UK’s Afghanistan evacuation effort ‘down to hours, not weeks’, defence secretary says

Published

4 years ago

August 23, 2021

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The UK’s evacuation effort in Afghanistan is “down to hours now, not weeks”, the defence secretary has said.

Ben Wallace conceded the UK’s involvement will end when the US leaves the country, which is expected to be on 31 August.

“The prime minister is, obviously at the G7, going to try and raise the prospect of seeing if the United States will extend,” he said on a visit to Port George, near Inverness.

“It’s really important for people to understand the United States have over 6,000 people in Kabul airport and when they withdraw that will take away the framework, and we will have to go as well.

“I don’t think there is any likelihood of staying on after the United States. If their timetable extends even by a day or two, that will give us a day or two more to evacuate people.

“Because we are really down to hours now, not weeks, and we have to make sure we exploit every minute to get people out.”

A G7 leaders summit is due to take place virtually tomorrow, with Boris Johnson expected to push US President Joe Biden for an extension of the US pullout at the end of August.

Politics

US Senate to vote on bill to reopen gov’t with crypto bill in limbo

Published

2 hours ago

November 7, 2025

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US Senate to vote on bill to reopen gov’t with crypto bill in limbo

The shutdown of the US government entered its 38th day on Friday, with the Senate set to vote on a funding bill that could temporarily restore operations.

According to the US Senate’s calendar of business on Friday, the chamber will consider a House of Representatives continuing resolution to fund the government. It’s unclear whether the bill will cross the 60-vote threshold needed to pass in the Senate after numerous failed attempts in the previous weeks.

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Amid the shutdown, Republican and Democratic lawmakers have reportedly continued discussions on the digital asset market structure bill. The legislation, passed as the CLARITY Act in the House in July and referred to as the Responsible Financial Innovation Act in the Senate, is expected to provide a comprehensive regulatory framework for cryptocurrencies in the US.

Although members of Congress have continued to receive paychecks during the shutdown — unlike many agencies, where staff have been furloughed and others are working without pay — any legislation, including that related to crypto, seems to have taken a backseat to addressing the shutdown.

At the time of publication, it was unclear how much support Republicans may have gained from Democrats, who have held the line in demanding the extension of healthcare subsidies and reversing cuts from a July funding bill.