Author: DW

It is one of the most universal post-breakup impulses. The relationship ends, the phone comes out, and, almost without thinking, you check your ex’s social media. Whom are they with? How are they doing? Have they moved on? For many people, it feels harmless — even helpful — a way to stay informed, to get closure, to steady yourself after an emotional shock.  But, over the past decade, psychological research has painted a less-comforting picture: Repeatedly checking an ex-partner’s social media does not ease heartbreak. In fact, it often keeps heartbreak alive. “Looking up your ex online — you’re strengthening…

Home advantage smaller than ever before, but still a factor Italian women playing a huge role in host’s success Familiarity with facilities the main reason for Italy’s strong display History shows negative spillover possible From Francesca Lollobrigida setting an Olympic record in the women’s 3,000-meter speed skating for Italy’s first gold to alpine skier Federica Brignone winning her second gold medal in three days, this has been Italy’s Winter Olympics in more ways than one. Their haul of 25 medals* is their best ever at the Winter Olympics, with their previous best of 20 coming in Lillehammer over 30 years ago. But…

Skip next section Winter Olympics: Slovakia oust Germany in ice hockey quarterfinal02/18/2026February 18, 2026Winter Olympics: Slovakia oust Germany in ice hockey quarterfinalDefenseman Erik Cernak assisted the goal that opened the scoring for SlovakiaImage: Peter Kneffel/dpa/picture allianceThe German men’s ice hockey team’s hopes for a Winter Olympic medal melted in the face of Slovakia on Wednesday. Slovakia comfortably won the quarterfinal match 6-2 against the German team led by NHL star Leon Draisatl of the Edmonton Oilers.  “This hurts,” Draisatl said after the game. “There were simply too many mistakes today: I don’t even know how many counterattacks we allowed.”  “We…

Brazil’s President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva was given the red carpet treatment on arrival in New Delhi on Wednesday, as he heads to the AI Impact Summit 2026.  Lula is traveling with more than a dozen ministers and a large business delegation including CEOs of leading Brazilian companies, as he seeks to intensify trade ties with the world’s most populous country.  “India and Brazil share a close and multifaceted relationship,” Indian Foreign Ministery spokesman Randhir Jaiswal said in a statement.  India took over the presidency of the BRICS bloc from Brazil this year. Lula’s visit follows a July 2025 visit…

Former US President Barack Obama has sought to quench online speculation about comments he made on aliens on a podcast over the weekend.  During a round of quickfire questions with podcast host Brian Tyler Cohen, Obama was asked whether aliens were real.  “They’re real,” Obama began. “But I haven’t seen them. And they’re not being kept in Area 51.”  Despite Obama making clear that he had not seen aliens at any of the suspected sites in the US while in office, his definitive opening to the answer prompted speculation that the former president might have some kind of knowledge on the…

The International Paralympic Committee (IPC) has granted 10 athletes from Russia and Belarus wildcard spots for the upcoming Winter Games in Italy from March 6-15.  The IPC on Tuesday told news agencies AFP and SID that the limited number of athletes would be allowed to compete under their own flags. The athletes would be “treated like [those from] any other country,” the IPC told AFP.  This contrasts with the International Olympic Committee (IOC) requiring the limited number of Russians and Belarussians at the main Winter Olympics to compete under a neutral flag. An 11-year-old with paraplegia’s sporting journeyTo view this video…

A last breakfast in her small house in Mazan, southern France. That November morning in 2020, Gisele Pelicot would have had no idea that her life as she had known it was about to end. She had an appointment — a summons to a local police station. Two months earlier, her husband, Dominique Pelicot, had been arrested. He’d been caught filming under women’s skirts in a supermarket. A one-off incident, he’d sworn. He’d promised to attend therapy. His wife intended to support him. When a police officer led Gisele Pelicot into a separate room, she had no idea she would…

Iran on Tuesday announced it would partially close the Strait of Hormuz at the mouth of the Persian Gulf, a critical waterway for the world’s oil trade. Iranian state television framed the closure as a “security” measure due to military drills by the country’s Revolutionary Guards, which began a day earlier. It was unclear how long the partial closure would last. The Associated Press reported that the curbs would last several hours. Iran has repeatedly threatened to close the strait, signalling that it can disrupt the key maritime artery that carries a fifth of the world’s oil. The curbs come as Iranian…

A poison found in threatened frog species in the Ecuadorian foothills has been named as the cause of Alexei Navalny’s death in prison. Scientists from Germany, France, the Netherlands, Sweden and the UK performed a postmortem analysis of the Russian pro-democracy campaigner and opposition leader, who died on February 16, 2024. In a joint statement, released during the Munich Security Conference, they declared traces of the chemical epibatidine had been detected in Navalny’s tissue samples and that “poisoning was highly likely the cause of his death.” As Navalny died while imprisoned in Siberia, the five nations accused Russia of having deliberately administered…

It’s the kind of story that only the Olympic Games seem to produce: A talented ski jumper, who had yet to win anything of significance, delivers the performance of his life to win Olympic gold. “I don’t know how I did it. But I’m so, so proud that I managed to do it,” Philipp Raimund told German public television moments after his his gold medal triumph in Predazzo, Italy. “Now I’m simply an Olympic champion. Not having won a single World Cup (race) and then to be standing on the top step of the biggest stage, it’s unbelievable.” Even harder to…