Germany deported Afghan nationals to their homeland on Friday for the first time since August 2021, when the Taliban returned to power.

Government spokesperson Steffen Hebestreit described the 28 Afghan nationals as convicted criminals but did not clarify their offenses.

GERMAN TERROR ATTACK SUSPECT IDENTIFIED AS A SYRIAN REFUGEE, CHANCELLOR VOWS TO IMPLEMENT STRICT IMMIGRATION

“The security interests of Germany clearly outweigh the claim for protection of criminals and individuals endangering national security,” Hebestreit said in a statement.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, speaking near Leipzig during a local election campaign event Friday, called it “a clear sign that those who commit crimes cannot count on us not deporting them, but that we will look for ways to do so.”

Federal Minister of the Interior and Home Affairs Nancy Faeser, second from right, attends the special session of the Bundestags Committee on Internal Affairs, in Berlin, Friday. Germany deported Afghan nationals to their homeland on Friday for the first time since August 2021, when the Taliban returned to power.  (Kay Nietfeld/dpa via AP)

German news agency dpa reported, citing information from the federal states involved in the deportations, that the offenses included rape, serious arson and manslaughter.

Interior Minister Nancy Faeser called the move a security issue for Germany.

“You have seen that we have enforced the law and deported criminals back to Afghanistan,” she said during a news conference Friday afternoon. “In my view, this is necessary to maintain trust in the rule of law.”

However, Julia Duchrow, secretary general of Amnesty International in Germany, blasted the deportations. In a statement Friday, she said the government bowed to political pressure during an election campaign. She added that Afghanistan is not safe and alleged that the deportations violate international law.

Berlin does not have diplomatic relations with the Taliban, requiring the government to work through other channels. It’s unlikely that Friday’s actions will lead to a wider thawing of relations between Germany and the Taliban, especially after last week’s issuing of the first set of laws to prevent vice and promote virtue in Afghanistan. They include a requirement for a woman to conceal her face, body and voice outside the home.

Emergency services and police are deployed near the scene where three people were killed and injured in a stabbing spree at a festival in Solingen, Germany, Aug. 23.  (Gianni Gattus/dpa via AP)

German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock has slammed the morality laws in posts on X.

While Hebestreit said the deportations have been in the works for months, they occurred a week after a deadly knife attack in the town of Solingen in which the suspect is a Syrian citizen who had applied for asylum in Germany.

The suspect was supposed to be deported to Bulgaria last year but reportedly disappeared for a time and avoided deportation. He was ordered to be held Sunday on suspicion of murder and membership of a terrorist organization pending further investigation and a possible indictment.

The Islamic State militant group claimed responsibility for last week’s attack, without providing evidence. The extremist group said on its news site that the attacker targeted Christians and that he carried out the assaults “to avenge Muslims in Palestine and everywhere.” The claim couldn’t be independently verified.

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There has also been debate over immigration ahead of regional elections Sunday in the German states of Saxony and Thuringia, where anti-immigration parties such as the populist Alternative for Germany are expected to do well. In June, Scholz vowed that the country would start deporting criminals from Afghanistan and Syria again after a knife attack by an Afghan immigrant left one police officer dead and four more people wounded.

Faeser on Thursday announced a plan to tighten knife laws, according to German news agency dpa. Along with other officials in the governing coalition, she also pledged during a news conference to make deportations easier.

Princess Diana’s death tragedy in 1997 has left vivid memories in the mind of Royal photographer Arthur Edward’s, he admits.

The former Princess of Wales, who passed away in a car crash in 1997, left a deep impact on Edwards, he tells The Sun.

Recalling the dreadful day, the expert says: “I was at a wedding in in Kent. As we were driving back home, and I got a call from the office saying that Princess Diana was in an accident in Paris but they thought she was all right because she was in a Mercedes car.

“But they said get to Paris first thing in the morning, and there was a flight from Heathrow at 6.30am.

“And of course, as the journey home from Kent proceeded, it got worse and worse. First there was a flash that her partner, Dodi Fayed, had died

They added: “So now, it’s getting very serious, and that Diana had been rushed to hospital.

“By then The Sun chartered a plane out of Heathrow. I got home, didn’t even change my wedding suit. I just grabbed my camera bag and rushed to the airport.

“The office rang, and it was the picture editor saying to me, Diana had died.

“Everybody went into action, I got a cab, went straight to the tunnel, where she had the tragic accident and there was a lady, a girl lying flowers at the 13th pillar, I think, is where the car crashed,” he noted.

“In the meantime I spoke to Paul Barrel. They brought a dress over for her, and everybody was really upset and then I went round the back and got this amazing picture, which to this day I look back on and think about that day,” added the expert.

Edwards noted: “I started to get upset, because, you know, I suddenly realise, this woman I’d worked with for 17 years was indeed in that coffin.”

Celebrity endorsements in an election year are hardly a new phenomenon. But former President Donald Trump’s appearance alongside Puerto Rican reggaeton star Anuel AA forms part of a larger emerging pattern in his campaign’s outreach to voters of color — and signals the campaign might see an opportunity in battleground Pennsylvania. 

