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

For Russian civil servant Larisa, talks between Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump have put Moscow one step closer to victory, even if they are far from ending three years of fighting in Ukraine.

The global music industry raked in a record $29.6 billion last year as online streaming propelled revenues to their highest level since records began in the 1990s, new figures showed on Wednesday.

Ukraine and Russia on Wednesday accused each other of not respecting a halt on energy infrastructure strikes, after talks between Washington and the Kremlin aimed at ending the grinding three-year conflict.

Rangers have reacted with "embarrassment" after being charged by UEFA for a "racist and/or discriminatory banner" displayed by fans in last week's Europa League tie against Fenerbahce.

The United Soccer Leagues says it plans to become the first professional sports league in the USA to adopt promotion and relegation.

Spanish bank Santander announced Wednesday plans to close one fifth of its UK branches, impacting 750 jobs, as the switch to online banking gathers pace.

Juan Antonio Samaranch Junior dismissed suggestions on Wednesday that it was unfair two Chinese members who sit on a foundation board with the Spaniard could vote for him in the International Olympic Committee presidential election.

Shohei Ohtani hit a home run but Roki Sasaki had a wobbly Major League Baseball debut as the Los Angeles Dodgers beat the Chicago Cubs 6-3 in Tokyo on Wednesday.

Six people died and 40 are missing after a migrant shipwreck in the Mediterranean, the United Nations said Wednesday, as Italian authorities searched for survivors off the island of Lampedusa.

Algerian Olympic boxing champion Imane Khelif, at the centre of a gender row at the Paris Games, is targeting a second gold in Los Angeles and says she will not be intimidated by Donald Trump.

Hundreds of thousands of people were forced to flee climate disasters last year, the United Nations said Wednesday, highlighting the urgent need for early warning systems covering the entire planet.

"We're living in a dictatorship," said Kuzey, an Istanbul shopkeeper after police detained the city's popular opposition mayor Ekrem Imamoglu on corruption allegations.

Russia represents a threat for all European nations -- regardless of how far they lie from Moscow, EU chief Antonio Costa told AFP ahead of a leaders' summit on Thursday.

Groups from five African countries filed fraud and corruption complaints Wednesday accusing French billionaire Vincent Bollore and one of his sons of illegally obtaining and benefitting from port concessions.

Europe's Euclid space telescope, which is on a mission to shed light on the mysteries of dark matter and dark energy, released its first data Wednesday with a little help from volunteers and artificial intelligence.

European and Asian stock markets traded mixed and gold hit another record high Wednesday as trade war worries cast a shadow and geopolitical concerns returned to the fore.

Son Heung-min dismissed concerns about his form and fitness on Wednesday as he looks to forget his Tottenham woes by firing South Korea to the World Cup.

Chinese internet and gaming giant Tencent said on Wednesday that profits in the fourth quarter of 2024 surged 90 percent as the firm accelerates a push into artificial intelligence (AI).

Hamas said it remained open to negotiations while calling for pressure on Israel Wednesday to implement a Gaza truce after its deadliest bombing since the fragile ceasefire began in January.

Turkish police detained Istanbul's powerful mayor Ekrem Imamoglu early Wednesday as part of a corruption probe, a move his opposition CHP party slammed as a "coup".

Liverpool's Wataru Endo said Japan's sights are set higher than just qualifying for next year's World Cup as they look to become the first team to clinch their place on Thursday.

Seething international tensions over the South China Sea have struck an unlikely victim in Vietnam: popular children's dolls pulled from shops over a facial mark supposedly resembling Beijing's claims in the flashpoint waterway.

Ukraine accused Russia on Wednesday of effectively rejecting a US-backed ceasefire proposal, reporting a barrage of strikes hours after Moscow agreed to temporarily pause attacks on energy facilities.

Distraught Myanmar relief camp dwellers received final handouts from the World Food Programme on Wednesday as the UN agency begins halting aid to a million people in the country because funding has dried up.

Equity markets were mixed and gold hit another record high on Wednesday as trade war worries cast a shadow and geopolitical concerns returned to the fore.

Ukraine accused Russia on Wednesday of effectively rejecting a US-backed ceasefire proposal, reporting a barrage of strikes hours after Moscow agreed to temporarily pause attacks on energy facilities.

The Bank of Japan left its key interest rate unchanged Wednesday and warned about the economic outlook amid global uncertainty fuelled by Donald Trump's trade war.

Tony Popovic admitted Wednesday there will be a degree of unknown when his Australia side face an Indonesia team led for the first time by Patrick Kluivert in a World Cup qualifier.

Uganda's role in eastern DR Congo has largely gone under the radar during recent violence but its complex approach aims to secure long-standing security and economic interests in the mineral-rich area, experts say.

Tech firms are fighting the scourge of deepfakes, those deceptively realistic voices or videos used by scammers that are more available than ever thanks to artificial intelligence.

The presidents of Rwanda and DR Congo have expressed their support for a ceasefire after holding surprise talks in Qatar, hours after peace talks in Angola failed.

Since avian flu turned eggs into a luxury item, pastry chef Annie Clemmons has spent countless hours in her Maryland workshop, racking her brains about how to replace them in her recipes.