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

French prosecutors on Thursday demanded jail terms of up to 14 years for three rugby players formerly with French side Grenoble, charged with the 2017 gang rape of a student.

Human-induced climate change fuelled a rare string of back-to-back typhoons that battered the Philippines this year and boosted the chances of powerful storms making landfall, a new study said on Thursday.

India on Thursday hailed chess prodigy Gukesh Dommaraju after the 18-year-old became the youngest world champion with a thrilling final win over China's Ding Liren.

The European Central Bank cut interest rates again Thursday and hinted at more to come, with President Christine Lagarde saying the beleaguered eurozone economy was "losing momentum" as EU and US politics fuelled uncertainty.

Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva is "cognitively healthy" after surgery to relieve bleeding pressure on his brain and should be leaving intensive care on Friday, his medical team said.

Europe's main stock markets were little changed Thursday despite interest rate cuts by the eurozone and Swiss central banks as policymakers warned of economic and political woes in the region and beyond.

Real Madrid forward Kylian Mbappe suffered a thigh injury in this week's Champions League match at Atalanta, the Spanish club confirmed Thursday without giving details on his absence.

President-elect Donald Trump said in an interview published Thursday that he disagrees "very vehemently" with Ukraine firing US-supplied missiles deep into Russia.

UN investigators say they have compiled secret lists of 4,000 perpetrators of serious crimes in Syria and hope the fall of Bashar al-Assad will help ensure accountability up to the highest level.

Indian teen prodigy Gukesh Dommaraju became the youngest undisputed world chess champion Thursday after beating China's Ding Liren in the final match of their series in Singapore.

The European Central Bank cut interest rates again Thursday, citing a worsening growth outlook and slowing inflation, with political turmoil in the eurozone adding to the troubled picture.

Time Magazine on Thursday named US President-elect Donald Trump its "person of the year," marking the second time he has won the accolade in acknowledgement of the mogul's stunning political comeback.

French President Emmanuel Macron was expected Thursday to name a new prime minister a week after MPs toppled the government, shortening a visit to Poland amid a torrent of criticism over the prolonged political crisis.

Salome Zurabishvili was a French diplomat before entering the turbulent politics of her ancestral homeland, where she was elected Georgia's first woman leader in 2018 and became the beacon of Tbilisi's EU aspirations.

Syria's interim government vowed on Thursday to institute the "rule of law" after years of abuses under ousted president Bashar al-Assad, as G7 powers pushed for an inclusive transition.

The Miss Netherlands beauty pageant is being scrapped after 35 years, organisers said on Thursday, transforming into a new platform dealing with mental health and sharing positive stories.

Gaza's civil defence agency reported that Israeli air strikes on Thursday killed at least 33 people, including 12 guards securing aid trucks in southern parts of the Palestinian territory.

The Swiss central bank announced an unexpectedly large interest-rate cut on Thursday, citing rising "uncertainty" about the economic outlook due to the potential impact of Donald Trump's policies and political turmoil in Europe.

European stock markets rose Thursday as the Swiss central bank made a bigger-than-forecast interest rate cut before eurozone policymakers are expected to trim the bloc's own borrowing costs again.

Cycling's governing body on Thursday moved to ban the controversial but legal carbon monoxide breathing method used by some top riders.

The United States was pushing Thursday for an "inclusive" transition in Syria from president Bashar al-Assad's brutal rule, after the country's new leaders pledged to protect minority rights.

Dutch police said Thursday that they had arrested a fourth suspect in connection with the deadly explosion that flattened an apartment block in The Hague, killing at least six people.

French President Emmanuel Macron was expected Thursday to name a new prime minister a week after MPs toppled the government, with politicians across the spectrum holding their breath while he conducts a day visit to Poland.

In the small town of Dedovsk, just outside Moscow, pensioner Zinaida Kudriavtseva is struggling to pay the bills.

Waving colourful glow sticks, singing parody songs and sporting elaborate outfits, demonstrators in Seoul this week calling for President Yoon Suk Yeol's departure have highlighted South Korea's unique and creative protest culture.

Almost a decade ago, a Syrian refugee's selfie with Germany's then chancellor Angela Merkel went viral. Today, Anas Modamani has a job, a German passport and a fiancee and no plans to return to his war-ravaged country.

An investigation into alleged rape and sexual assault in Stockholm which Swedish media said targeted Real Madrid forward Kylian Mbappe has been closed due to insufficient evidence, the Swedish prosecutor said Thursday.

Israel has been accused of carrying out a "massacre" of journalists in Gaza in two separate reports from media freedom organisations this week that analysed the deaths of reporters worldwide this year.

An investigation into alleged rape and sexual assault in Stockholm which Swedish media said targeted Real Madrid forward Kylian Mbappe has been closed due to insufficient evidence, the Swedish prosecutor said Thursday.

Gaza's civil defence agency reported that Israeli air strikes on Thursday killed at least 33 people, including 12 guards securing aid trucks in southern parts of the Palestinian territory.

French politics was on hold Thursday during a day trip to Poland by President Emmanuel Macron, who is expected to name a new prime minister a week after MPs toppled the government.

"Donkey milk has the taste of love," said Fatiko Basha as she caressed her favourite, Liza, before collecting the animal's milk. It also makes what is reputed to be one of the most expensive cheeses in the world.