Albania is set to establish a sovereign spiritual state in Tirana for the Bektashi Order, an Islamic Sufi sect, in a move aimed at promoting religious tolerance, Prime Minister Edi Rama announced on January 25.

Once known as "the North Korea of Europe", Albania is turning to its millennia-old sites and rich cultural heritage to recast its image.

Italy says it is transferring 49 migrants picked up in the Mediterranean to new processing centers in Albania, in the third such attempt facing hurdles by courts.

If created, the enclave for the Islamic Sufi order would be one of the world's smallest states. Read more at straitstimes.com.

The body of Archbishop Anastasios of Tirana, Durrës and All Albania who died on Saturday is lying in state at the Athens Orthodox cathedral.

The attempt at processing at special centres in Albania follows two previous failures in October and November.

Archbishop Anastasios, who revived the Orthodox Church of Albania after the fall of the communist regime in the country, has died. He was 95.

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.

Greek Orthodox priests stand next to the casket of the late Archbishop Anastasios of Tirana, Durres and All Albania as people pay their respects during a religious ceremony, a day

The three-month pause in foreign aid imposed by the new US administration has left the future of numerous civil society, human rights and independent media projects in the Western Balkans in limbo.

The funeral of Archbishop Anastasios of Tirana, Durrës, and All Albania was held in Tirana, with Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew presiding over the ceremony. Dignitaries from Greece and Albania, including Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis,