21 Feb 2026: Germany: 14 Stories

 1.   What is Prince Andrew really detained over?

Well...if you go back around ten years ago....it appears that Lord Mandelson helped secure the job of UK trade envoy for Prince Andrew against the wishes of the King. And somewhere in the information stages....Andrew probably gave sensitive info to the 'other' party.  Money involved?  Well....no one says that, so you wonder about black-mail.

Jail-time?  If this goes to court....he'd spend the rest of his life there. However, I'm more likely to believe that he'll offer juicy evidence on Mandelson and others....to avoid charges. Other option?  He might not be in a good state of mind (meaning  suicide).

2.  This weekend CDU Party meeting in Stuttgart?  Supposed to be a big deal....leading up to the 5 state elections in Germany for remainder of 2026.

3. ZDF (public TV) still cleaning up from the AI-story mess.  Appears that the bureau chief for ZDF in NY City....'let-go'.  

4.  Crazy weather for next week predicted....weather guy talking about plus-14 for 2 or 3 days (57 F).  Whole week might be plus-10 weather.

5. Planning for the Berlin-City election (Sep) is already in focus.  No intention of repeating the chaos from 5 years ago....where they had to repeat the election.

6.  Deutsche Bank CEO asks a public  question....why do Germans use twice as many sick days....as Swiss folks.

Pro-sick attitude?  Stress double of what Swiss folks suffer?  You would think that some PhD group would study this.  I suspect  that Swiss doctors are more unlikely to issue a sick-slip....even for a day or two.

My German wife used to work with a co-worker....who typically burned up 30-plus days a year in sick-leave......every single year....on top of regular leave.

7.  Just odd....CDU Party talking up the idea of sending bad-boy criminals at age  12....to some kind of jail-house (increasing urban problem)....but at same time....saying a social media-ban has to be introduced....age 16 and under.

You'd think if a kid is old enough for jail-house....probably old enough for social media.

8.  At the CDU party congress meeting in Stuttgart yesterday....the planned electronic vote on the re-election of party leader Friedrich Merz simply did not work. 

All that NRW Digital Minister Ina Scharrenbach could say....'strong technical irregularities at several points that currently cannot be explained.' 

So they went to paper-ballots.

Russians?  Well....no one said this but I would imagine everyone had this thought.

9. Odd story....from DW.....around 1.9 million German folks with university-level qualifications were at risk of poverty in 2025, an increase of 350,000 compared with 2022.

The emphasis of this?  Well....you go and spend four to six years in college....you expect results....not poverty.

Now...what isn't in the numbers released.....what areas of expertise? It might be a quarter of these folks in arts/music.

10.  Syrian gov't meeting with German gov't.....saying things are fragile right now....so don't send back refugees that were on the deportation list.

11. Just odd....Ramadan started up this week in Germany.....it got noticed that Muslim youths are acting as “religious police” in German schools during Ramadan and forcing students to fast. 

Reaction by teachers?  Frustration....students are getting dehydrated because they are forbidding students from drinking. What's odd here....you go back to 2015 or 2020....this type of student enforcement simply didn't occur.  

12.  This past week....deportation flight was arranged...carrying 49 folks back to Ghana, Cameroon and Nigeria. Cost?  102 police were engaged for the day.....380k Euro.

13.  Doesn't-make-sense story.  A theater group in Magdeburg is planning a production about the attack on the Christmas market in 2024. 

Key feature?  The play is supposed to address how right-wingers are allegedly politically exploiting the act.

Yeah, lot of frustration in general....play doesn't appeal to the bulk of locals.

14.  Frankfurt paper brought up a interesting topic...the Australian social media ban for youth.

They sent out a journalist that talked to teens 'affected'.

Almost ALL of the kids in the banned-age group.....STILL had access via various go-arounds.