Hello, Australia! – More than a hundred workers are rescued from an alleged hell factory – The Pope is scheduled to make history – Brisbane customs agents want to know, “Hey is that a kilo of cocaine in your pants or are you just happy to see Australia?” – And a lot more in your CareerSpot World News Briefs:

Mexican Authorities raided a textile factory, rescuing 129 workers including six children from deplorable conditions.  The workers were subjected to physical and sexual violence, forced to work much longer than eight hours a day, and where only given 15-minute meal breaks.  The Yes International factory in Zapopan in Jalisco State was filthy, loaded with dangerous chemicals, and had no fire safety equipment.  The four South Koreans running the joint were arrested when they failed to prove that they were in Mexico legally. 

PNG Prime Minister Peter O’Neill is promising to speak out on behalf of Melanesians in the Indonesian western half of the island.  PM O’Neill claims, “Pictures of brutality of our people appear daily on the social media, and yet we take no notice.”  Prior to this, Pacific governments have been slow to address human rights abuses in West Papua.

Pope Francis will be the first Roman Catholic Pontiff to speak before the US congress.  The 24 September address should be a good one:  While Pope Francis has defended the traditional line on opposing things like Gay Marriage, Reproductive Rights, and Contraception, which Democrats favor, he’s made the most news for railing against the lousy economic policies of the right which have caused gross inequality in the world.

Drumming is good.

Venezuelan authorities arrested two more high-ranking retail executives in the crackdown on price gouging, shortages, and infuriatingly long queues caused by deliberating keeping check out stations closed.  President Nicolas Maduro has maintained that many in the conservative business sector have been sabotaging the economy to sew unrest.  It comes a few days after the owners of a major supermarket chain were arrested on similar charges.

Customs agents at Brisbane Airport arrested two men from Brazil, aged 23 and 26, after officers noticed “an abnormal bulge located in the vicinity of the 26-year-old's groin”.  And it turned out that he didn’t have anything to be particularly proud of.  Customs says agents recovered a total of five kilograms of cocaine from the two men and their luggage.

Brazilian police questioned the treasurer of the ruling party in connection with the bribery scandal at the state-owned oil company Petrobras.  Joao Vaccari Neto has not been charged, and the ruling party calls the allegations “lies”.  Petrobas’ CEO Graca Foster resigned on Wednesday.

The Welsh parliament this week voted in favor of a measure banning the controversial practice of fracking – shooting water and chemicals into the ground an enormous pressure to loosen oil and gas deposits – “until it is proven to be safe in both an environmental and public health context.”  Having been linked to fouled water supplies and earthquakes, that may never happen.  Wales follows Scotland by a week, and adds to pressure building on London to ban fracking UK-wide.

Greek Finance Minister Yanis Varoufakis urged Germany to help end the “gross indignity” of austerity foisted upon his country by the EU bailout.  The former Sydneysider said that “too much time, hopes, lives” had been wasted.  Earlier, thousands of people gathered in front of the Greek parliament to back the new government and condemn European austerity.