World
Italy's Commissioner pick Fitto might face a rocky road to approval

Many agree that if Brothers of Italy’s Fitto is given the executive vice-president portfolio in charge of the economy and post-pandemic recovery, this would be a significant victory for Rome.
Italy named its EU affairs minister, Raffaele Fitto, as its next Commissioner right as the clock for nominating European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen’s new team was about to run out.
While Fitto might seem like a good fit to serve as Commissioner, he still has a long way to go before his appointment is confirmed — and the path is not without obstacles.
As a 55-year-old career politician and far-right Brothers of Italy party member, Fitto does not lack experience, having held high positions in EU institutions and the Italian government.
Most importantly, the minister for EU affairs, the South, cohesion policies and NRRP — and the former minister of regional affairs and long-time MEP — also has the backing of his party.
“I think he will end up being the most qualified among the other Commissioners,” Brothers of Italy senator Lucio Malan told Euronews.
“Fitto is extremely prepared for the role. He has the experience and the skills but he has also achieved great result these past few years having to manage recovery funds.”
Not an easy ride for Fitto?
However, things might not go so smoothly for Fitto once in Brussels.
The approval process for new Commissioners can be challenging and includes screenings and hearings.
“Liberals already said that they are not in favour of his candidacy,” political analyst Giovanni Orsina tells Euronews, “and it remains to be seen how much support Fitto will get from the (centre-right) EPP also because the Socialists and the Liberals will need the support of the EPP.”
“So if the EPP stands by him, his chances of being appointed will be greater. Anything can happen and it’s not an easy contest,” he added.
If he passes the test, Premier Giorgia Meloni’s government can benefit from Fitto’s appointment, Orsina said.
“Between June and July, Meloni was heavily criticised by opposition parties because they had accused her of isolating Italy,” he recalled.
“But if today she manages to secure an executive vice presidency for Italy, she can challenge opposition forces by showing that she played her cards well.”
But there’s another reading of Fitto’s possible appointment, which, according to Orsina, is directly linked to the Italian PM’s decision to withdraw support for von der Leyen’s re-election as European Commission president.
“Her decision at the time was part of an agreement with the EPP. If Fitto is appointed, it shows that it’s all part of the same deal,” said Orsina.
A capable survivor
However, if the relations between Meloni and VDL are not on the mend, Fitto might still have a rough path ahead and some hard questions to answer. As a Commissioner who will likely get a big economy-related portfolio, Fitto’s — and Meloni’s — opponents in the Parliament might choose to grill him over his past.
In 2006, as former president of the Adriatic coast region of Apulia, Fitto was accused of partaking in bribery ahead of the 2005 regional elections. However, judges have since cleared him of any wrongdoing, most recently at the Supreme Court of Cassation in 2017.
Similarly, in 2009, Fitto was again brought before a judge in connection to shorting the stocks of Cedis, a trading company — a move that led to its eventual bankruptcy. The charges didn’t stick this time either, and he was acquitted in 2012.
Yet, Fitto is a capable survivor, hardened by decades of navigating Italy’s famously flip-flopping-prone and intrigue-riddled politics.
Although he began his career back in the 1990s as a member of Christian Democracy — a now-defunct ruling party mainstay — Fitto came to prominence after he pledged his allegiance to Forza Italia and its populist firebrand Silvio Berlusconi.
Berlusconi, who revelled in discovering up-and-coming politicians and was responsible for bringing the likes of Meloni and far-right Lega’s Matteo Salvini to the fore, named him his minister for the regions, propelling his career upward since.
Meloni’s trust in Fitto is also quite clear. As her party’s MEP, he co-presided over the European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR) group in the European Parliament and became one of her first cabinet picks following her election victory in 2022.
The ball is in VDL’s court
Many agree that if Fitto is given the executive vice-president portfolio in charge of the economy and post-pandemic recovery, this would be a significant victory for Italy.
According to Gianni Pittella, former vice-president of the European Parliament and S&D MEP, “the vice-presidency role would allow Fitto to cover a wide range of issues and if he is in charge of the pandemic recovery funds.
“It would give him the opportunity to look after Italy, which is the largest recipient of the Next Generation EU funds,” Pittela, now mayor of Lauria, told Euronews.
“If he is also given responsibility of the economy (portfolio), he would oversee the stability pact, which is crucial for Rome.”
As Orsina pointed out, the economy portfolio is even more relevant to Meloni’s government, given that the EU has placed Italy under the excessive deficit procedure. For now, all eyes are on der Leyen, who will soon present her team and their portfolios.

