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

Swiss food giant Nestle reported better-than-expected annual sales on Thursday, boosting its shares after the maker of Nescafe coffee, KitKat chocolate and Purina dog food hiked prices to offset inflation.

Italy's Federica Brignone laid down a near-faultless first run to lead standings in the women's giant slalom at the World Ski Championships in Saalbach on Thursday, as American Mikaela Shiffrin opted out of defending her title.

Britain's economy surprisingly picked up at the end of last year, official data showed Thursday, relieving some pressure on the Labour government as the country faces up to US tariffs.

Donald Trump's defence chief denied Thursday the US president was betraying Ukraine by opening talks with Russia's Vladimir Putin, as blindsided European powers insisted they and Kyiv must have a seat at the table.

Reigning world and Olympic champion Marco Odermatt will look to extend the Swiss men's dominance at the World Ski Championships in the giant slalom in Saalbach on Friday.

Jonas spent more than a year trying to reach Tunisia after escaping ethnic violence in his native Nigeria, but rising anti-migrant sentiment and a government crackdown in the North African country have left him without help.

Hamas said Thursday it was committed to honouring a truce with Israel that is facing its worst crisis since it took effect, and added that mediators were pushing for hostages to be released this weekend as planned.

For the young Russians who would once have turned out to Alexei Navalny street rallies in their thousands, the opposition leader's public legacy has faded fast in the year since his death.

Footage of a seemingly confused orangutan roaming the desolate site of an Indonesian coal mine, metres from excavators, has sparked renewed concern about the future of the critically endangered species.

Palestinian sources reported progress on Thursday in efforts to salvage the ceasefire in Gaza from its worst crisis yet, with a view to ensuring that Hamas releases Israeli hostages this weekend as planned.

Britain's economy picked up at the end of last year, official data showed Thursday, relieving some pressure on the Labour government as the country faces up to US tariffs.

German lender Commerzbank said Thursday it plans to cut about 3,900 jobs, around 10 percent of its workforce, seeking to fight off pressure for a tie-up from Italian bank UniCredit.

A suspected gas explosion in a Taiwan department store killed four people and left another "without vital signs", authorities said Thursday, with videos showing large pieces of debris raining on the street.

Ahmad Habibzi pauses to pray at the top of the halfpipe hill on a mountain at the Yabuli Ski Resort in northeastern China.

Western tour agencies entered North Korea for the first time on Thursday since the end of the pandemic, the companies said, voicing hopes the isolated country may soon reopen a border city to foreign visitors.

The new director of the Berlin film festival, Tricia Tuttle, spoke to AFP ahead of the opening, saying it would be an artistic "refuge" in the alarming age of Donald Trump.

Japanese entertainment and electronics giant Sony upgraded its annual net profit forecast to $7.0 billion on Thursday thanks to its strong gaming business.

The Republican-controlled US Senate was expected Thursday to approve vaccine conspiracy theorist Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as health secretary, despite major concerns from both political parties and many in the medical and scientific communities.

German director Tom Tykwer will open the Berlin film festival Thursday with a drama about a Syrian housekeeper, in the midst of a national election campaign that has been dominated by a bitter migration debate.

An explosion in a Taiwan department store on Thursday killed four people and left another "without vital signs", authorities said, with videos showing large pieces of debris raining on the street.

Wellington Hurricanes have named four captains for the Super Rugby season, employing the Maori kaitiaki approach of guardians overseeing the protection and growth of the team.

NSW Waratahs skipper Jake Gordon said Thursday the struggling Super Rugby team is ready for a new era with a host of high-profile signings bolstering confidence, led by Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii.

Elisabetta Donadello "poisoned" her children. After unwittingly living off polluted land in northeast Italy for decades, she had toxic chemicals in her blood -- which she passed on with each pregnancy.

Ireland's tiny Jewish community fears that growing anti-Israel hostility since the start of the Gaza war is leading to increased anti-Semitism, raising questions about their future in the EU country.

South Africa exports vehicles worth about $1.9 billion every year, many to the United States under a trade deal now in jeopardy as President Donald Trump piles pressure on the country.

An Afghan man with suspected jihadist motives goes on trial in Germany on Thursday over a knife attack that killed a policeman and wounded five others at an anti-Islam rally last year.

North Korea is demolishing a venue that for decades hosted tearful reunions of families separated by the Korean War and the division of the country, Seoul said Thursday, decrying the "inhumane" move.

North Korea is demolishing a venue that for decades hosted tearful reunions of families separated by the Korean War and the division of the country, Seoul said Thursday.

Asian markets mostly rose Thursday and oil prices extended losses as forecast-topping US inflation was overshadowed by hopes for an end to the Ukraine war after news Donald Trump and Russia's Vladimir Putin had discussed peace talks.

Under a vast canopy of tents in the Saudi city of Jeddah, religious artefacts are on display alongside contemporary art pieces, part of the kingdom's bid to transform its ultraconservative image.

For the first time in nearly two years of war, soup kitchens in famine-stricken Sudan are being forced to turn people away, with US President Donald Trump's aid freeze gutting the life-saving schemes.

South Korea's ousted President Yoon Seok Yeol faces potentially his last impeachment hearing Thursday over his failed martial law bid before judges begin deliberations on whether to formally remove him from office.