*Iran and its agents appear to be orchestrating a Europe-wide campaign of harassment, surveillance, kidnap plots and death threats targeting political activists who are protesting against the regime.*

How one oil industry agent set up a web of pretend "grass roots" groups to make a lot of noise and thus give hesitant California legislators an excuse to water down a new oil regulation.

The agent responds with misleading words, such as claiming that these organizations are "real". They probably are "real" in the sense of really being legally registered, but they are not really what they claim to be. Then he insists that their arguments are "valid", which is no indication that they are valid.

*I warned ministers about our disgraceful UK detention centres. Their solution? Stop the inspections.*

The wrecker is using criminal indictments as a campaign strategy. His supporters hate government, justice and democracy so much that he can turn them against any honest manifestation of them.

Spain has permitted speaking to Parliament in Basque, Catalan and Galician, in addition to as Castilian (what is known as Spanish outside Spain). Those three have long been official languages for people to use in Spain.

It may feel like a great victory to the activists of those ethnic groups to have gained this added prestige for their languages. In practically terms, though, that right is useless because exercising it is self defeating: if you speak to Parliament in one of those other languages, you ensure that most of Parliament will not understand you.