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.

Hundreds of riot police backed up by 200 navy commandos invaded the Rio de Janeiro favelas of Rocinha, Vidigal and Chacara do Ceu in the wee hours of Nov. 13. The next day, the elite Special Operations Police Battalion (BOPE) said they had uncovered the secret "mansion" of wanted drug lord Antônio Bonfim Lopes AKA "Nem" in Rocinha. "Nem" was reportedly arrested at the scene. The shanty-towns had long been controlled by drug gangs, and were a no-go zone for police. Authorities say they plan to "pacify" dozens more favelas ahead of the 2014 World Cup. (Noticias R7, Rio de Janeiro, Nov. 17; AFP, Nov. 15; AFP, Nov. 14)

The discovery of a drug tunnel linking San Diego and Tijuana warehouses led to the seizure of some 17 tons of cannabis as well as a large grow operation in the industrial area of Otay Mesa east of San Diego, US and Mexican authorities announced Nov. 16. The tunnel's opening in Tijuana was discovered by soldiers in an industrial construction site near the airport. Mexican authorities alerted their US counterparts, who found the opening in Otay Mesa, where several so-called narco-tunnels have been found in recent years. The seized marijuana bundles were labeled with pictures of Captain America, the symbol used by a major local operator for the Sinaloa Cartel, Mexican military authorities said.