Hello, Australia! – Tony makes Ice his thing – More than a dozen cops are killing in a Mexican ambush – Greece looks for friends in Russia – And a lot more in your CareerSpot World News Briefs:

The Federal Government is setting up a task force to deal with what it calls the scourge of Ice, or crystal meth.  “The trouble with ice is it’s far more potent, far more dangerous, far more addictive than any previous illicit drug,” Prime Minister Tony Abbott said of Ice, calling it worse than heroin and cocaine.  Former Victorian police commissioner Ken Lay will lead the taskforce to develop ways to tackle the spread of ice.

Gang members ambushed a police convoy in western Mexico, killing 15 police officers.  It marks the deadliest day in recent years for security forces battling the drug war.  Authorities suspect the powerful “Jalisco New Generation” drug cartel of setting up camp near the village of Soyatan and waiting for the convoy carrying an elite police unit headed to Guadalajara, Mexico's second biggest city.  The gang blocked the road with burning vehicles and outgunned the cops.  The well-armed and disciplined cartel has had wars with other gangs over the years, but it’s rare for any such group to declare war on the federal government.

The US is close to removing Cuba from its list of state sponsors of terrorism.  The White House on Tuesday hinted that such a move could come before President Barack Obama leaves to go to the Summit of the Americas later this week.  Cuba was added to the list in 1982, and stands accused of helping groups like the Marxist FARC of Colombia – although those ties have become much more distant recently.

Kenya has frozen the bank accounts of 86 entities and individuals it suspects of financing terrorism, to choke off funding to the terrorist group al Shabaab.  All 86 were also put on a government watch list.  Al Shabaab attacked a university in Kenya last week, killing 148 students.  In September 2013, the same group attacked the Westgate Shopping Mall in Nairobi, resulting in 67 deaths.

Treasurer Joe Hockey approved the sale of one of the nation's largest construction companies, John Holland Group Pty. Ltd. to a state-owned giant corporation from China.  Beijing will pay A$1.15 Billion.

Thousands of Brazilian workers protested outsourcing in rallies in twelve cities.  The largest labor umbrella group Central Workers Union organized the rallies to oppose legislation that could lead to dismissals and the hiring of outsourced workers at lower wages.  The demonstrations were mostly peaceful, although things got bloody in Brasilia for a while.

Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras is in Moscow for talks with Russian President Vladmir Putin, and the West is left guessing of they’ll announce an economic deal.  It couldn’t be a big one, as Russia has massive economic problems of its own.  But Putin could partially lift the ban on EU agricultural imports so that Greece can once again ship fruits and vegetables to Russia.  Greece’s economy has suffered from the food embargo imposed by Moscow in August, with farmers describing harvests left to rot.

The northern Indian city of Lucknow has purchased a set of drone aircraft, each of which can lift two kilograms.  The plan is to outfit them with pepper spray and use them to control riots and disturbances.  Police believe that flying pepper spray drones will be “less harsh” than baton charges.