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

Thailand's foreign minister warned that his country would not tolerate any violation of its sovereignty, during a visit on Friday to the border with Myanmar following days of clashes that have dislodged junta troops from their positions in the neighbouring country.

Fighting near the Myanmar-Thai border has sent thousands fleeing into Thailand but hasn't closed a lane of ramshackle shops in no-man's land offering bootlegged whisky, Chinese aphrodisiacs and Burmese cigarettes.

Belgian prosecutors have opened a probe into Russian "interference" in the European Parliament following allegations lawmakers were paid to spread Kremlin propaganda, Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo said Friday.

Residents reported heavy Israeli fire in central Gaza on Friday, with regional tensions soaring after Iran threatened reprisals over a strike in Syria this month that killed two Iranian generals.

Greece's Stefanos Tsitsipas kept alive his hopes of a third Monte Carlos Masters title as on Friday he breezed into the semi-finals dismissing Russian opponent Karen Khachanov 6-4, 6-2.

At the age of 102, Melanie Berger-Volle will carry the Olympic torch as high as she can, despite her fragile shoulder, to champion the values of friendship between peoples that she defended during her time with the French Resistance in the Second World War.

Pope Francis will visit Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, East Timor and Singapore in September, the Vatican announced Friday, an ambitious trip that could test the 87-year-old's increasingly fragile health.

Europe's stock markets rose Friday after the European Central Bank signalled a likely June interest rate cut, with London boosted by fresh hope that Britain has escaped from recession, as dealers also awaited the start of the US earnings season.

Glasgow could step in to host a scaled-back Commonwealth Games in 2026 as organisers struggle to find a willing host for the multi-sport event.

Flooding in the Russian city of Orenburg became "critical" Friday forcing "mass evacuations" as the Ural river level rises, the mayor said.

Naomi Osaka said she was driven by the fear of letting her teammates down after helping Japan take control of their Billie Jean King Cup qualifier against Kazakhstan on Friday.

South Africa's electoral commission said Friday that it had appealed to the country's highest court to rule on whether ex-president Jacob Zuma can stand in a general election in May.

A high-profile Vietnamese real estate tycoon was sentenced to death on Thursday in one of the biggest corruption cases in history, with an estimated $27 billion in damages.

Massive overseas and domestic investments offer Japan a chance to reclaim its tech crown, but to become a convincing alternative to China the country must embrace rapid innovation, experts say.

As air raid sirens rang out on the morning of October 7, Bilha Inon and her husband Yakovi sheltered in the safe room of their home in Netiv Haasara in southern Israel.

Beijing on Friday criticised the United States, Japan and the Philippines and defended its actions in the South China Sea as "lawful" after US President Joe Biden hosted a trilateral meeting in Washington.

With her owner holding her leash, Philippine pooch Hazel sniffs through rubble in a simulated search for survivors of a major earthquake in the capital Manila.

Asian markets fell Friday as traders struggled to build on Wall Street's positive lead, with hopes for a June interest rate cut fading, while earnings season gets underway in the United States amid optimism for companies' profit outlooks.

Relations between the United States and the Philippines have been in overdrive since President Ferdinand Marcos took power in June 2022, fuelled by China's growing assertiveness in the Asia-Pacific region.

One of the largest wooden structures ever built is taking shape in Osaka, but hopes that Expo 2025 will unite the world are being dogged by cost blowouts and a lack of public enthusiasm.

Seven-time champions Australia seized control of their Billie Jean King Cup qualifier against Mexico on Friday despite losing Storm Hunter on the eve of the tie to a serious Achilles injury.

Patek Philippe's chief says he is not anxious about the prospects for top-end timepieces, despite Swiss watch exports slowing overall after three years of spectacular growth.

In a video circulating online, a young man can be seen bleeding to death on the ground. Close by, another body lies in a pool of his own blood. Women's cries fill the night air in Goma, in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo.

The New Orleans Pelicans boosted their hopes of securing an automatic playoff berth on Thursday with a 135-123 road victory over the Sacramento Kings.

Thailand's foreign minister arrived for a visit to the Myanmar border on Friday, the ministry said, following days of clashes that have dislodged junta troops from their positions in a vital trade hub in the neighbouring country.

China's top legislator met with a senior North Korean official for talks on cooperation during a visit to Pyongyang this week, North Korean state media said Friday, in one of the most high-level meetings between the allies in years.

Asian markets mostly fell Friday as traders struggled to build on Wall Street's positive lead, with hopes for a June interest rate cut fading, while earnings season gets underway in the United States amid optimism for companies' profit outlooks.

Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester City are locked in a tense battle for Premier League supremacy, with Unai Emery threatening the Gunners' grip on top spot and Phil Foden taking centre stage for the champions.

At a run-down job centre in the suburbs of India's financial capital Mumbai, 27-year-old Mahesh Bhopale dreams of a well-paid government post -- just like millions of other young, unemployed graduates.

Myanmar troops have withdrawn from their positions in a trade hub near the Thai border, a spokesman for the junta said, confirming reports from an ethnic armed group that has been battling the military for days.

President Joe Biden made "ironclad" defense pledges to Japan and the Philippines on Thursday as he hosted his counterparts amid growing tensions with Beijing, whose actions the three leaders described as "dangerous and aggressive."

Millions displaced and on the brink of famine. Sexual and ethnic violence. Infrastructure destroyed. Aid workers say a year of war between rival generals in Sudan has led to catastrophe, but the world has turned away.