Sydney company Marathon Robotics has won a $57 million contract with the US Marine Corps to trial the use of advanced robot technology in live firing exercises.The “Rover” system technology developed by Marathon Robotics uses free-ranging robots protected by armour plating to train marksmen. If successful, this trial could see the Rover system taken on [...]

Hundreds of Amazon tribesmen in warpaint have taken over a hydroelectric power plant with 100 employees inside, demanding $US5.6 million ($6.25 million) for the burial and hunting grounds they lost to the dam, media reports said. Talks between some 300 members of at least six different Amazon tribes and the Aguas da Pedra power company [...]

With reports he is putting some of his hapless officials in front of firing squads, it would appear that the North Korean dictator Kim Jong-il is in good health and complete control. But reports emerging from the North this week suggest that Kim Jong-il is either close to death or preparing for an imminent hand-over [...]

A British police officer who was filmed pushing a man to the ground during the G20 protests in London last year will not face charges over his death. Ian Tomlinson, a newspaper seller who was not involved in the protests, was walking home when he was caught up in the demonstration. The video footage showed [...]

Lawmakers voted 416-3 to punish those who create, sell, or own such recordings with fines or up to five years in prison. The House acted after the US Supreme Court in April struck down a broader version of the law passed in 1999 as overly broad and improperly infringing on the US Constitution’s First Amendment [...]

A GAY zombie porn film set in Los Angeles has been banned from screening at the Melbourne International Film Festival – the first film to be banned from the event in seven years, The Age reports. Australia’s Film Classification Board advised festival director Richard Moore by letter Monday that L.A. Zombie, a film directed by [...]

Environment officials are investigating why hundreds of dead penguins and other sea animals are washing up on Brazil’s shores. The Institute of Environment and Natural Resources says 530 penguins, numerous other sea birds, five dolphins and three giant sea turtles have been found in coastal towns in Sao Paulo, the Folha Online news agency reported. [...]