After greeting the former president on the tarmac, Anuel AA, born Emmanuel Gazmey Santiago, endorsed Trump during his rally in Johnstown, Pennsylvania, on Friday, telling Puerto Ricans to “stay united” and to “vote for Trump.”

“I don’t know if these people know who the hell you are, but it’s good for the Puerto Rican vote. Every Puerto Rican is going to vote for Trump right now. We’ll take it,” Trump told several thousand attendees at the campaign rally while introducing the rapper. 

While the immediate crowd might not be familiar with the star, his magnitude as a reggaeton and rap artist likely won’t be lost on the likely target audience: young Puerto Rican voters and battleground state Latino voters at large. The 31-year-old rapper is a frequent feature on smash hits with artists like Bad Bunny — and a major artist in his own right with a social media following millions-strong to show for it. 

But the rapper’s appearance and brief remarks may also be part of a larger Trump campaign effort to court artists of color to engage voters in a new way. Trump has garnered the support of several notable Black artists — including rappers Lil Wayne and Kodak Black — and others like Sexxy Red have signaled their support for the former president in interviews. At a rally in the Bronx earlier this year, Trump brought up two local fixtures of the growing drill music scene: Sheff G and Sleepy Hallow. 

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Anna Delvey is swapping prison for the dance floor as she is set to join the cast of Season 33 of Dancing With The Stars.

Delvey was infamously jailed in 2019 after posing as a German heiress, conning businesses, banks, and friends out of more than $250,000.

According to Page Six, the 33-year-old con artist turned fashion publicist will now join the reality TV competition’s cast for the next season.

This isn’t Delvey’s first brush with TV stardom, with the hit Netflix drama Inventing Anna being based on her life, and a reality show of her own, Delvey’s Dinner Club, also said to be in the works.

In 2018, Delvey – whose real name is Anna Sorokin – was charged with two counts of attempted grand larceny in the first degree, three counts of grand larceny in the second degree, and one count of grand larceny in the third degree after she stole over $200,000 from businesses, banks, and friends while posing as a fake heiress.

Two years later, she was convicted of one count of attempted grand larceny, three counts of grand larceny, and four counts of theft services and was sent to prison.

Delvey spent two years in prison before she was released on house arrest in 2022, for overstaying her visa.

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Since the fraudster was born in Russia before she emigrated with her parents to Germany, the judge ordered her to stay in her New York City apartment for 24 hours each day while waiting to learn whether or not she would be deported to Germany.

Her house arrest terms have been recently relaxed, granting her the freedom to work and travel within a 70-mile radius of her home. The courts have also notably decided to lift her social media ban, which was enforced along with her house arrest.

“I would like to thank the United States government court system and especially my lawyers John Sandweg and Catherine Hunstad for fighting for my First Amendment rights,” Delvey told Page Six about the social media ban being lifted.

“I’m also grateful and thrilled to be able to control my own narrative once again on social media.”

Now, Page Six reported she has been given permission to travel to LA, to take part in the reality show.

Delvey has also recently launched a fashion PR agency with veteran fashion flack Kelly Cutrone, named OutLaw Agency, in a hilarious nod to her stint in jail. She will also reportedly make her first Fashion Week appearance as a semi-free woman.

Lawyers for former President Donald Trump filed two briefs with the Appellate Division First Department in New York, arguing that the civil fraud case prosecuted against Trump earlier this year was flawed, that there were no victims and that the case had passed the statute of limitations.

The two briefs, filed late Friday night, included many of the same arguments Trump’s lawyers have made in the past in this case.

“President Trump’s business partners were delighted with these transactions. They benefited enormously, making over $100 million in profits,” attorneys Cliff Robert and Alina Habba argue in a 46-page last-ditch attempt to prevent Mr. Trump from having to pay what they call the “egregious and unconstitutional” $485 million dollars civil fraud judgment.

It’s the latest update in a months-long appeals saga that began after a judge ruled that Trump and members of his family had engaged in a scheme to improperly inflate his assets in financial statements, which allowed Trump to take advantage of favorable loan and insurance rates he may not have otherwise been entitled to.

Habba and Robert argued, once again, that none of Trump’s business partners were deceived and, in fact, were paid back on time or early, “in stark contrast to today’s loan market, where defaults are at an all-time high.”

As they forcefully did during the three-month trial, Robert and Habba disputed the court’s valuation of Mar-a-Lago at between $18 million and $27 million. The lawyers said the property is valued at over one billion dollars.

They also said that the statements of financial condition that were at the center of state Attorney General Letitia James’ case against Trump underestimated the values of President Trump’s assets, arguing that his net worth is far greater than the statements reflect.

In their filing last week, New York state lawyers urged the appeals court to uphold the nearly $500 million fine, arguing there is overwhelming evidence that Trump lied for years about his wealth and saying that his appeal is full of “meritless legal arguments” ignoring volumes of trial evidence showing that he and his co-defendants engaged in “fraud and illegality on an immense scale.” 

