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

A record-breaking summer storm that pummelled the Netherlands and Germany, leaving two people dead, has caused as much as 100 million euros ($109 million) in damage, Dutch insures said on Thursday.

British billionaire Jim Ratcliffe has said he remains focused on completing a takeover of Manchester United as the battle to buy the Red Devils drags on.

Pakistan are ready to take on any side at any venue in India during this year's World Cup, skipper Babar Azam said Thursday as the team awaited government approval to participate in the tournament.

At least 17 people, including three children, died in a slum near Johannesburg from a leak of toxic gas apparently used for scavenging gold at an abandoned mine, rescue services said Thursday.

France on Thursday rejected "little remarks" by an EU commissioner on recent riots sparked by the police killing of a teenager at a traffic stop, saying the European Union had no business weighing in on questions of law enforcement.

Major stock markets slumped Thursday, with the biggest falls in Paris and Hong Kong, as investors fretted over the prospect of more US interest rate hikes and the risk to the global economy.

Slovakia captain Milan Skriniar became Paris Saint Germain's first signing of the summer on Thursday, joining on a free transfer a year after the French champions declined to pay Inter Milan 70 million euros ($76 million).

UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak may have another local election on his hands after a parliamentary committee on Thursday upheld groping allegations against a former senior government official and recommended an eight-week suspension.

Paris Fashion Week welcomed its first Saudi designer into the fold on Thursday, with a haute couture show full of daringly revealing looks.

The Emirati oil executive chairing this year's UN climate summit, Sultan Al Jaber, told private and national oil and gas companies on Thursday they must slash their planet-warming emissions.

The Israeli army said Thursday it was conducting strikes on southern Lebanon after a mortar launched from its northern neighbour exploded in the border area between the two foes.

Manchester United's new midfielder Mason Mount claims he left Chelsea because he realised he was not in the club's plans several months ago.

Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin is still in Russia, Belarus's president said Thursday, raising questions about the deal to end the mercenary leader's mutiny last month.

If it was good enough for Lleyton Hewitt, it's good enough for Holger Rune, who hopes to become a Grand Slam champion by possessing lethal groundstrokes, an intense competitive spirit -- and a back-to-front baseball cap.

The rise in sexual assaults by minors in Spain, including several recent gang rapes, has worried officials and experts, who warn about the impact of ever-younger children being exposed to pornography.

England captain Ben Stokes won the toss and elected to field at Headingley on Thursday in a must-win third Ashes Test for the hosts as Australia made three changes to their starting line-up.

Vietnam is investigating "an incident" involving the organiser of a Blackpink concert in Hanoi, the government has said, after social media users complained its website featured a map showing China's territorial claims in the South China Sea.

Bangladesh's one-day international captain Tamim Iqbal on Thursday announced his immediate retirement from all forms of international cricket, a sudden development coming in the middle of a series against Afghanistan.

US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen arrived in Beijing on Thursday, kicking off a visit aimed at improving communication and stabilising the tense relationship between the world's two largest economies.

Sarina Wiegman compared England's long wait for a major tournament win to a national "trauma" as the Lionesses aim to back up their Euro 2022 triumph at the women's World Cup.

China's commerce ministry on Thursday said recent curbs on essential chip-making metals were not aimed at any specific country and that they did not represent a "ban on exports".

On the shores of Lake Issyk Kul in mountainous Kyrgyzstan, a group of divers show off their haul for the day -- a boat engine, car tyres, bottles, clothes and plastic items.

The world saw its hottest June on record last month, the EU's climate monitoring service said Thursday, as climate change and the El Nino weather pattern looked likely to drive another scorching northern summer.

Eddie Jones will begin his second stint as Australia head coach against South Africa on Saturday with a much-changed team from that which beat Wales in their last match.

Markets fell again in Asia on Thursday as traders resigned themselves to more US interest rate hikes after minutes from the Federal Reserve's June meeting showed officials felt more needed to be done to rein in inflation.

Taiwan's chip giant TSMC said Thursday it did not expect any direct effect on production from China's latest export controls on two rare metals essential for making semiconductors.

More than 10 million people have signed up to Threads, Meta's rival to Twitter, within the first few hours of its launch, the Facebook parent's CEO Mark Zuckerberg said Thursday.

Jamie Joseph has announced plans to step down as Japan head coach after this year's Rugby World Cup, local media reported.

A mountain of copper and cobalt worth up to $2 billion is piled up in DR Congo, symbolising the wildly volatile market for metals touted as crucial to the green energy revolution.

Duisburg once touted itself as Germany's "China city" due to strong links to the Asian giant, but it is now desperately seeking an image makeover as geopolitical tensions upend bilateral ties.

Ever since Herbert Hoegl and his wife first drove up the majestic Grossglockner High Alpine Road, named after Austria's highest mountain, the breathtaking vistas that the route offers have been imprinted on their minds.

Saudi Arabia is continuing its multi-billion-dollar entry into all aspects of global culture, hitting a new milestone on Thursday with the first Saudi designer presenting at Paris Fashion Week.