Scottish independence adds new Brexit twist for May

A new report suggests that the Spanish government used the controversial Pegasus software to monitor the phones of dozens of Catalan independence figures.

Enter the twilight of the world's longest reign. The 96-year-old Queen Elizabeth II missed what is arguably the highlight of any British monarch's calendar: the reading of the government's parliamentary program instead delivered by her son, the crown prince. The importance is mostly symbolic, since the Queen's Speech is written by the prime minister. However the optics of the exercise beget the question: what United Kingdom will Charles inherit?

Britain said it would "not shy away from taking action" over post-Brexit trade tensions in Northern Ireland as it rejected EU proposals to resolve the standoff.

Boris Johnson has again threatened to break post-Brexit agreements with the EU as victorious Sinn Fein accuses him of pandering to the DUP, which is blocking the formation of a government after recent elections.

Brussels has said a British proposal to effectively override parts of a Brexit deal with a new law is "not acceptable." The UK has proposed a new law to drop part of the Brexit agreement on Northern Ireland trade.

We take a look at some of the independent features in the sidebar sections of the 75th Cannes Film Festival. Olivia Salazar-Winspear tells us about Philippe Faucon’s "Les Harkis", which is screening in the Director's Fortnight selection. Set in 1959, it shines a light on the Algerian men who were enlisted to fight for the French Army in units known as Harkis and explores the repercussions they faced as a newly independent Algeria emerged from a deeply traumatic war of independence.

Wei Fenghe slammed US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin's "smearing" accusation that China was causing regional instability. He said Beijing would do whatever it takes to ensure reunification with Taiwan.

The leader of Scotland's government said Scotland was "ripped" out of the EU as she outlined a possible route to Scottish independence, including a referendum late next year.

The remains of Congolese icon Patrice Lumumba, the country's first prime minister, are laid to rest in Kinshasa. Belgium returned a tooth belonging to the murdered independence hero earlier this month. Also, African ministers of education were in Paris on Thursday for a UNESCO summit on tackling the devastating effect that the pandemic has had on education.

Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock has written an opinion piece with her Irish counterpart in a British paper, saying the UK was "not engaging in good faith" with its plans to change the Northern Ireland protocol.

On the 60th anniversary of Algerian independence, we take a look at the French exhibitions paying tribute to Algeria's freedom and exploring the two countries' shared history. In Marseille, the Museum of European and Mediterranean Civilisations has dedicated an exhibit to resistance icon Emir Abdelkader, the religious-turned-military leader who led the struggle against France's colonial invasion.

In a tumultuous week for British politics, European Union lawmakers continue to call on Westminster to resume post-Brexit talks. German-British MEP David McAllister is chairman of the European Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee and closely involved in Brexit-related issues on the EU side.