<p>Lack of change in key roles could mean next week’s policy announcements may lack radicalism many hoped for</p><p>Andy Burnham’s Downing Street operation is beginning to take shape, with many of Keir Starmer’s aides due to remain at the centre of government.</p><p>The incoming prime minister has now picked most of the senior No 10 jobs, according to those who have been involved in the process, and the names of several key staff were confirmed on Thursday.</p> <a href="https://www.theguar

<p>Critics say Foreign Office figures send ‘global message about the role the country wants to play on international stage’</p><p>Labour’s foreign aid cuts mean reductions of as much as 90% in the bilateral support the UK will give to some African countries, Foreign Office figures show.</p><p>The department’s <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/fcdo-annual-report-and-accounts-2025-to-2026">annual report</a> includes a long-awaited breakdown of how the reduction in the aid

<p>PPP Chairperson Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari said on Wednesday that the situation in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) since last month was “very concerning”, and the longer it persisted, the more harm would be caused to the Kashmir cause and Pakistan’s reputation.</p> <p>Bilawal expressed these views while addressing his party’s office bearers and ticket holders in AJK, where he arrived on Tuesday for an unscheduled visit ahead of July 27 elections in the region.</p> <p>AJK has been seized by p

<p>Trump’s nominee for attorney general – also his former personal defense lawyer – faces questions from senators as he attempts to take the top justice department role</p><ul><li><p><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/news/2026/feb/17/sign-up-for-the-breaking-news-us-email-to-get-newsletter-alerts-direct-to-your-inbox?utm_medium=ACQUISITIONS_STANDFIRST&amp;utm_campaign=BN22326&amp;utm_content=signup&amp;utm_term=standfirst&amp;utm_source=GUARDIAN_WEB">Sign up for the Breaking News US ema

<p>The home secretary is the frontrunner for the role ahead of ‘risky’ Ed Miliband, according to senior Labour figures</p><p>Shabana Mahmood has emerged as the frontrunner to become Andy Burnham’s chancellor after a fierce briefing war over the prospect of Ed Miliband being appointed to the powerful role.</p><p>Senior Labour figures with knowledge of Burnham’s thinking told the Guardian they expected the home secretary to be moved to the Treasury amid concerns that Miliband would become

<p>Incoming prime minister says he doesn’t want to ‘create new divisions’ as Mahmood is tipped to be chancellor</p><p>Andy Burnham has signalled that he will not increase wealth taxes immediately after becoming prime minister, easing concerns among the business community but limiting his economic room for manoeuvre.</p><p>He said on Wednesday he did not want to “create new divisions” with his tax policy, in comments that allies said were a sign that he did not intend to raise money by

<p>THERE are many reasons to be bullish about Pakistan these days, not least the hard-fought stability in the external sector following a few years of near-catastrophic depletion of reserves. But there are now a growing number of reasons to be concerned about the underlying fragility of it all.</p> <p>The stability is real. There is no doubt about that. A wall of high repayment obligations that first loomed into view back in February 2021 and remained persistently high since then has finally sta

<p>India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi lands in New Zealand on Friday touting a free trade deal that has sparked a backlash despite promises it will unlock jobs and economic riches.</p> <p>On the agenda are trade, tourism and sport — but recent undercurrents of anti-migrant sentiment risk tarnishing his trip to a nation long proud of its tolerance.</p> <p>New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon celebrated the <a href="https://www.dawn.com/news/1995502">signing </a>in April of the free

<p>Former Tory minister, who later joined Reform UK and became an unlikely celebrity, was found dead on Thursday</p><p>On Wednesday, shortly after Nigel Farage announced he would stand down from his parliamentary seat in Clacton to trigger a byelection, Ann Widdecombe appeared by video link on Talk TV to praise his decision.</p><p>“This is a very decisive man,” Widdecombe <a href="https://www.independent.co.uk/tv/news/ann-widdecombe-death-nigel-farage-video-b3012638.html">told the interviewe

<p>LAHORE: Human rights defenders and activists gathered at the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan on Thursday to discuss the <a rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" class="link--external" href="https://www.pap.gov.pk/uploads/Agenda/42/08-06-26/9-the-punjab-control-of-habitual-offenders-and-anti-social-behaviour-bill-2026.pdf">Punjab Control of Habitual Offenders and Anti-Social Behaviour Bill, 2026</a>, raising concerns that, if implemented, the proposed law would turn the whole Punjab in