Good Morning Australia!! - All possibilities are being considered as the cause for a deadly Russian military plane crash - Israel's Netanyahu isn't getting over this UN Security Council thing - Debbie Reynolds talks about her daughter Carrie Fisher - And more in your CareerSpot Global News Briefs:

A Russian military plane plunged into the Black Sea shortly after take off from the resort town of Sochi, apparently killing all 92 people on board.  Among the victims were 64 members of the Alexandrov Ensemble singers, known as the Red Army Choir prior to the end of the Cold War, en route to Syria to entertain troops over the New Year's holiday.  The crew had not signaled distress before the aging Soviet-era Tupolev Tu-154 aircraft disappeared from radar.  Around 3,000 people involved in the search and recovery have found no life jackets in the water.  Senior defense official Viktor Ozerov says he "totally excludes" terrorism as a possible cause; but Transport Minister Maxim Sokolov said that "the entire spectrum and almost any possible causes" are being probed.

The tragedy comes a week after another Russian military plane - an Ilyushin Il-18, a freakin' turboprop designed when Kruschev was the premiere - crashed in Siberia, injuring almost 40 people.  And in Ankara, Turkey last week, a police officer shot and killed Russian Ambassador Andrei Karlov at an art exhibition, apparently in retaliation for Russian bombs used on civilians in Aleppo and other locations in the Syrian Civil War.

The Alexandrov Ensemble is a point of pride for the Russian nation, not just the military.  Throughout the Cold War the singers would perform good will tours abroad, entertaining audiences with dramatic choral versions of Russian folk songs such as "The Volga Boatmen", "Katyusha", "Kalalinka", and since the end of the Cold War, "Ave Maria".  Deputy Prime Minister Olga Golodets said the loss of choir director Valery Khalilov was an "irreplaceable loss".

His backside still stinging after Friday's UN Security Council resolution condemning Israeli settlements in occupied Palestinian lands, Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu summoned the ambassadors of eleven of the countries who voted for it to voice his displeasure.  Also summoned was the United States Ambassador to Israel, for Netanyahu took it very personally that Israel's closest ally America did not block the resolution as it had in the past.  Netanyahu also appeared to be putting his eggs into one basket, publicly looking forward to the incoming Trump administration.  But former Prime Minister Ehud Barak blasted Netanyahu's complete lack of foreign policy and diplomatic skills:  "I looked for Russia, China, England, France," he said, asking, "Where are all the friends that were meant to stand with us?"

No major damage nor fatalities are reported after a Christmas Day earthquake in southern Chile.  The magnitude 7.6 temblor struck near Puerto Quellon, known for tourism, fishing and agriculture.  Thousands of homes are without power and there is road and infrastructure damage, but people quickly heeded evacuation warnings and things could have been worse.

The mother of author and Star Wars actor Carrie Fisher, Hollywood legend Debbie Reynolds, says her daughter is in a stable condition after last week's massive heart attack suffered on a passenger plane.  She didn't specify if Ms. Fisher was still on a ventilator.  It's the first time the 84-year old Ms. Reynolds has publicly addressed her daughter's health crisis.  Ms. Fisher's Star Wars co-star Harrison Ford issued a statement reading, "I'm shocked and saddened to hear the news about my dear friend.  Our thoughts are with Carrie, her family and friends."

Thai police rescued these baby Orangutans from smugglers.

Crikey!