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

A blood-splattered "Mad Max" heroine, a Meryl Streep masterclass, a #MeToo figurehead -- the Cannes Film Festival showed the progress women have made in cinema on its first full day on Wednesday.

Mohamed Amra, the convict freed by gunmen in a murderous motorway attack Tuesday, has a long history of convictions for violent crimes that started when he was only 15, according to judicial sources.

Qatar expects to sign more long-term natural gas supply deals this year to meet growing international demand, Energy Minister Saad al-Kaabi said on Wednesday.

The EU on Wednesday predicted lower inflation in the eurozone in 2024 than previously forecast but warned the single-currency area's economy still faced risks from geopolitical tensions including wars in Ukraine and Gaza.

Sporting costumes ranging from Cinderella dresses to Dragon Ball Z outfits, children were hoisted onto metal poles as unofficial mascots of a boisterous parade as Hong Kong celebrated its annual bun festival on Wednesday.

Indonesian rescuers raced Wednesday to find dozens of people still unaccounted for after heavy rains caused flash floods and washed volcanic debris into residential areas over the weekend, sweeping away houses and leaving 67 people dead.

Ukraine has pulled back troops near several villages in the northeastern Kharkiv region, where Russian forces have been advancing and pounding settlements in a new offensive along the border, Kyiv said.

Two people were killed and hundreds injured, shops were looted and public buildings torched during a second night of rioting in New Caledonia, authorities said Wednesday, as anger over constitutional reforms from Paris boiled over.

As Israel keeps up its campaign against Hamas, Arab leaders are mapping out ways to support post-war Gaza, placing one major condition on their involvement: a pathway to Palestinian statehood.

Taiwanese drag queen Nymphia Wind and winner of hit TV series "RuPaul's Drag Race" performed a rousing medley of songs for outgoing President Tsai Ing-wen, thanking her for being the island's "mother".

One person was killed, hundreds more were injured, shops were looted and public buildings torched during a second night of rioting in New Caledonia, authorities said Wednesday, as anger over constitutional reforms from Paris boiled over.

The Cannes Film Festival got rolling on Wednesday with a strong day for female representation, including the new "Mad Max", a Meryl Streep masterclass and the leading figure of France's #MeToo movement.

French automaker Renault said Wednesday it will pursue developing autonomous minibuses for public transit but would stick to driving assistance features for personal cars for the time being.

Jalen Brunson was back to his best on Tuesday as the New York Knicks dominated the Indiana Pacers 121-91 to take a 3-2 lead in their Eastern Conference semi-final Game 5.

Women's basketball sensation Caitlin Clark scored 20 points but gave up 10 turnovers on a tough WNBA debut as her Indiana Fever team fell to a 92-71 loss to the Connecticut Sun on Tuesday.

Walking between the corrugated iron shacks of the informal settlement west of Johannesburg she calls home, Lutho Makheyi points out trenches filled by dirty rainwater holing the unpaved streets.

Tens of thousands of civilians fled the southern Gaza city of Rafah ahead of a threatened Israeli ground offensive, as Palestinians on Wednesday mark the anniversary of their "Nakba" or "catastrophe" of 1948.

Baia Pataraia, the head of a leading women's rights group in Georgia, woke up last weekend to find her apartment building in the capital Tbilisi plastered with posters of her face and the words "foreign agent".

From a voyage through the human body with Cate Blanchett, to a feminist superhero satire featuring giant tampons and octopus demons, the Cannes Film Festival launches its first competition for virtual reality films on Wednesday.

French actor and director Judith Godreche, a key figure in France's #MeToo movement, told AFP she does not believe in trial-by-media as she premieres a short film about sexual abuse at Cannes on Wednesday.

Jalen Brunson was back to his best on Tuesday as the New York Knicks dominated the Indiana Pacers 121-91 to take a 3-2 lead in their Eastern Conference semi-final Game 5.

Thousands of residents of Fort McMurray, a city in Canada's major oil-producing region, fled as an out-of-control wildfire drew near and thick smoke filled the skies.

Indonesian rescuers raced Wednesday to find dozens of people still unaccounted for after flash floods and cold lava flow that inundated neighbourhoods and swept away houses over the weekend left 58 people dead.

The CEO of Brazil's state oil company Petrobras has been sacked, the government announced Tuesday.

Women's basketball sensation Caitlin Clark scored 20 points but gave up 10 turnovers on a tough WNBA debut as her Indiana Fever team fell to a 92-71 loss to the Connecticut Sun on Tuesday.

Asian markets wobbled Wednesday ahead of key US inflation data later in the day, with traders struggling to pick up the baton after a record performance on Wall Street.

At least 16 people were killed Tuesday in Peru when a bus rolled off a ledge in the mountainous Ayacucho region, authorities said.

OpenAI co-founder Ilya Sutskever announced his departure Tuesday from the startup that ignited an artificial intelligence tech race with its release of ChatGPT.

The government of Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva announced Tuesday that the CEO of state oil company Petrobras has been sacked.

Thai women's goalkeeper Sukanya Chor Charoenying will never forget her World Cup debut five years ago -- a record 13-0 defeat to the USA.

Oleksandr Usyk may be the reigning WBA, WBO, IBF and IBO heavyweight world champion but to many the Ukrainian is the underdog going into Saturday's long-awaited unifying title fight with Tyson Fury in Riyadh.

While the rest of the boxing world is drooling in anticipation of a genuine heavyweight world title fight that will unify the division for the first time in over 20 years, Tyson Fury insists Saturday's match-up with Oleksandr Usyk in Riyadh is all about the money.