Biden said there was never a good time to withdraw US forces from Afghanistan, but the situation has "unfolded quicker than expected". Dr Kamran Bokhari, director of analytical development at the Newlines Institute in Washington DC tells us that a lack of effective political and economic governance led the Afghan National Army to melt away and let the Taliban re-take the country. Plus, Daniel Arango, Disaster Management Coordinator at International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, gives us the latest on the situation in Haiti, where tropical storm Grace is making landfall, only days after a deadly earthquake hit the country.

Also in the show, extra countries have been added to the service expected to be provided by the new 2Africa undersea internet cable being laid between Europe and two dozen African nations. The BBC's Zoe Kleinman explains why the new cable is needed. Plus, our regular workplace commentator Peter Morgan examines the lessons learned from an experiment in Iceland to offer thousands of workers shorter hours, without any reduction in pay.

All this and more discussed with our two guests on opposite sides of the world: Alexis Goldstein, an activist and financial reform advocate in Washington DC. And Lien Hoang, a reporter with Nikkei Asia, in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.


(Picture: US President Joe Biden gestures as he gives remarks on the worsening crisis in Afghanistan from the White House August 16, 2021. Credit: Getty Images.)