Italy PM Meloni slams left's double standards on global leaders
Criticism of Trump, Milei, Modi, and me framed as 'threat to democracy,' says Meloni
Washington, Feb 23 (PTI): Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has slammed the Left's "double standards" in perceiving conservatives globally, saying when leaders like herself, US President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Narendra Modi collaborate they are called a "threat to democracy" while leftist leaders are praised for similar alliances.
Meloni's remarks came as she addressed the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in Washington via video link from Rome.
During the address, Meloni praised Trump and said the Left is nervous about Trump's victory.
"Their irritation has turned into hysteria, not only because conservatives are winning, but because conservatives are now collaborating globally."
"When Bill Clinton (former US president) and Tony Blair (former British prime minister) created the global leftist liberal network in the 90s, they were called statesmen.
"Today, when Trump, Maloni, (President of Argentina Javier) Milei or maybe Modi talk, they are called a threat to democracy. This is the last double standard, but we are used to it, and the good news is people no longer believe in their lies, despite all the mud they throw at us. Citizens keep voting for us," said Meloni.
She said people vote for them as "we defend freedom, we love our nations, we want secure borders, we preserve businesses and citizens from the green leftist insanity and we defend family life."
"We fight against wokeism...and we stand for common sense," she said.
People are not as naive as the Left considers them, she said.
Meloni said that the United States and Europe would remain close under Trump, despite soaring tensions between the allies including over Ukraine.
Ties between Europe and the United States have been strained in the first weeks of Trump's second term after the US leader reached out to Russia and warned of a shift away from Europe, raising fears of Trump's commitment to the NATO alliance.
"Our adversaries hope that President Trump will move away from us (Europe)," Meloni said.
But, "knowing him as a strong and effective leader I bet that those who hope for divisions will be proven wrong," she said.
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HC questions Delhi govt over failure to regulate sale of old vehicles, refers to Red Fort blast
New Delhi (PTI): The Delhi High Court questioned the city government on Wednesday over its failure to regulate the sale and transfer of used vehicles, while pointing out that in a recent bomb blast near the Red Fort, a second-hand car was used, making the issue more significant.
A bench of Chief Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya and Justice Tushar Rao Gedela asked the Delhi government to file a detailed response on the issue of regulating authorised dealers of registered vehicles.
"A car changes four hands but the original owner has not changed. Therefore, what happens? That man (the original owner) goes to the slaughterhouse? What is this? How are you permitting this? You will take a call when two-three more bomb blasts take place?" the bench asked the Delhi government's counsel.
The bomb blast near the iconic Mughal-era monument was carried out using a second-hand car, making the issue even more significant, it said.
The court listed the matter for further hearing in January 2026.
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The court was hearing a public interest litigation (PIL) plea filed by an organisation, Towards Happy Earth Foundation, highlighting the challenges in the implementation of rules 55A to 55H of the Central Motor Vehicles Rules, introduced in December 2022 to regulate authorised dealers of registered vehicles.
While the rules were intended to bring accountability to the second-hand vehicle market, the petitioner's counsel argued that they have failed in practice due to regulatory gaps and procedural hurdles.
The plea said there is a major gap in the amended framework, that is, the absence of any statutory mechanism for reporting dealer-to-dealer transfers.
"In reality, most used vehicles pass through multiple dealers before reaching the final buyer, but the rules recognise only the first transfer to the initial authorised dealer.
"As a result, the chain of custody breaks after the first step, defeating the very purpose of accountability," the petition said.
It added that because of these gaps, only a very small percentage of dealers across India have been able to obtain authorised dealer registration and in Delhi, not a single dealer has got it.
Consequently, lakhs of vehicles continue to circulate without any record of who is actually in possession of those, it said.
The plea said only a small fraction of India's estimated 30,000 to 40,000 used-vehicle dealers are registered under the authorised-dealer framework.
The petition also pointed out that the 11-year-old vehicle used in the November 10 bomb blast near the Red Fort was sold several times but was still registered in its original owner's name.
The blast near the Red Fort had claimed 15 lives.
