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

Leading economic institutes Thursday slashed their 2025 growth forecast for Germany to near stagnation, warning Europe's struggling top economy will face extra pain from US President Donald Trump's tariff blitz.

Russia and the United States exchanged prisoners on Thursday, the second such swap since US President Donald Trump returned to the White House as the two superpowers push for closer ties.

Japan's largest yakuza organised crime body submitted a written pledge to authorities to end its wars with splinter groups, police told AFP on Thursday.

Reigning champion Jorge Martin will make his season debut after an injury setback at the Qatar MotoGP this weekend where Marc Marquez looks to bury the "bitter taste" of his crash last time out in the United States.

US-Russian citizen Ksenia Karelina was on a plane back to the United States on Thursday after being released in a prisoner exchange between Moscow and Washington, her lawyer and America's top diplomat said.

US-Russian ballet dancer Ksenia Karelina, who had been detained in Russia for 12 years on treason charges, has been released and is flying to the United States, according to the top US diplomat, with her lawyer saying she was part of a prisoner exchange agreed between Moscow and Washington.

A pair of sub-Antarctic volcanic islands unexpectedly hit by Donald Trump's sweeping tariffs may be the world's most inhospitable spot for international trade.

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney called US President Donald Trump's pause on global tariffs a "welcome reprieve" and said Ottawa will begin negotiations with Washington on a new economic deal after elections.

US special envoy Steve Witkoff and Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi will be in Oman for breakthrough talks on Tehran's nuclear programme this weekend.

Stocks rocketed Thursday as a relief rally spread through markets after Donald Trump paused crippling tariffs on US partners, with Chinese investors even brushing off his decision to ramp up duties on Beijing to 125 percent.

China on Thursday urged the United States to meet it "halfway" as US President Donald Trump imposed more levies on Chinese goods but, in a huge relief to global markets, paused tariffs on other countries.

The Vatican on Thursday published a photograph of Pope Francis meeting King Charles III and his wife Queen Camilla the day before during the British monarch's state visit to Italy.

NSW Waratahs' Dan McKellar ruled himself out of the running to take over from Wallabies coach Joe Schmidt, saying on Thursday he was "not in the mix".

Taiwanese chipmaking giant TSMC reported Thursday a better-than-expected revenue for the first quarter on strong demand for AI technology, after tariffs slapped onto major economies by US President Donald Trump caused global uncertainty.

Former Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina put Kazakhstan on course for the Billie Jean King Cup finals Thursday, helping her country take down Australia in a qualifying tie.

Adam Peaty announced Wednesday he intends to compete at a fourth Olympics after six new swimming events were added to the 2028 Los Angeles Games in what he called "an amazing decision."

Vietnam and the United States agreed to start negotiations on a reciprocal trade agreement, Hanoi said on Thursday, hours after Washington delayed imposing an enormous tariff on the Southeast Asian manufacturing powerhouse.

A multi-eyed mascot, a vast wooden Grand Ring, 160 countries and regions strutting their stuff, and robots and sushi galore: Expo 2025 begins Sunday in Osaka, Japan.

World Expo opens on Sunday with host Japan aiming to bring humanity together, despite global turmoil and tepid public enthusiasm for the six-month event showcasing innovation as well as Hello Kitty in algae form.

US President Donald Trump abruptly paused tariffs on most countries, sparking euphoria on global markets Thursday, but upped the ante on a brutal trade war with superpower rival China.

Papua New Guinea will "immediately" lift a ban on forest carbon credit schemes, the Pacific nation's climate minister told AFP on Thursday, opening up its vast wilderness to offset global emissions.

Electricity consumption by data centres will more than double by 2030, driven by artificial intelligence applications that will create new challenges for energy security and CO2 emission goals, the IEA said Thursday.

Defending champion Scottie Scheffler and Northern Ireland's Rory McIlroy are chasing history at the Masters, where a fast start at Augusta National on Thursday has been vital to success in the first major golf championship of the year.

Sipping tea on her break outside a Samsung Electronics factory in northern Vietnam, worker Nguyen Thi Mai said she had heard about US President Donald Trump's tariffs, but hoped it would not affect business.

The latest chapter in Munster's storied relationship with the Champions Cup takes place on Saturday as the two-time champions head to Bordeaux-Begles in the quarter-finals.

Claudio Ranieri faces his final Rome derby on Sunday as he leads Roma on a charge for the Champions League before finally, definitively sailing off into the distance.

McLaren's Lando Norris holds a wafer-thin advantage over four-time world champion Max Verstappen going into this weekend's Bahrain Grand Prix.

Asian stocks rocketed Thursday as investors breathed a huge sigh of relief after Donald Trump announced a pause on crippling tariffs on US partners, with Chinese markets even brushing off his decision to ramp up duties on Beijing to 125 percent.

The Cannes Film Festival was on Thursday set to unveil the movies that will vie for its coveted Palme d'Or prize next month amid pressure on its bosses to take a stand on tackling abuse in the entertainment industry.

Lionel Messi scored twice as Inter Miami fought back from 2-0 down on aggregate to defeat Los Angeles FC 3-1 and clinch a place in the semi-finals of the the CONCACAF Champions Cup on Wednesday.

Six new events were added Wednesday to the Olympic swimming programme, with 50m backstroke, butterfly and breaststroke to be contested for the first time at the 2028 Los Angeles Games.

Companies are raring to explore the Arctic seabed off Norway, which could become the first country in Europe to allow deep-sea mining -- much to the dismay of environmentalists.