World
Map: 7.0-Magnitude Earthquake Near Tonga Promps Brief Tsunami Alert

Note: Map shows the area with a shake intensity of 4 or greater, which U.S.G.S. defines as “light,” though the earthquake may be felt outside the areas shown. The New York Times
A major, 7.0-magnitude earthquake struck in the South Pacific Ocean on Monday, according to the United States Geological Survey. The quake prompted a brief “Tsunami Threat” for Tonga.
Preliminary reports from the U.S. Tsunami Warning System said tsunami waves were possible for coastlines within about 190 miles of the earthquake’s epicenter, including those on Tonga. The system issued an all-clear notice about an hour later, after a tsunami would have struck had one materialized.
Tsunamis are a series of long waves caused by a large and sudden displacement of water in the ocean, usually from a large earthquake on or below the ocean floor. Tsunamis radiate in all directions from the epicenter and can cause dangerous coastal flooding and powerful currents that can last for hours or days.
The temblor happened at 1:18 a.m. Tonga time about 49 miles southeast of Pangai, Tonga, data from the U.S.G.S shows.
U.S.G.S. data earlier reported that the magnitude was 7.1.
As seismologists review available data, they may revise the earthquake’s reported magnitude. Additional information collected about the earthquake may also prompt U.S.G.S. scientists to update the shake-severity map.
Aftershocks in the region
An aftershock is usually a smaller earthquake that follows a larger one in the same general area. Aftershocks are typically minor adjustments along the portion of a fault that slipped at the time of the initial earthquake.
Quakes and aftershocks within 100 miles
Aftershocks can occur days, weeks or even years after the first earthquake. These events can be of equal or larger magnitude to the initial earthquake, and they can continue to affect already damaged locations.
When quakes and aftershocks occurred
Source: United States Geological Survey | Notes: Shaking categories are based on the Modified Mercalli Intensity scale. When aftershock data is available, the corresponding maps and charts include earthquakes within 100 miles and seven days of the initial quake. All times above are Tonga time. Shake data is as of Monday, March 31 at 2:33 a.m. Tonga time. Aftershocks data is as of Monday, March 31 at 8:04 a.m. Tonga time.
World
Pope Francis denounces war in Sudan, suggests living Lent 'as a time of healing'

Pope Francis publicly acknowledged that this Lenten season is a time of healing for his soul and body.
On Sunday, the Vatican released the text of Francis’ prepared Sunday Angelus prayer. It is the seventh straight Sunday that his illness has prevented him from delivering the blessing from a window over St. Peter’s Square as usual.
“Dearest friends, let us live this Lent as a time of healing, all the more as it is the Jubilee,” Francis said. “I too am experiencing it this way, in my soul and in my body.”
“That is why I give heartfelt thanks to all those who, in the image of the Saviour, are instruments of healing for their neighbour with their word and their knowledge, with kindness and with prayer,” he continued. “Frailty and illness are experiences we all have in common; all the more, however, we are brothers in the salvation Christ has given us.”
POPE FRANCIS’ DOCTORS CONSIDERED ENDING TREATMENT, SAID ‘THERE WAS A REAL RISK HE MIGHT NOT MAKE IT’: REPORT
Pope Francis leaves in a car after appearing at a window of the Agostino Gemelli Polyclinic in Rome, Sunday, March 23, 2025, where he was being treated. (AP/Stefano Costantino)
His remarks then turned to world conflicts, with a focus on South Sudan, where he said “the war continues to claim innocent victims.”
“I urge the parties concerned in the conflict to put the safeguarding of the lives of their civilian brothers and sisters first; and I hope that new negotiations will begin as soon as possible, capable of securing a lasting solution to the crisis,” he said. “May the international community increase its efforts to address the appalling humanitarian catastrophe.”
POPE FRANCIS MAKES FIRST PUBLIC APPEARANCE IN FIVE WEEKS

