Italy resumes migrant transfers to Albania despite legal challenges, with 49 migrants en route as Rome's controversial policy faces EU court review in the coming weeks.
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.
Giorgia Meloni's government has built two reception centres in Albania, the first such deal involving a European Union nation diverting migrants to a non-EU country, but they have been empty since November after running into court opposition.
The ministry said a patrol vessel was heading to Albania with 49 migrants onboard while further 53 who were also picked up, and who presented their passports to avoid immediate relocation, were in Italy awaiting the verification of their status.
The transfer represents a new attempt by the government to enforce its policy after judges in Rome questioned its validity and ordered the first two batches of migrants detained in Albania to be moved to Italy.
The controversy surrounding the plan, which Meloni sees as a cornerstone of her government's aim to limit immigration, revolves around a ruling by the European Court of Justice last year, which was not related to Italy.
The Court said no nation of origin could be considered safe if even just a part of it was dangerous, undermining Rome's idea of deporting to Albania migrants from a selected list of "safe" countries with a view to swiftly repatriate them.
The European court is set to review Italy's plan in the coming weeks and clarify whether it is in compliance with EU law.
A South Korean court sentenced former Prime Minister Han Duck-soo to 23 years in jail on Wednesday for charges including engaging in a key action of i...
A Japanese court sentenced 45-year-old Tetsuya Yamagami to life imprisonment for fatally shooting former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, public broadcaster...
Türkiye is closely monitoring developments in Syria and considers the country’s unity and territorial integrity vital for regional stability, Presi...
Azerbaijan said on on Wednesday that it had accepted an invitation from U.S. President Donald Trump to join his 'Board of Peace' for Gaza....
Start your day informed with AnewZ Morning Brief: here are the top news stories for the 21st of January, covering the latest developments you need to ...
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says his country and European partners will soon be ready to present the United States with refined documents outlining a potential peace plan following days of high-stakes diplomacy.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni criticised an aid flotilla intercepted off Gaza by the Israeli military, saying on Thursday the activists' mission and a strike called in their support in Italy would do nothing to help Palestinians.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni praised her country's "excellent" relationship with India during a phone call on Wednesday with her counterpart Narendra Modi, without referring to U.S. calls for the EU to impose tariffs of up to 100% on Indian imports.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni says new NATO defence spending targets are achievable for Italy, thanks to their flexible structure, and insists no other budget priorities will be sacrificed.
Italian fashion designer Valentino Garavani has died at the age of 93, his foundation said on Monday.
More than 100 vehicles were involved in a massive pileup on Interstate 96 in western Michigan on Monday (19 January), forcing the highway to shut in both directions amid severe winter weather.
U.S. President Donald Trump said he would impose a 200% tariff on French wines and champagnes after France declined to join his proposed Board of Peace on Gaza initiative.
Syria's Interior Ministry said on Tuesday that about 120 Islamic State detainees escaped from Shaddadi prison, after the Kurdish website Rudaw reported that a spokesperson for the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces, Farhad Shami, said around 1,500 Islamic State members had escaped.
The German and French finance ministers said on Monday that European powers would not be blackmailed and that there would be a clear and united response to U.S. President Donald Trump's threats of higher tariffs over Greenland.
A South Korean court sentenced former Prime Minister Han Duck-soo to 23 years in jail on Wednesday for charges including engaging in a key action of insurrection concerning ex-President Yoon Suk Yeol's declaration of martial law in December 2024.
Start your day informed with AnewZ Morning Brief: here are the top news stories for the 21st of January, covering the latest developments you need to know.
A Japanese court sentenced 45-year-old Tetsuya Yamagami to life imprisonment for fatally shooting former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, public broadcaster NHK reported. The ruling on Wednesday (21 January) brings to an end a three-and-a-half-year case that has stunned the nation.
A Russian air attack cut power to more than one million Kyiv residents and impacted substations carrying power from Ukraine's atomic plants on Tuesday.
A commuter train derailed on Tuesday after a containment wall fell on the track due to heavy rain near the Spanish city of Barcelona, killing the driver and seriously injuring passengers, a fire brigade official said.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment