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

A French court fined Swiss bank UBS 75,000 euros on Monday for the psychological harassment of two whistleblowers who had denounced a system that helped moneyed French clients dodge taxes.

Russian prosecutors on Monday accused a veteran journalist of "justifying terrorism" -- a charge punishable by up to seven years in prison -- as her trial opened amid a widespread crackdown on independent media.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Monday the United States was cancelling 83 percent of programs at USAID, as the Trump administration guts spending not aligned with its "America First" agenda.

Bayer Leverkusen on Monday confirmed midfielder Florian Wirtz will miss "several weeks" with an ankle injury, starting with Tuesday's Champions League last 16 second leg match with Bayern Munich.

Bayer Leverkusen coach Xabi Alonso believes his team can pull off an "epic" comeback against Bayern Munich in the Champions League despite trailing 3-0 from the first leg and losing Florian Wirtz to injury.

Israel's negotiating team left for Qatar Monday for talks aimed at extending the fragile Gaza ceasefire, after Israel cut the Palestinian territory's electricity supply to ramp up pressure on Hamas.

Stock markets slipped on Monday as investors fretted over the impact of President Donald Trump's trade policy on the economic growth of the United States and China, the world's biggest economies.

Syria's new authorities announced on Monday the end of an operation against loyalists of deposed president Bashar al-Assad, after nearly 1,000 civilians were killed in the worst violence since his overthrow.

The Brazilian head of the next UN climate conference acknowledged Monday the limitations of such global negotiations, and the need to deliver on promises made at these summits.

Three former top executives from French video game giant Ubisoft, the maker of "Assassin's Creed" and "Far Cry", went on trial on Monday accused of psychologically and sexually harassing employees for nearly a decade.

Lots of fur and leather, ever-expanding shoulder pads and shoes, splashes of yellow: AFP looks at some of the trends from Paris Women's Fashion Week, which wraps up on Tuesday.

Barcelona coach Hansi Flick said his team will face Benfica in the Champions League on Tuesday playing for club doctor Carles Minarro, who died on Saturday.

Pope Francis, in hospital with pneumonia, is showing slight signs of improvement but it is too early to discuss his return home, a Vatican source said Monday.

Petrol station attendant Amadou Sani gesticulated to approaching motorists in Niamey to keep going because the garage had no more fuel.

Kyiv will propose an aerial and naval ceasefire with Russia during talks with US officials in Saudi Arabia this week, a Ukrainian official told AFP on Monday as President Volodymyr Zelensky was due to arrive in the kingdom.

Italian opposition parties stepped up criticism Monday of a proposed deal between the government and SpaceX's Starlink following founder Elon Musk's suggestion he could cut Ukraine from the satellite network.

Israel is due to send a delegation to Qatar on Monday for a fresh round of talks on extending a fragile ceasefire in Gaza, after cutting off the electricity supply to ramp up pressure on Hamas.

In a cathedral's hush in Myanmar's biggest metropolis, Catholics bow their heads in prayer for Pope Francis -- returning the good wishes the ailing faith leader often sends the war-riven nation.

European and Asian stock markets mostly fell Monday, as investors feared the impact of President Donald Trump's trade policy on the economic growth of the United States and China, the world's biggest economies.

US President Donald Trump, who wants to take over Greenland, is very erratic, the island's premier said on Monday, the eve of the self-governing Danish territory's legislative elections.

Bayer Leverkusen on Monday confirmed midfielder Florian Wirtz will miss "several weeks" with an ankle injury, including Tuesday's Champions League last 16 second leg match with Bayern Munich.

Five years ago on Tuesday, the World Health Organization announced Covid-19 had become a pandemic -- a moment when the world finally woke up to the unfolding disaster.

Three former top executives from French video game giant Ubisoft, the maker of "Assassin's Creed" and "Far Cry", went on trial on Monday accused of psychologically and sexually harassing employees for nearly a decade.

Strike action grounded thousands of flights in Germany on Monday, including all connections to and from Berlin, as the service sector union called on workers to walk out for better pay.

President Donald Trump said Sunday the United States was in talks with four groups interested in acquiring TikTok, with the Chinese-owned app facing an uncertain future in the country.

Shares in Hong Kong and Shanghai sank Monday on a mixed day for equity markets after data showing Chinese consumer prices slipped back into deflation stoked fresh concerns over the world's number two economy.

Olfa Meriah stands, frustrated, before a smartphone shop near the capital Tunis. How can she buy a phone in instalments, she wonders, when a new banking reform has made split payments nearly impossible?

KL Rahul was hailed Monday as India's Champions Trophy unsung hero, having twice kept a cool head under pressure to see his team to victory in tense semi-final and finals.

Held every year in the capital of conservative-leaning Texas, the South by Southwest festival increasingly celebrates the state's emergence as a technology hub stepping out of Silicon Valley's shadow.

Canada's incoming prime minister Mark Carney struck a defiant note Sunday against the United States, as the former central banker vowed to win US President Donald Trump's trade war.

A sprawling Russian disinformation network is manipulating Western AI chatbots to spew pro-Kremlin propaganda, researchers say, at a time when the United States is reported to have paused its cyber operations against Moscow.

Lorena Pacheco has hit the jackpot -- she won the right in a municipal lottery to rent a two-bedroom apartment and parking spot in one of Madrid's few social housing estates.