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

A US-based man identified by Cuba as one of those killed by its coast guard in a shootout had often spoken of wanting to liberate the communist island, a political ally told AFP on Thursday.

The Canadian official responsible for US trade voiced optimism Thursday about the future of a North American free trade agreement, a pact derided by President Donald Trump and set for review this year.

Dogs, birds, and a mud-covered calf were among the animals rescued in southeastern Brazil where 55 people have died after torrential rains unleashed flooding and landslides.

Voters in northern England cast ballots Thursday in a local poll seen as a key test of the ruling Labour party's ability to fend off growing support for the hard right and leftists, as the country's traditional two-party system splinters.

What began as a quiet meetup of Pokemon enthusiasts at a US store ended with an armed robbery in which masked men held the group at gunpoint to steal more than $100,000 in trading cards.

The killing of the head of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) by Mexican authorities on Sunday sparked widespread violence, with gang members opening fire on soldiers and setting up burning roadblocks in various parts of the country.

Argentina on Thursday became the second South American country to ratify a massive trade deal with the European Union that has generated enthusiasm from Brasilia to Buenos Aires but sparked protests and legal challenges in Europe.

British supermarket chain Waitrose on Thursday said it was suspending the sale of mackerel to take "a decisive stand against overfishing".

Iran and the United States made "significant progress" in talks in Switzerland on Thursday, Oman's foreign minister said, at the end of the latest round of negotiations to avert a war between the longtime foes.

A US-based man identified by Cuba as one of those killed by its coast guard in a shootout off the Cuban coast had spoken often of wanting to liberate the island, a political ally told AFP on Thursday.

Does Prada want to coddle you in an unravelling world?

Brentford boss Keith Andrews signed a new contract on Thursday that will keep him at the Premier League club until 2032.

US and Ukrainian officials concluded talks in Geneva on Thursday to discuss advancing efforts to end Russia's four-year invasion of Ukraine, just as Moscow signalled it was in no hurry to sign a deal.

A French appeal court on Thursday overturned the decision to send former France striker Wissam Ben Yedder to trial on rape charges, citing a lack of evidence, judicial sources told AFP.

Aav German court ruled on Thursday that the domestic intelligence agency cannot label the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party as a "confirmed right-wing extremist" group, at least for now.

Defending champions India thrashed Zimbabwe by 72 runs in their Super Eights T20 World Cup match on Thursday, a result that guaranteed South Africa a place in the semi-finals.

Denmark's Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen on Thursday called a general election for March 24, against a backdrop of tensions with the United States and Russia.

A Republican-led panel grilled Hillary Clinton on Thursday over her links to Jeffrey Epstein, but she called for Donald Trump to testify about the president's own connections to the convicted sex offender.

Uruguay on Thursday became the first country to ratify a mammoth trade deal with the European Union, which also includes Brazil, Argentina and Paraguay.

Stock markets diverged on Thursday as investors digested company earnings, including better-than-forecast but not stellar results from chip titan Nvidia.

Tottenham Hotspur interim head coach Igor Tudor says ensuring the club avoid relegation from the Premier League represents the hardest challenge of his career.

The European Commission affirmed Thursday that member states can tap EU funds to pay for safe abortions in answer to a million-strong petition, but stopped short of steps to actively facilitate access across the bloc.

Former US secretary of state Hillary Clinton will face "a lot of questions" Thursday from a congressional committee investigating the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and his accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell, its Republican chair said.

Fresh downpours have brought more flooding, landslides and fear to southeastern Brazil where rescuers were still looking for 14 missing people Thursday after a rainstorm that left 54 people dead.

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney was flying to Asia on Thursday for a three-country tour with a first stop in India, where he hopes to double trade to offset the damage of his country's fracturing relations with the United States.

Opener Abhishek Sharma and Hardik Pandya hit blistering fifties as India reached 256-4 against Zimbabwe in the T20 World Cup Super Eights on Thursday, the second highest total in the history of the tournament.

Livewire Irish wing James Lowe will play no further part in the Six Nations it was announced on Thursday owing to the groin injury he suffered early on in last weekend's 42-21 thrashing of England.

Cuba vowed Thursday to defend against "terrorist and mercenary" attacks after reporting it had killed four gunmen on a US-registered boat -- a bloody incident that added to deepening tensions between Havana and Washington.

Two swastikas have been found spray-painted on buildings in a Paris suburb that served as a World War II transit camp for some 63,000 Jews deported to Auschwitz-Birkenau.

Pressure is mounting on Sri Lanka's captain, coach and the selection panel to step down after the co-hosts' feeble exit from the T20 World Cup with a match to spare.

Stock markets traded mixed on Thursday as investors digested company earnings, including better-than-forecast results from chip titan Nvidia.

As little Heidrun celebrates her second birthday today, she is still waiting for something that should be a matter of course in a constitutional state: a place in an inclusive daycare centre with individual assistance. Her parents have been fighting for this right for over a year and have now filed disciplinary complaints, criminal charges and petitions. What they are experiencing in Potsdam (Federal state of Brandenburg) is, according to citizens, ‘the pitiful face of an administration that ignores laws and cold-heartedly abandons the weakest members of society, children with severe disabilities’.Back in January 2025, representatives of the Children, Youth and Family Department of the state capital Potsdam (Germany) acknowledged in writing that Heidrun needs special support due to her severe disability – since birth, the toddler has suffered from a KBG gene defect (100 per cent severe disability with care level 4 and, among other things, the designation ‘H’ = ‘helpless’ and ‘aG’ = ‘exceptionally mobility impaired’).