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

Pope Leo XIV on Thursday held an open-air mass in Equatorial Guinea in front of tens of thousands of followers, wrapping up his first major international tour that began with harsh criticism of his stance on Iran from US President Donald Trump.

Romania's Social Democratic Party on Thursday said it had quit the coalition government of Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan, triggering a new political crisis in the turmoil-weary country.

Tanzania's electoral violence last year left at least 518 dead, a government-appointed commission said Thursday, giving a figure far below opposition estimates and failing to say who was responsible.

Spain's Lamine Yamal has picked up a hamstring injury, but is expected to be fit for the upcoming World Cup, his club Barcelona announced Thursday.

Portugal on Thursday asked Air France-KLM and Lufthansa to make binding offers to buy a controlling stake in TAP Air Portugal, as the government seeks to privatise an airline it rescued during the Covid-19 pandemic.

American actress and filmmaker Maggie Gyllenhaal will head up the jury of the Venice Film Festival, organisers said Thursday.

Nestle, the food giant whose brands include Nespresso coffee and Perrier water, saw first-quarter sales figures slump due to the strong value of the Swiss franc and a baby formula recall, but sales volumes overall edged higher.

Oil prices and the dollar jumped Thursday while most equity markets slid as the United States and Iran appeared no closer to resuming peace talks.

Two commuter trains collided head-on near the Danish capital early Thursday leaving five critically hurt and 13 others with lesser injuries, officials said.

The Iran war has exposed Africa's vulnerability to fuel chokepoints and is heading for a 86 million tonne fuel shortfall by 2040, the Africa Finance Corporation (AFC) said Thursday.

Rising reggae star Meta Dia will headline this year's Stereo Africa Festival in Dakar celebrating contemporary African music and the sounds of the diaspora.

Iran has banked the first proceeds from the tolls it is exacting on shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, a senior official said Thursday, as disruption triggered by the US-Israeli war against the Islamic republic continued to batter the world economy.

The Pentagon blasted as cherry picking and false on Thursday a news report saying that the department assessed it could take six months to completely clear the Strait of Hormuz of Iranian-laid mines.

Two commuter trains collided head-on near the Danish capital early Thursday leaving five critically hurt and 12 others with lesser injuries, emergency services said.

A US naval blockade of Iranian ports is likely to squeeze Iran's oil output in the coming weeks but claims it will throw the Islamic republic into economic free fall remain premature, analysts say.

Shares in EssilorLuxottica, the world's top maker of eyeglasses, slid on Thursday as analysts said investors have turned wary of AI glasses.

German airline giant Lufthansa Thursday lost a legal battle over a six-billion-euro ($7-billion) pandemic-era government bailout when the EU's top court ruled Brussels mishandled its approval of the cash injection.

Business activity in the eurozone contracted for the first time in 16 months in April, as the war in the Middle East drove energy prices up and disrupted global supply chains, a closely watched survey showed Thursday.

RB Leipzig's home Bundesliga clash with Union Berlin on Friday has the two sides chasing different season goals, while showing the changing face of the game.

An envoy to US President Donald Trump has asked world football's governing body FIFA to replace Iran with Italy at the World Cup, according to the Financial Times.

Sales of new cars jumped last month in the European Union as consumers turned to electric vehicles as petrol prices soared due to the war in the Middle East, data showed Thursday.

Pace bowler Mitchell Starc has been cleared to play in the Indian Premier League after missing the first half of the season because of fitness concerns, Cricket Australia said Thursday.

South Korea pushed back on Thursday against criticism of its business environment by US lawmakers, as a rare spat deepens over Seoul's investigation into online retail company Coupang.

A Pentagon assessment said it could take six months to completely clear the Strait of Hormuz of Iranian-laid mines, which could keep oil prices high, the Washington Post reported on Wednesday.

Tens of thousands of Samsung Electronics workers rallied in South Korea on Thursday to demand higher pay and bonuses, as their threat of a weeks-long strike hung over the technology giant.

China's new supply chain regulations could be a "concern" for US firms, the American Chamber of Commerce in China warned on Thursday.

Iran vowed it would not reopen the Strait of Hormuz as long as the United States continues to blockade its ports, in a tense standoff on Thursday that has dominated the ceasefire in the Middle East war.

Japan's Machida Zelvia shared their clubhouse with senior citizens doing fitness classes less than a decade ago. Now they're one win away from being Asian champions.

Contenders for next UN secretary-general made their case this week for a United Nations more invested in peace, but avoided taking positions that could antagonize the member states who will choose the world body's next chief.

France and "like-minded countries" must work together to avoid becoming "hostages" on critical minerals used in everything from phones to solar panels, Paris's trade minister said Thursday.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 37 points to propel the Oklahoma City Thunder to a 120-107 victory over Phoenix and a 2-0 lead in their NBA playoff series, as Detroit topped Orlando to knot their series at 1-1 on Wednesday.

The United States slammed China's "intimidation campaign" on Wednesday after several African countries were reportedly pressured by Beijing to derail an official trip by Taiwan's President Lai Ching-te by revoking overflight permits.