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

Spain arrived in Qatar with grand dreams of winning a second World Cup, fully convinced in their style of play, but departed early Wednesday, ruminating on an identity crisis.

A Mozambican court on Wednesday sentenced two ex-spy bosses and the son of a former president to 12 years each for their part in a corruption scandal in which the government sought to conceal huge debts, triggering financial havoc.

The Saudi capital was bedecked with Chinese flags ahead of President Xi Jinping's visit on Wednesday that is likely to focus on energy ties but also follows months of tensions with the United States.

Turkey said Wednesday it has started requesting proof of insurance from tankers loaded with Russian crude oil after Western powers imposed a price cap to punish the Kremlin for its war on Ukraine.

Environmental activists hurled paint at the entrance of Milan's prestigious La Scala opera house on Wednesday, part of a series of recent protests across Europe to focus attention on climate change.

David Warner withdrew a bid to overturn his lifetime Australian leadership ban Wednesday, claiming an independent review panel wanted to "conduct a public lynching" and it would be traumatic for his family.

The hugely popular "Call of Duty" game franchise will become available on Nintendo's Switch console if the acquisition of its developer goes ahead, a Microsoft executive said Wednesday.

England's "Barmy Army" of diehard supporters brimmed with frenzied energy as they barrelled to victory in Rawalpindi this week, opening their first Pakistan Test tour in 17 years with barnstorming style.

Most stocks suffered more selling Wednesday while oil held losses on growing fears Federal Reserve monetary tightening will tip the US economy into recession.

England manager Gareth Southgate is wrestling with the biggest dilemma of his reign as he tries to plot a way to stop the "sensational" Kylian Mbappe in Saturday's World Cup quarter-final.

Vietnam's homegrown carmaker VinFast, which plans to sell the first ever Vietnamese car in the United States, said Wednesday it has filed for an initial public offering (IPO) in the country.

Pakistan hope to get more life from the pitch when they take on England in the second Test in Multan starting Friday.

New Zealand Rugby on Wednesday named former governor general Patsy Reddy as chair, the first woman to hold the position in the 130-year history of the governing body.

Asian stocks extended a global sell-off Wednesday while oil held losses on growing fears Federal Reserve monetary tightening will tip the US economy into recession.

China announced Wednesday a nationwide loosening of Covid restrictions following protests against the hardline strategy that grew into calls for greater political freedoms.

New Zealand Rugby on Wednesday named former governor general Patsy Reddy as the first female chairperson in its 130-year history.

Christmas tree producers in Belgium are struggling for seasonal cheer as they wrestle with the impact of high energy costs and inflation fuelled by the war in Ukraine.

US e-cigarette manufacturer Juul Labs said on Tuesday it had reached a settlement with about 10,000 plaintiffs in California after the company was accused of marketing its products to teenagers.

The James Webb Space Telescope lit up 2022 with dazzling images of the early universe after the Big Bang, heralding a new era of astronomy and untold revelations about the cosmos in years to come.

China's imports and exports plunged in November to levels not seen since early 2020, official figures showed Wednesday, as severe Covid restrictions hit the economy hard.

Europe is likely to scrape through this winter without cutting off gas customers despite reduced Russian supplies, but even adjusting to colder homes and paying more may not be enough in coming years, analysts say.

Joe Biden's party won a new US Senate seat on Tuesday with Democrat Raphael Warnock's victory in Georgia, according to television networks.

China's imports and exports plunged in November to levels not seen since early 2020, as strict Covid restrictions hit the economy hard, according to official figures released Wednesday.

This was supposed to be the comeback year for the world economy following the Covid pandemic.

From "intelligent" vacuum cleaners and driverless cars to advanced techniques for diagnosing diseases, artificial intelligence has burrowed its way into every arena of modern life.

From the United States to Brazil and Israel, a barrage of election-related misinformation hammered voters around the world in 2022, but many pushed back against the conspiracy-laden Trumpian tactic of sowing distrust in the democratic process.

Catastrophic floods, crop-wilting droughts and record heatwaves this year have shown that climate change warnings are increasingly becoming reality and this is "just the beginning", experts say, as international efforts to cut planet-heating emissions founder.

International streaming platforms were among the biggest pandemic winners, seeing subscriber numbers soar, but US giants have turned abroad as countries re-opened -- with Thailand firmly in their sights.

Honduran police on Tuesday moved en masse into poor urban areas to tackle criminal gangs "head on" after a decree by President Xiomara Castro to temporarily suspend certain rights.

In the east German countryside, close to Dresden, a former abattoir is now home to the biggest indoor cannabis farm in Europe.

Asian investors extended a sell-off across global markets Wednesday while oil held losses on growing fears Federal Reserve monetary tightening will tip the US economy into recession.

Steve Smith will captain Australia in the second Test against the West Indies after skipper Pat Cummins was ruled out due to injury Wednesday with Scott Boland replacing him.