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

US President Donald Trump has insisted Chinese leader Xi Jinping called him despite Beijing denials of any contact between the two countries over their bitter trade dispute.

Lyon have lodged an appeal with the competitions organisation committee (COC) of the French football league (LFP) requesting the result of their derby defeat at Saint-Etienne not be recorded pending the decision of the disciplinary committee, sources close to the club said on Friday.

Pep Guardiola has vowed Manchester City will be back to their best next season after losing their "spirit" during a turbulent campaign that exposed an unexpected lack of hunger in his side.

US envoy Steve Witkoff met Vladimir Putin in the Kremlin on Friday to tout Washington's plan to settle the Ukraine conflict, a day after Donald Trump issued a direct appeal to the Russian president to halt his offensive.

Arriving in Rome after Pope Francis's death, Catholic cardinals have admitted some apprehension at the responsibility of choosing his successor, as they begin setting out what they hope to see in the next head of the Church.

TikTok abounds with viral videos accusing prestigious brands of secretly manufacturing luxury goods in China so they can be sold at cut prices.

An explosive device ripped through a parked car near Moscow on Friday killing a senior Russian general, investigators said, in an attack that resembled previous killings claimed by Ukraine.

Real Madrid's European failure this season stung, in particular for striker Kylian Mbappe and coach Carlo Ancelotti, but a Copa del Rey final victory over Barcelona on Saturday would rapidly ease the pain.

Images of Sister Genevieve's slight frame, standing in solemn prayer just feet from Pope Francis's body, were beamed around the world.

It's one of Shakespeare's most existential questions "to be or not to be?" Now a group of globe-trotting Peruvian actors with Down syndrome are tackling it head-on, breaking down prejudice and barriers.

Nepal marked on Friday the 10th anniversary of a massive earthquake that killed almost 9,000 people and left millions more homeless.

Asian and European stocks climbed on Friday, buoyed by a rally on Wall Street, strong earnings from Google parent Alphabet, and hopes of diffusing tensions in US President Donald Trump's trade war.

Russia's central bank kept borrowing costs at a two-decade high of 21 percent on Friday to combat rampant inflation, despite banks and businesses warning the economy was headed for a slowdown.

Spanish world number nine Paula Badosa announced Friday her withdrawal from the Madrid Open due to a persistent lower back injury.

Europe is "absolutely vital" to the fight against global warming and its leadership must not waver as climate ambition backslides elsewhere, the CEO of November's COP30 summit in Brazil told AFP.

German chemicals giant Bayer said Friday it could be forced to pull its Roundup weedkiller from the market if it is not able to limit simmering legal troubles.

China's top leaders pledged on Friday to step up support for the economy and oppose "unilateral bullying" in global trade in a veiled rebuke of hefty tariffs imposed by US President Donald Trump.

South Korea's former president Moon Jae-in claimed Friday that prosecutors abused their power, were politically motivated and "unjust" to indict him on bribery charges.

The Vatican was making final preparations Friday for Pope Francis's funeral as the last of the huge crowds of mourners filed through St Peter's Basilica to view his open coffin.

China's wind and solar energy capacity has surpassed that of mostly coal-powered thermal for the first time, the national energy body said Friday.

Swedish defence group Saab on Friday reported soaring quarterly earnings and record sales as European countries beef up their defence capacities amid geopolitical tensions and uncertainties.

Newcastle boss Eddie Howe admitted he does not feel "100 percent" after returning to work following his serious bout of pneumonia.

Arne Slot believes Liverpool have a "big responsibility" to clinch the Premier League title in front of their own fans when Tottenham visit Anfield on Sunday.

East Timor Prime Minister Xanana Gusmao told AFP on Friday that Pope Francis left a legacy of reconciliation but also confronted the issue of child abuse during a rare visit to Asia's youngest nation last year.

Asian and European stocks climbed on Friday, buoyed by a rally on Wall Street and the prospect of trade deals progressing between the United States and some of its economic partners.

Survivors of the deadliest attack on civilians in Indian-administered Kashmir for years described how gunmen burst out of the forest to rake holidaymakers with automatic weapons.

The Vatican was making final preparations Friday for Pope Francis's funeral as the last of the huge crowds of mourners filed through St Peter's Basilica to view his open coffin.

Oklahoma City made a stunning 29-point comeback after Memphis lost star guard Ja Morant to a hip injury as the Thunder beat the Grizzlies 114-108 on Thursday to reach the brink of a playoff sweep.

Troops from Pakistan and India exchanged fire overnight across the Line of Control in disputed Kashmir, officials said Friday, after the United Nations urged the nuclear-armed rivals to show "maximum restraint" following a deadly shooting in the region.

Australia's prime minister condemned heckling and booing Friday at two solemn Anzac Day commemorations as "low cowardice", warning that those responsible would "face the full force of the law".

Two years after Kenyan athletics champion Agnes Tirop was stabbed to death, the prime suspect was released on bail and promptly disappeared -- evidence, say activists, of how Kenya fails victims of gender violence.

As Catholics around the world mourn Pope Francis, many Ukrainians will remember him bitterly for failing to clearly blame Russia for its invasion and calling for Ukraine to raise the "white flag".