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

A man walked into a Viennese gallery one day in the summer of 2023 looking to sell a Gustav Klimt painting. The person who greeted him thought it was a joke, and gently sent him on his way.

Twenty-five countries shipped oil to Israel during its two-year offensive in Gaza, according to a report published Thursday by the nonprofit Oil Change International, which argued the same fossil-fuel system driving the climate crisis is also enabling "genocide."

The longest government shutdown in US history was bruising -- a political knife fight that left everyone claiming victory while nursing hidden wounds.

The world's largest species of seal has been devastated by bird flu, which has wiped out half of all breeding females at a key wildlife haven near Antarctica, scientists warned Thursday.

James O'Connor has been summoned to revive Australia's faltering Autumn Nations Series campaign, with the veteran fly-half given the task of steering the Wallabies to a much-needed win over Ireland in Dublin on Saturday.

Mexico's car assembly industry, one of the biggest in the world, fears US President Donald Trump's tariff war will impede access to an increasingly indispensable component: digital dashboard touchscreens for which parts are sourced mainly in China.

Diplomats chasing a good coffee at the COP30 climate summit in Brazil essentially have two choices: the Australians pouring flat whites, or the Turkish offering strong brews right next door.

Ireland's Mack Hansen will make a first Test start at full-back against his native Australia on Saturday, with Sam Prendergast recalled at fly-half to face the Wallabies in Dublin.

Rory McIlroy took a big first step towards capturing a seventh Order of Merit crown when he opened with a six-under par 66 round on Thursday in the season-ending DP World Tour Championship.

Stock markets were sluggish on Thursday after President Donald Trump signed a spending bill to end a record-long US government shutdown.

Alex de Minaur kept alive his chances of reaching the last four of the ATP Finals on Thursday after beating Taylor Fritz in straight sets 7-6 (7/3), 6-3 in Turin.

Len Ikitau and James O'Connor have both been recalled to Australia's back-line as the Wallabies look to revive their Autumn Nations Series campaign against Ireland in Dublin on Saturday.

EU states on Thursday agreed to scrap a bloc-wide duty exemption on low-value orders from the likes of retail giants Temu and Shein to help tackle a flood of cheap Chinese imports.

Europe's top rights court Thursday ruled that Poland had interfered with the private life of a woman who had an abortion abroad because she was unsure it was legal at home.

Pregnant lawmakers and new mothers will get the right to vote by proxy in the European Parliament under a rule change backed Thursday by the assembly, and now headed to member states for approval.

James Anderson has signed a new one-year contract at county club Lancashire, meaning England's all-time most successful bowler is set to carry on playing first-class cricket beyond his 44th birthday.

Switzerland's economy minister Guy Parmelin was back in Washington for talks on Thursday, for the third time since the Alpine country was clobbered with huge tariffs.

With NASA's International Space Station set to come out of service in 2030, American aerospace firm Vast has stepped into a frenzied race for the world's first commercial space station.

France has lifted its travel ban on Telegram founder Pavel Durov, who is under investigation over illegal content on his messaging app, judicial sources close to the case said Thursday.

Gonzalo Quesada largely kept faith with the Italy team that stunned Australia last weekend, making just one change to the team announced on Thursday for the Azzurri's tough test against South Africa.

Flashy humanoid robots that have awed attendees at Web Summit in Lisbon this week are still far from revolutionising physical labour in factories and warehouses, Amazon's chief roboticist told AFP.

Rassie Erasmus on Thursday made sweeping changes to his South Africa team for the Autumn Series clash with Italy, announcing 11 different names to the side that beat France last weekend.

Writer David Szalay deliberately dared his readers to face up to the "ickiness" of an affair between a 15-year-old boy and his much older married neighbour in the first chapter of his new book, "Flesh".

European lawmakers voted Thursday to back the weakening of landmark EU environmental and human rights rules, as part of a business-friendly drive to slash red tape pushed through with far-right support.

The world's oil market is experiencing a period of imbalance as growing supply outstrips demand despite stronger deliveries to China, the International Energy Agency (IEA) said Thursday.

France head coach Fabien Galthie on Thursday recalled Gregory Alldritt to "take up the torch" as captain this weekend against Fiji having dropped him for the humbling defeat to South Africa.

Adolf Hitler most likely suffered from the genetic condition Kallmann Syndrome that can manifest itself in undescended testicles and a micropenis, researchers and documentary makers said Thursday, following DNA testing of the Nazi dictator's blood.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Thursday ordered sanctions on an associate and former business partner at the heart of a massive corruption scandal that has sparked outrage in a nation exhausted by nearly four years of war.

Germany's coalition government has agreed a new voluntary military service model, politicians said Thursday, after weeks of wrangling over whether there should be a compulsory element.

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said on Thursday she only sleeps for between two and four hours every night, while she also faces criticism for encouraging people to overwork.

South Africa plans to bid for the 2036 or 2040 Olympic and Paralympic Games, the government said Thursday, aiming to bring one of the world's biggest sporting events to Africa for the first time.

Juan Ponce Enrile, a shrewd political operator who helped usher in the darkest repression of the late Philippine dictator Ferdinand Marcos's rule, died on Thursday at the age of 101, his daughter said.