This is the dawning of the age of the robots. From BBC News, Nov. 16:

Police in Northern Ireland consider using mini drones
Police aerial surveillance in Northern Ireland may be about to take on a whole new form—one that belongs more to the world of sci-fi and the future.

The PSNI [Police Service of Northern Ireland] is considering the use of mini drones to combat crime and the dissident republican threat.

Saif al-Islam Qaddafi was captured Nov. 18 in Libya's southern desert near the city of Sabha—reportedly in an attempt to escape to neighboring Niger. Libyan state TV reported that Saif al-Islam arrived uninjured at a base in the town of Zintan, 90 miles southwest of Tripoli, after being captured by Zintan fighters, part of a regional militia that recognizes the National Transitional Council (NTC). Saif al-Islam is wanted by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for crimes against humanity, but many in Libya want him tried locally. The militia fighters have stated that it is up to the NTC to decide where Saif al-Islam will be tried, but that until the new Libyan government is formed they will hold him at Zintan. ICC chief prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo said he will travel to Libya to discuss Saif al-Islam's fate. (Jurist, Nov. 19)

Egyptian riot police firing tear gas and rubber bullets stormed into Cairo's Tahrir Square Nov. 19 to break up a protest tent camp, sparking clashes that injured at least 500 people. The camp of some 200 was established to commemorate the hundreds of protesters killed in the anti-Mubarak uprising and demand a speedy transition to democracy. The black-clad police, a hated symbol of Mubarak's regime, were sent back in to action against protesters for the first time since the strongman's fall. (AP, Nov. 19)

Human rights groups on Nov. 19 staged a protest in front of the headquarters of Ve Wong Corp in Taipei, accusing the snack food giant in the seizure of farmland in Cambodia. Campaigner Roxanna Chen said two of the company's local joint ventures, Koh Kong Sugar Co and Koh Kong Plantation Co, have illegally seized 9,600 hectares of farmland in Cambodia's Koh Kong province since 2006, and that several peasants have been killed by the sugar companies' private security forces in protests against the land-grabs.

Inspired by the global Occupation movement, a group of mostly women protesters from all over Japan are camping in front of the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) in Tokyo's Kasumigaseki district to oppose nuclear power in the wake of the Fukushima disaster. The camp, established Oct. 30, also embraces the economic demands of the wider movement. (Panorient News, Nov. 5)

US President Barack Obama announced his decision to send 2,500 troops to be stationed in Australia in a speech before the parliament in Canberra Nov. 17—a move widely seen as a counter-balance to China's growing power in the Asia-Pacific region. China's People’s Daily warned in an editorial: "If Australia uses its military bases to help the US harm Chinese interests, then Australia itself will be caught in the crossfire." Obama's announcement symbolically comes on the 60th anniversary of the Cold War-era Australia-New-Zealand-United-States (ANZUS) defense treaty. Obama did hold previously unscheduled and seemingly amicable talks two days later with Premier Wen Jiabao on the sidelines of the ASEAN summit on the Indonesian resort island of Bali. But Obama's Australia move also comes days after a congressional advisory panel, the US-China Economic and Security Review Commission, warned of Beijing's growing military presence in Asia.

Riots broke out in Italy and Greece Nov. 17 as new Italian prime minister Mario Monti won a parliamentary vote of confidence in his new government. The vote was held after Monti announced new "reform" measures to address a financial crisis that he calls a "serious emergency." Student protesters took to the streets in Milan, clashing with riot police as they tried to reach Bocconi University. More than 50,000 took to the streets in Greece to rally against similar austerity measures announced by the parliament-appointed emergency government headed by Lucas Papademos, former governor of the Greek central bank. Riot police fired tear gas during an anti-austerity march in Athens. The Greek protests marked the 38th anniversary of the 1973 uprising at the Athens Polytechnic University against the dictatorship then ruling Greece, which saw many students die but led to the fall of the military regime.

New York City police arrested some 200 protesters on the morning of Nov. 17 as hundreds converged on the Financial District for a "Shut Down Wall Street" action to note the two-month mark of the Occupation movement. With Wall Street itself under tight police control, protesters blocked surrounding intersections, and some scuffled with police. That evening, some 30,000 rallied at Foley Square and then marched over the Brooklyn Bridge. Participants prominently included unionists, especially from SEIU 1199 (hospital workers) , CWA 1101 (Verizon) and the Professional Staff Congress (CUNY). At the entrance of the bridge, a blinking sign read, "Peds on the roadway are subject to arrest"—a reference to the mass arrests of Oct. 1. The march took hours to cross to Brooklyn on the pedestrian catwalk. Hundreds of activists also attempted to occupy the Union Square subway hub during rush hour, and then marched down to Foley Square. Mayor Michael Bloomberg said five police officers were injured in the morning civil disobedience.