The demolition work of Genoa's Morandi bridge which partially collapsed six months ago killing 43 people, starts today ahead of its reconstruction. Authorities now expect it will take between 12 and 15 months to carry out the deconstruction and rebuild, which will cost €200m.

In accordance to the EU's Dublin III rule, Germany deported 8,658 asylum-seekers to other EU countries in the first eleven months of 2018 - a significant increase from 7,102 refugees transferred in 2017, Sueddeutsche Zeitung reports quoting data from country's interior ministry. 

The European Commission welcomed on Monday a change of tone from Italy in its dispute with the bloc over its excessively expansionary 2019 budget, but insisted on concrete, substantial changes before halting disciplinary action.

Facebook has followed Apple, Google and Amazon by agreeing to a multimillion euro payment to settle its tax affairs in Italy. In a statement on Friday, the country’s tax authority Agenzia delle Entrate confirmed that the company has agreed to pay “over €100 million” to settle outstanding tax claims dating from 2010 to 2015. As the tax agency added, in reference to a probe launched last year, that the settlement is aimed at ending the “disagreement relating to tax enquiries undertaken by the financial police at the behest of the Milan prosecutor."

Italy's Labour and Economic Development Minister and Deputy PM Luigi Di Maio, a key figure in Italy’s populist government, has lashed out at the country’s newspapers, accusing them of “polluting the debate” and threatening to pull advertising by state-owned companies.

Italy’s Undersecretary for Economic Development Davide Crippa announced on Thursday that the country has decided to withdrawal from a seven-country alliance led by Poland, which argued for preserving national sovereignty over decisions to finance emergency power plants.

The EU Commission awarded 9€m in emergency assistance to Italy to help improve access to healthcare in reception facilities for asylum seekers and beneficiaries of international protection.

The European Commission has rebuked Italy's deputy premier Matteo Salvini's comments on EU "constraints" related to the Genoa bridge disaster, insisting that the country had benefited from billions of euros of investment for infrastructure projects, including roads.

The Italian parliament approved on Monday a plan to donate another 12 patrol vessels to the Libyan coastguard to help push back migrants setting sail for Europe. They will join four Italian boats already given to Libya. The plan is backed by the EU, which has funded the training of 237 Libyan coastguard officers to command the boats.