Hello Australia!! - A powerful storm leaves death and destruction in the Philippines - Will a weakened Netanyahu finally lose power? - Masked fascists firebomb a comedy troupe - And more in your CareerSpot Global News Briefs:

Typhoon Phanfun blew through the central Philippines on Christmas Day, leaving widespread destruction and at least 16 to 20 deaths.  Known locally as Typhoon Ursula and packing gusts as strong as 190 kilometers per hour, the storm blew down homes and businesses, flooded towns, and tore up infrastructure such as power lines and communications kit.  Many people are still missing, and thousands of holiday travelers were left stranded.

Meanwhile, there's a tropical depression heading for Fiji that is expected to strengthen to a Cyclone today.  "The primary areas of concern are the Western division, which is pretty much where most of the tourism activity is in Fiji," Fijian weather service Nadraki director Neville Koop said, noting that everyone should have safety plans.  The storm could be the most significant since Cyclone Winston hit the Island nation in 2016, killing 44 people.

Austrian rescuers are calling it a Christmas miracle after a skier who had been buried under a snow avalanche was found alive.  Emergency services launched a large-scale rescue effort on Pleschnitzzinken peak that involved about 20 mountain rescue workers, alpine police officers, and a group of avalanche dogs.  Eventually, they were able to locate the 26-year old man's avalanche transceiver and pull him out of a pocket that had just enough air to get him through the ordeal.  At least two more people were injured in avalanches in Austria and Switzerland.

Israel Prime Minister is facing another threat to his leadership.  Unable to win two consecutive deadlocked general elections, a rival within his far-right Likud Party is challenging him for party boss.  "People understand that today there is a need for a change and God willing together we will make this change today," said Gideon Saar, a former minister in one of Netanyahyu's government and 20-years his junior.  Saar insists that Netanyahu, who is facing trial on bribery and corruption charges, will not be able to beat the Blue and White party in the third election in a year coming up on March.  Next week, the Israeli High Court is expected to rule on whether Netanyahu would even be allowed to stand for election while under indictment.

Russian police raided the offices the Anti-Corruption Foundation (FBK) headquarters in Moscow and briefly detained its chief, opposition leader Alexy Navalny.  This comes just after one of Navalny's allies, Ruslan Shaveddinov, was forcibly conscripted into the military and sent to a remote arctic outpost.  The FBK says the 23-year old Shaveddinov is a "political prisoner".

Police in Brazil are investigating the firebomb attack on the comedy group Porta dos Fundos, which made the hit Netflix movie "The First Temptation of Christ" that depicts a gay Jesus bringing a boyfriend home to meet his family.  A group using the incredibly unwieldy name "Popular Nationalist Insurgency Command of the Large Brazilian Integralist Family" (gasp) released a video to the internet showing masked men throwing Molotov cocktails, condemning the comedy troupe and Netflix, and displaying nationalist and fascist flags.  The attack could result in attempted homicide charges, assuming the police under far-right President Jair Bolsonaro are actually going to follow through.