Scents and colours of sage, lavender and cornflowers spread over meadows in Albania which has seen soaring demand for medicinal herbs during the coronavirus pandemic.

The Tirana government has approved a request by Washington to temporarily house Afghan political refugees seeking entry to the United States. They include interpreters, fixers and other helpers to the US military.

After the Taliban's takeover, there is an urgent need to find shelter for Afghans airlifted out. Albania has been negotiating with the US on accommodating people who have fled in Tirana. Details are slowly emerging.

Albania agreed to host Afghan refugees while they are being vetted for visas for the US. Although some in the country feel that Albania has a duty to help its NATO ally, others feel Albania is struggling enough as it is.

Warming sea temperatures, pollution and dynamite fishing are causing Adriatic marine forests to disappear, a worrying trend which prompted Albanian experts to join a Mediterranean programme to restore them with 'good algaes'.

A warm welcome in Albania and luxurious accommodation cannot dispel the desperation among Afghan refugees, who anxiously await news from back home.

Courting controversy at the outset of his third term, Albanian PM Edi Rama has set up a new state agency for media and information, or MIA. Skeptics decry it as a "propaganda ministry."

After a meeting with Pope Francis on a a farewell trip to Rome, German Chancellor Angela Merkel says that the Catholic Church must let the truth come out it is to rebuild the trust of Christians the world over.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau visited Kamloops, in British Columbia, where the remains of hundreds of indigenous First Nations children were found buried at the site of a former residential school in May. Trudeau apologised for not making the trip earlier. In recent months, shocking discoveries of the remains of First Nations children have made headlines and researchers warn they could continue. First Nations communities want justice for one of the darkest chapters in Canada's history. Our correspondents gained rare access to a "pow wow" – a sacred ceremony in honour of the National Day of Truth and Reconciliation.

Images of 'TRUTH Social', a social network the former US president Donald Trump says he plans to launch. It's the latest push to reclaim his online influence after he was banned from Twitter and Facebook in the wake of the violent Capitol insurrection.

A child who was supposedly injured by Israeli bombs was in fact simply suffering from a skin condition. An Italian fact-checking media ascertained the truth. We take a look at some other examples of truth and falsehoods in images depicting injuries of Palestinians due to alleged Israeli military action. Israeli political communications refer to fabricated images of injuries as "Pallywood", inferring that there are industrial levels of misinformation.

Climate negotiations at COP26 are running into overtime in Glasgow. A fresh draft deal urges a speedy transition from coal and fossil fuel subsidies, but it needs to be agreed by nearly 200 countries.