic champion swimmer Sun Yang will compete at China's national championships this weekend, organisers said, but anti-doping rules mean he cannot qualify for this year's World Championships.

Filmmaker Sepideh Farsi is still in shock after an Israeli air strike killed her documentary's main subject, 25-year-old photojournalist Fatima Hassouna, in Gaza last month.

Next week promises to be a crucial one for the World Health Organization, with member states coming together in Geneva to adopt a landmark pandemic agreement and a slimmed-down budget amid US funding cuts.

US President Donald Trump on Thursday closes a Middle East tour in the United Arab Emirates as he focuses squarely on seeking deals after billions of dollars of pledges from Saudi Arabia and Qatar.

Andrew Mehrtens had plenty of tough encounters on the field during his storied career but the former All Black fly-half is facing one of his most formidable yet as he prepares to watch his team Beziers' final match this season in the French second tier.

Oscar Piastri heads into this weekend's Emilia Romagna Grand Prix with the momentum of three successive wins behind him as he seeks to consolidate his bid for the Formula One drivers’ world title.

The Premier League race is over and relegation is decided -- but the battle for Champions League qualification remains wide open with just two rounds to go.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer is treading a fine line on UK-EU relations as hard-right populists make gains at a time when Brexit and immigration remain toxic issues in Britain.

Equities stuttered Thursday as investors await fresh developments in trade talks, with US partners looking to reach deals to avoid Donald Trump's tariff blitz, while oil extended losses on hopes for an Iran nuclear deal.

War rivals Ukraine and Russia are set to go into their first direct talks in more than three years on Thursday, with Russian President Vladimir Putin not included on the list of attendees.

The Boston Celtics battled back from Jayson Tatum's shattering injury blow to defeat the New York Knicks 127-102 and keep their NBA playoff campaign alive on Wednesday.

Two people have been arrested for allegedly blackmailing Spurs and South Korea captain Son Heung-min, police said Thursday.

Big tech companies are increasingly waving the US flag in Washington where President Donald Trump is back in charge, pushing his America First agenda.

The report highlights a critical imperative to strengthen global nursing capacity in the wake of the pandemic and amid economic uncertainty, climate change impacts, and persistent health inequities. It warns that the global health workforce shortage will continue to widen, reaching 11 million by 2030, thereby requiring a fundamental shift in how countries approach healthcare workforce planning and investment.