Faithful and pilgrims gather in St. Peter’s Square at The Vatican to follow on giant screens a live broadcast from Rome’s Agostino Gemelli Polyclinic, on Sunday, March 23, 2025, where Pope Francis made his first public appearance since he was hospitalized on Feb. 14 with bilateral pneumonia. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)
The 88-year-old pontiff is still recovering from a respiratory infection, according to the Holy See Press Office. He continues to be weaned off oxygen support during the day and night, and his blood levels are normal. However, his medical team has ordered a strict convalescence period of at least two months following his hospital release last week.
Francis has shown “a truly surprising improvement,” the doctor who coordinated the pontiff’s five-week hospitalization said Saturday.

Surgeon Sergio Alfieri speaks to journalists on Saturday, March 22, 2025, in the entrance hall of Rome’s Agostino Gemelli Polyclinic, where Pope Francis has been treated for bilateral pneumonia since Feb. 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)
“I find him very lively,” Dr. Sergio Alfieri said, after visiting the pope at his apartment in the Santa Marta Domus on Wednesday, three days after his release from Rome’s Gemelli hospital. “I believe that he will return if not to 100%, 90% of where he was before.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
World
5.1 magnitude aftershock hits near Mandalay in Myanmar

Myanmar continues to be hit by a string of aftershocks, the latest being a 5.1-magnitude earthquake that struck on Sunday morning. This follows a 7.7-magnitude quake that hit on Friday leaving at least 1,644 people dead.
A 5.1-magnitude earthquake struck near the city of Mandalay in Myanmar on Sunday morning, the latest string of aftershocks.
The quake struck as emergency teams continued rescue operations in the hardest-hit areas of Myanmar following Friday’s massive 7.7-magnitude tremor, which has left at least 1,644 people dead and more than 3,408 injured according to the country’s ruling military junta.
There were no immediate reports of further damage after the latest aftershock.
Rescue efforts have been hindered by downed bridges, damaged roads, Unreliable communications and a civil war. According to local media many of Mandalay’s 1.5 million people were left sleeping on the streets as their homes were either brought down and they have been left homeless or in fear of the aftershocks.
The earthquake’s epicentre on Friday was near Mandalay, Myanmar’s second-largest city, toppling many buildings and damaging infrastructure, including the city’s airport.
Neighbouring China and Thailand were also shaken by the quake, with at least 17 people reported dead in Thailand and 83 missing, while a tower in Bangkok collapsed.
Many hard-to-reach areas have yet to be accessed, while many rescue efforts have been carried out by civilians working by hand, in 41-degree Celsius heat. According to Cara Bragg, the Yangon-based manager of Catholic Relief Services in Myanmar, who said, “It’s mainly been local volunteers, local people who are just trying to find their loved ones,” adding, “I’ve also seen reports that now some countries are sending search and rescue teams up to Mandalay to support the efforts, but hospitals are really struggling to cope with the influx of injured people, there’s a shortage of medical supplies, and people are struggling to find food and clean water.”
Meanwhile, Myanmar’s resistance announced a partial ceasefire on Saturday to facilitate rescue efforts.
The Shadow National Unity Government, which leads the fight against the military junta that took power in 2021, has announced that its armed wing, the People’s Defence Force (PDF), will halt offensive military operations starting Sunday in areas affected by the earthquake.
-
News1 week ago
Musk Offers $100 to Wisconsin Voters, Bringing Back a Controversial Tactic
-
News1 week ago
How a Major Democratic Law Firm Ended Up Bowing to Trump
-
Education1 week ago
ICE Tells a Cornell Student Activist to Turn Himself In
-
World1 week ago
Donald Trump signs executive order to ‘eliminate’ Department of Education
-
News1 week ago
Were the Kennedy Files a Bust? Not So Fast, Historians Say.
-
News1 week ago
Dismantling the Department of Education will strip resources from disabled children, parents and advocates say | CNN
-
News6 days ago
Washington Bends to RFK Jr.’s ‘MAHA’ Agenda on Measles, Baby Formula and French Fries
-
Politics1 week ago
Student loans, Pell grants will continue despite Education Department downsizing, expert says