Seven asylum seekers have been sent back to Italy from Albania after a court in Rome refused a formal request to detain them in the Balkan nation, a setback for a contentious programme championed by Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.
The decision on Monday related to the case of seven people from Bangladesh and Egypt who were rescued in the Mediterranean Sea by the Italian navy while trying to make their way to Europe. They were brought to Italy overnight, a few days after their arrival in Albania.