A separate brief filed by Trump’s attorneys relates to sanctions imposed on the trial attorneys who represented Trump, arguing that the trial court erred in imposing the sanctions against counsel for what they say were “good faith” legal arguments.

“It is perfectly proper for an attorney to make arguments that a trial judge may disagree with in order to preserve same for appellate review,” argued attorney Brian Isaac in the brief. 

Oral arguments before the Appellate Court are set to begin on Sept. 26.

Prince William and Prince Harry’s rift could not be resolved in the foreseeable future, it is conjectured.

The Prince of Wales and the Duke of Sussex, who crossed paths at their uncle’s funeral this week in the UK, are not willing to tone down their anger for one another.

Royal historian Hugo Vickers told The Sun: “They have been in the same room, if I can put it like that, on several occasions.

“But this doesn’t necessarily mean that there’s going to be a reconciliation.

“I think that, from what I understand, Prince William is very annoyed, and tends to be rather unforgiving, so I think there’s an enormous amount of groundwork to be done.

“I’ve said this before on several occasions: there’s always the possibility of reconciliation, especially if both sides are prepared to give a little.

“And let’s hope that one day this will happen. But I don’t honestly see it happening in the near future,” he predicted.

BEIJING — The Philippines and China exchanged accusations of intentionally ramming coast guard vessels in disputed waters of the South China Sea on Saturday, the latest in an escalating series of clashes in the vital waterway.

The collision near the Sabina Shoal was their fifth maritime confrontation in a month in a longstanding rivalry.

Beijing claims almost the entire South China Sea, including parts claimed by the Philippines, Brunei, Malaysia, Taiwan and Vietnam. Portions of the waterway, where $3 trillion worth of trade passes annually, are believed to be rich in oil and natural gas deposits, as well as fish stocks.

The Permanent Court of Arbitration in 2016 found China’s sweeping claims had no legal basis, a ruling Beijing rejects.

Philippine Coast Guard spokesperson Jay Tarriela showed videos of Saturday’s confrontation at a press conference, saying China Coast Guard vessel 5205 “directly and intentionally rammed the Philippine vessel” without provocation.

The ramming damaged the 320-foot Teresa Magbanua, one of the Philippines’ largest coast guard cutters, but no personnel were injured, Tarriela said.

Liu Dejun, a spokesperson for China’s coast guard, said in a statement a Philippine ship, “illegally stranded” at the shoal, had lifted anchor and “deliberately rammed” a Chinese vessel. He called on the Philippines to withdraw immediately or bear the consequences.

“The Chinese coast guard will take the measures required to resolutely thwart all acts of provocation, nuisance and infringement and resolutely safeguard the country’s territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests,” Liu said.

Tarriela said Manila would not withdraw its ship “despite the harassment, the bullying activities and escalatory action of the Chinese coast guard”.

The U.S. ambassador to the Philippines expressed Washington’s support for the Philippines, a treaty ally.

“U.S. condemns the multiple dangerous violations of international law by the PRC (People’s Republic of China), including today’s intentional ramming,” Ambassador MaryKay Carlson said on social media platform X.

The Philippines deployed a ship in April to the Sabina Shoal, 75 nautical miles from the coast of the Philippine province of Palawan. Manila accused Beijing of building an artificial island, saying it had documented piles of dead and crushed coral on the sandbars, which Beijing denies.

This week the Philippine maritime council said Chinese aircraft made unsafe maneuvers against a civilian aircraft conducting patrols over two other disputed areas, the Scarborough Shoal and Subi reef.

The Philippines accused China of blocking a routine resupply mission on Sunday, saying Chinese vessels rammed and used water cannons on a fisheries bureau ship transporting food, fuel and medical supplies for Filipino fishermen.

A small plane crashed Saturday morning in a residential neighborhood not far from the Portland International Airport in Oregon, officials confirmed. 

Videos shared on social media showed a fire and a large plume of smoke that could be seen high over the tree line in Fairview. Videos also appeared to show damage to a house in the neighborhood.  

The twin-engine Cessna 421C went down around 10:30 a.m., the FAA said, adding that it isn’t yet known how many people were on board. 

PASSENGER PLANE CRASHES IN BRAZIL, KILLING ALL PEOPLE ON BOARD AIRLINE VOEPASS SAYS

A small plane crashed Saturday morning in a residential neighborhood not far from the Portland International Airport in Oregon, officials confirmed.  (KPTV)

The Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office said it would give updates at the scene. 

The plane came down even closer to the smaller Troutdale Airport, which describes itself as a “flight training and recreational airport.” 

A plane has crashed into a multi-residential building on Heartwood Circle in Fairview, Oregon. (KPTV)

DIRT TRACK RACING LEGEND SCOTT BLOOMQUIST, 60, KILLED IN TENNESSEE PLANE CRASH

Officials have not said if there are any injuries or deaths. 

Power is out in the area, FOX 12 reported. 

The FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board will investigate. 

A house was damaged in the crash.  (KPTV)

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This story is developing. Please check back for updates.