Good Morning Australia!  Two western hostages are killed in a US drone attack in Pakistan – Iran backs down from a possible confrontation with the US – Argentina’s spymaster flees the country – How to rescue an Elephant – And a lot more in your Careerspot Morning News Briefs:

US President Barack Obama on Thursday morning acknowledged that a drone strike in Pakistan back in January killed two western hostages being held by al Qaeda.  73-year old American Warren Weinstein was working for the United States Agency for International Development when he was kidnapped in August 2011.  And the Italian government had been working to secure the release of Giovanni Lo Porto, and aid worker who went missing in 2012.  The intelligence community didn’t know the hostages were at the targeted coordinates when mission approval came down. 

Mr. Obama blamed “the fog of war” and says he “takes responsibility” for the foul-up.  Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi acknowledged the US President, and responded by placing the blame squarely on the al Qaeda terrorists who were holding the hostages in the first place.  Renzi praised Lo Porto and expressed his “deepest sorrow for the death of an Italian who dedicated his life to the service of others”.

Getting lost in the news of the dead hostages are the losses of two key al Qaeda losses.  One was Adam Gadahn, known as “Azzam the American”.  A Californian who converted to Islam in the 1990s and the star of al Qaeda propaganda videos from 2004 through 2013, Gadahn was regularly a feature in corporate media reports on terrorism.  The FBI was offering US$1 Million for his capture.  The other was Ahmed Farouq, another American who became an al Qaeda military commander.  Farouq died in the drone strike that accidentally killed the hostages – Gadahn was killed in a separate operation.

Iran has reportedly turned around a convoy of ships on a collision course with the US and Saudi Arabia.  The ships were believed to be carrying arms meant for the Shiite Muslim Houthi rebels of Yemen.  The US sent an aircraft carrier and other assets to head that off.

European leaders are already being criticized for their response to the immigration crisis in the Mediterranean.  They agreed to commit more naval assets to the area to intercept and rescue migrants before any more deadly disasters like those of the past two weeks.  UK PM David Cameron had previously opposed saving lives at sea; but after the deaths of 1,100, he’s sending British ships and helicopters – just as long as it’s understood that migrants picked up at sea would not necessarily qualify for claiming asylum in Britain.

Don’t drive like this.

No sooner than a group of European monitors left the area that pro-Russian rebels commenced shelling Ukrainian troops near Mariupol.  Despite the latest ceasefire coming online in February, fighting has continued, and Moscow is denying the latest US accusation of sending in fresh troops to bolster the rebels.

The eruption of the Calbuco Volcano in southern Chile after a five decade nap has left parts of the city of Puerto Montt covered in dusty ash.

Former Argentine spymaster Antonio Stiuso has fled the country rather than obey a summons ordering him to testify in connection with the investigation into a 1994 terror bombing.  His attorney claims Stiusso fears for his life.  He is reportedly in Florida.  Many believe Stiuso funneled bad information to prosecutor Alberto Nisman who accused President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner of a cover-up related to the attack.  Nisman committed suicide, and the case was thrown out of court several times due to a complete lack of evidence, before Nisman’s successor admitted there’s no ‘there’ there.

Here’s GREAT video of villagers in southwest China rescuing a young elephant who got stuck in more than a meter of mud.

About 30,000 people marched through Johannesburg, South Africa to demand an end to xenophobic violence.  Locals and immigrants took part, carrying signs reading “Africa Unite” and “Welcome foreigners”.  Shops run by Asian and African immigrants have been looted and burned, at least eight are dead, thousands of foreigners have been routed from their South African homes.  Marchers say that is not the South Africa that Nelson Mandela fought to create.

Next month, it’ll be two years since the Rana Plaza building collapse in Bangladesh – and the fund set up to compensate victims and survivors is suffering a US$6 Million shortfall.  And that’s because huge, wealthy retailers of cheap South Asian clothing – Walmart, Mango, and Benetton – have so far contributed relatively small amounts into the fund.  While these companies continue to rake in billions, some 3,000 workers and family members of some of 1,129 killed have not even gotten 30 percent of what they’re owed – And Workers’ Right groups say that tab is about US$30 Million.