Hello, Australia! – It’s back down to a matter of days for the Bali Nine – Calls for an International Criminal Court investigation into South Africa’s anti-foreigner violence – Does the specter of child slavery really sell diamonds? – And a lot more in your CareerSpot World News Briefs:

Indonesia’s government ordered prosecutors to begin preparations for the executions of Australian convicted drug smugglers Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran, and eight others on death row.  It’s not clear how soon this might happen, and the orders do not count as the final notification given to death row inmates three days before capital punishment is carried out.  Chan and Sukumaran’s attorney says the legal process isn’t finished yet, but Jakarta apparently disagrees.

The UK is charging a 14-year old boy with two counts of inciting terrorism in Australia.  The first count stems from the kid’s alleged communication with the older teens from Melbourne’s southeast who were arrested in connection with an alleged plot to commit violent acts on people on Anzac Day tomorrow.  The second involves a plot to behead someone in Australia.

European leaders agreed to triple funding for search and rescue operations in the Mediterranean Sea after immigrant ship disasters took more than 1,100 lives.  And the UK and France have committed to get a resolution from the United Nations for an intervention in Libya, from whence the immigrant ships are coming. 

The President of Zambia Edgar Lungu is calling for a regional summit to deal with xenophobic attacks in South Africa that left at least eight people dead, several injured, and routed thousands of foreigners from their homes and businesses in Johannesburg and Durban.  Zambians in SA haven’t been specifically targeted, but Zambia is displeased because of the supporting role it played in ending Apartheid and creating Nelson Mandela’s dream of a “Rainbow Nation”. 

A Nigerian rights group is calling on the International Criminal Court (ICC) to investigate Zulu King Goodwill Zwelithini for the “hate speech” blamed for a wave of violence against immigrants in South Africa.  Zwelithini referred to foreigners as “ticks” and “head lice”, and blamed them for taking South African jobs while the nation’s unemployment rate is 24 percent.  Zwelithini denies calling for violence, however.

India’s Kalyan Jewelers has pulled an advertisement that critics – and there are many – said was “insidiously racist” and promoted child slavery.  It showed a black child holding a red parasol over top Bollywood actress Rai Bachchan, herself depicted with fair skin and jewels.  In an open letter to Bachchan, activists pointed out the repugnant image is objectionable and way too similar to 17th and 18th century paintings of colonial European and their black slaves – and wholly out of place in an era when activists are trying to stop the exploitation of child labor in India and other developing nations. 

Ever wonder how you clean up after a volcano?  Folks in Puerto Montt, Chile have quite a chore ahead of them, after the spectacular eruption of the Calbuco Volcano.

Argentina and Russia signed an agreement to increase cooperation on economic and energy issues.  The US basically handed both nations the impetus to reach a “comprehensive strategic partnership”:  Russia wants to boost trade relations with South America to offset US and EU sanctions over the Ukraine war, while Argentina is looking for foreign investment as its battles US hedge funds thwarting its effort to restructure defaulted debt.

A US court sentence retired four-star general and former CIA director David Petraeus to two years of probation and a US$100,000 fine for disclosing classified materials to his mistress.  So, if you’re keeping score:  Release classified information of US wrongdoing to Wikileaks, get 35 years in prison.  Release classified information of widespread spying to Glenn Greenwald, get exiled from the US.  Release classified to impress your girlfriend, get probation.  Yankee Doodle.

American child actor Sawyer Sweeten, who played one of the twin sons on the sitcom “Everybody Loves Raymond”, is dead at age 19.  He reportedly committed suicide, shooting himself in the head on the porch of the family home in Texas.  His IMDB page indicates he hadn’t taken on anymore acting roles since “Raymond” ended its nine-year run in 2005.