Italian coastguard vessel picks up migrants from Albania to transfer them to Italy

An Italian coastguard vessel collected migrants held in reception centres in Albania on Saturday to transfer them to Italy, after a court ruling dealt a blow to Rome’s plans to house migrants picked up at sea outside the EU.

The Italian government vowed on Friday to push ahead with Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s flagship project to divert asylum-seekers abroad, saying it would appeal against the legal decision that migrants in reception centres in Albania should be taken to Italy.