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

Cyclone Freddy, which has twice smashed into the African coast after traversing the Indian Ocean, may be enshrined in the history books as the longest ever documented, meteorologists say.

Russia's oil-export revenue sank by almost half in February compared to last year as Western powers tightened sanctions on the country, the International Energy Agency said on Wednesday.

The rigours and rituals of mating among fruit flies are challenging under the best of circumstances, but add ozone-laden smog into the mix and things really fly apart, according to a study published on Tuesday.

Europe's stock markets and the euro slumped Wednesday on renewed fears of contagion following the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank.

A senior United Nations official made her first trip to the divided island of Cyprus Wednesday looking for "a way forward" as positions harden in one of the world's longest-running disputes.

Austrian Vincent Kriechmayr clinched the final men's downhill of the season on Wednesday with freshly-minted overall World Cup winner Marco Odermatt failing to fire.

Myanmar officials were meeting with Rohingya refugees Wednesday in what Bangladeshi authorities said was the revival of a long-stalled effort to return the stateless minority to their homeland.

Jihadist-hit Niger last week killed about 30 members of the Boko Haram group and detained 960 followers, most of them women and children, who had fled neighbouring Nigeria, official sources said.

Uncollected rubbish clogged streets in France's capital on Wednesday as unions made an 11th-hour bid to stop a deeply unpopular pensions reform from being passed.

Pakistan police appeared Wednesday to have given up an attempt to arrest former prime minister Imran Khan, ending a siege of his residence after violent clashes with hundreds of his supporters.

South Korea said Wednesday it would build the world's largest chip centre using $230 billion of private investment mostly from Samsung Electronics, as it seeks an edge in the global industry.

Britain on Wednesday unveils a new cost-of-living budget, including more help on soaring energy bills, but the government is set to stand firm on rising public sector pay demands as the country endures a fresh wave of strikes.

Rescuers scrambled on Wednesday to reach survivors in Malawi's battered city of Blantyre, after Cyclone Freddy struck southern Africa for a second time triggering floods and landslides that have killed more than 200 people.

Moscow warned against "hostile" US flights on Wednesday, as tensions simmered a day after a Russian fighter jet was accused of colliding with an American drone over the Black Sea.

Dutch voters went to the polls in crucial regional elections on Wednesday with a new party of angry farmers posing a challenge to Prime Minister Mark Rutte and his environmental plans.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Wednesday urged Ethiopia to "deepen the peace" in the war-torn north as he moved cautiously to repair relations shaken by the brutal two-way conflict.

Making megastars BTS do their South Korean military service is slowing the global growth of K-pop, the chairman of the septet's agency HYBE said Wednesday.

Ines and Norman Kosin left everything behind to follow the teachings of Anastasia, a far-right Russian sect that preaches a return to the land.

US abortion opponents are hoping for a national ban on a widely used abortion pill when their lawsuit against government drug regulators is argued Wednesday in the Texas court of a deeply conservative judge believed to be sympathetic to their cause.

Zara owner Inditex, the world's biggest fashion retailer, reported record profits for 2022 despite halting operations in Russia and soaring global inflation.

Towering mounds dot the desert landscape in northern Niger's Arlit region, but there is little natural about them -- they are heaps of partially radioactive waste left from four decades of operations at one of the world's biggest uranium mines.

Arnold came out as gay years ago, but last month, the Kenyan guitarist removed a rainbow flag from his Twitter profile, fearing for his safety as a new wave of virulent homophobia sweeps East Africa.

Top seeds Carlos Alcaraz and Iga Swiatek eased into the Indian Wells quarter-finals on cue on Tuesday as in-form Daniil Medvedev defied injury in a wild three-set win over Alexander Zverev.

Honduras will establish diplomatic ties with China, President Xiomara Castro said Tuesday, a move that would result in the severing of longstanding official ties with Taiwan.

Mexico defeated Great Britain 2-1 on Tuesday to stay on course for a place in the World Baseball Classic quarter-finals as Canada got their campaign back on track with a 5-0 defeat of Colombia.

Japanese superstar Shohei Ohtani has been having a ball at the World Baseball Classic and is determined not to let Italy wipe the smile off his face in Thursday's quarter-final.

South Korea's President Yoon Suk Yeol on Wednesday hailed growing cooperation with Japan on issues from North Korea to semiconductors, saying it was part of a historic "new chapter" for the two countries.

Bulging grey heads break the turbid waters of the Mekong River in Cambodia as a pod of rare Irrawaddy dolphins surfaces to breathe, drawing excited murmurs from tourists watching from nearby boats.

The Milwaukee Bucks became the first team to clinch an NBA playoff place on Tuesday after holding off a late rally from the Phoenix Suns to complete a 116-104 road victory in Arizona.

Honduras will establish diplomatic relations with mainland China, President Xiomara Castro said Tuesday, a move that would result in the severing of longstanding official ties with Taiwan.

Top seed Carlos Alcaraz reached the Indian Wells quarter-finals Tuesday as Britain's Jack Draper retired from their fourth-round match with an injury to his right side.

Chinese retail sales rebounded in January and February as Beijing abandoned its suffocating zero-Covid policy, reopening borders and ending mandatory quarantine, and the country celebrated the Lunar New Year holiday.