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In the latest episode of 30' with Guyon Espiner, former SAS soldier Jamie Pennell opens up on his thoughts on the Taliban returning to power after the US military withdrawal in 2021, and how he's still surprised to be alive. A rooftop firefight during the 2011 siege of the Kabul Intercontinental Hotel became a defining moment of New Zealand's role in the US-led war in Afghanistan. It was also a defining moment in Jamie Pennell's life. NZSAS operatives, coordinating with Afghan Crisis Response Unit personnel, were instrumental in clearing the building and rescuing civilians trapped inside, after Taliban insurgents attacked the hotel and began killing hostages. Pennell, who was among the SAS soldiers who battled their way to the top of the building, received the Gallantry Star for his leadin...

By Kirsty Needham Australia's Minister for Defence Industry Pat Conroy (left) speaking in Honiara on 7 August 2022. File picture. Photo: AFP / Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade / Dion Isaacson Australia says it will establish domestic manufacture of artillery ammunition with France's Thales, and guided rocket systems with Lockheed Martin, to boost its weapons stockpiles and export to security partners including the United States. Minister for Defence Industry Pat Conroy said in a speech on Wednesday that Australia was boosting its missile defence and long-range strike capability. "Why do we need more missiles? Strategic competition between the United States and China is a primary feature of Australia's security environment," he told the National Press Club in Canber...

By Emma Pinedo and David Latona A flooded street in Alora, near Malaga, on 29 October, 2024, after heavy rain hit southern Spain. Photo: AFP An unspecified number of bodies have been found in areas hit by flash flooding in southeastern Spain, the leader of the Valencia region told reporters early on Wednesday. Torrential rains caused by a cold front moving across southeastern Spain flooding roads and towns on Tuesday, prompting authorities in the worst-hit areas to advise citizens to stay at home and avoid all non-essential travel. "Dead bodies have been found, but out of respect for the families, we are not going to provide any further data," said the regional leader of Valencia Carlos Mazon. Spain's state weather agency AEMET declared a red alert in the eastern Valencia region, wi...

By Jeff Mason and Steve Holland, Reuters US Vice President and Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris gestures as she arrives to speak on The Ellipse, just south of the White House. Photo: AFP Harris issues warning at site where Trump urged supporters to march on US Capitol in 2021 Campaign says over 75,000 gathered at event near White House Trump says New York rally where his allies made racist remarks was 'lovefest' Democrat Kamala Harris has warned the tens of thousands of people gathered in Washington at her biggest-ever rally that her Republican opponent Donald Trump was seeking unchecked power as their race for the White House enters its final week. Harris spoke on Tuesday evening to an outdoor rally estimated by her campaign to number more than 75,000 people, at ...

By John Towfighi, CNN A photograph taken on 2 September 2024 shows a mural created by artist Scott Wilcock aka Snow Graffiti, depicting Liam Gallagher (L) and Noel Gallagher (R) members of the British rock band Oasis, and painted outside the pub Whitefield, near Heaton Park, in Manchester, northern England. Photo: AFP / PAUL ELLIS Oasis is cancelling around 50,000 tickets for its British tour dates that were resold on secondary websites like StubHub and Viagogo. The band's tour promoters are cancelling tickets resold through unofficial secondary sites to stop price gouging, a spokesperson for Live Nation and SJM, the Oasis tour promoters, told CNN. Oasis fans are the latest to deal with the issue of ticket scalpers, who purchase tickets at face value and resell them for profit. The p...

The latest polls have vice president Kamala Harris and former president Donald Trump even in the critical southwest states of Arizona and Nevada. At 12.30pm on Wednesday (NZT), Harris will give her final speech on the Ellipse - the patch of park where Trump rallied his supporters on 6 January 2021, within view of the White House. Trump is still working to distance himself from the controversial Madison Square Gardens rally insisting he is "the opposite of a Nazi". Keep up to date with the latest US election coverage here: Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero, a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday. Source link