Italy has restarted its contentious program of sending asylum seekers picked up in the Mediterranean to Albania, months after jud

Italy's navy on Sunday was taking 49 migrants it picked up in international waters to detention facilities in Albania, the interior ministry said, resuming a plan to curb sea arrivals mired in legal controversy.

Tuesday's boat was the first to arrive in Albania following a monthslong pause. The European Court of Justice is set to review the scheme in February.

Giorgia Meloni is making a fresh attempt at reviving her stalled plan to detain irregular migrants in Albania, after the Italian government secured a partial legal victory following several setbacks.

The Italian government's latest attempt to establish functional migrant camps in Albania saw asylum seekers loaded onto the navy vessel Cassiopea off Lampedusa on Sunday. The Cassiopea was expected to reach the port of Shengjin on Monday evening or Tuesday morning, despite ongoing legal challenges, reported the Associated Press.

Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s first attempt to have asylum seekers held for assessment overseas was immediately blocked by judges. Now another is underway.

An Italian navy ship carrying 49 migrants picked up in international waters arrived in Albania on Tuesday, amid a new attempt

Albania will create a sovereign Muslim state in Tirana for the Bektashi religious order, along the lines of the Vatican in Rome, to preserve and promote religious tolerance, Prime Minister Edi Rama said on Saturday.

Sergio Mattarella marks a record 10 years as Italian president, after being elected Italy's 12th head of state in a parliamentary vote on 31 January 2015.

An Italian navy ship has dropped off 49 migrants in Albania after intercepting them in international waters, in the third attempt to carry out a contentious plan to relocate migrants to be processed under a deal between the two countries.