Howdy Australia!! - The Western powers lock in on Iran's accidental downing of a Ukrainian jet - China vs. a previously-unknown virus - French strikers hang tough against pension austerity - And more in your CareerSpot Global News Briefs:

Dangerous conditions are returning to the bushfire zone in southeast Australia.  Keep up with the latest information you need to know by clicking through to VicEmergency, the SA Country Fire Service, NSW RFS, and EmergencyWA.

A panel of three psychiatrists in Israel says former Melbourne school principal Malka Leifer is mentally fit to face a hearing to determine if she will be extradited back to Australia to face charges.  Prosecutors want her returned to stand for 74 charges of rape and child sexual assault, allegedly committed during her time at the ultra-orthodox Adass Israel school more than a decade ago.  Leifer fled to Israel when the allegations surfaced in 2008.  The psychiatrists' report will be presented to the court on 14 January.

The US, UK, and Canada say that there is mounting evidence that Iran accidentally shot down a Ukrainian passenger plane the other day using a Russian-made SA-15 surface to air missile system.  CNN's Pentagon bureau reports that US monitoring of Iran "saw" radar signals lock onto the jetliner, before it went down.  The New York Times released video purporting to show the missile hitting the passenger plane; There were no survivors from Ukraine International Airlines Flight 752, which was supposed to carry 176 people from Tehran to Kiev and then on to Canada.  Iran's defenses were at a state of heightened alert at the time of the crash because it had just struck out at US targets in Iraq in revenge for last week's US airstrike assassination of Quds Force leader Qassem Soleimani.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky expressed his condolences to victims at a memorial at Kiev Airport, and said his country is "interested in a transparent and objective investigation of the tragedy and finding the truth".  Of the 176 victims, 63 were Canadians - Prime Minister Justin Trudeau sought to cut through the international diplomatic BS that is stalling any cooperation in investigating this disaster and said his country is "willing to talk to anyone to get answers".  He also said it is "too soon to be drawing conclusions" when asked of the US bears responsibility for for the crash because of the tension it has ratcheted up in the region.

Thousands of uncompromising protesters marched through Paris, France to let President Emmanuel Macron know that they are still there, still on strike (day 36), and still opposed to his pension reform plans that would raise the retirement age and pay out less money to seniors.  Grey skies and rain showers did little to deter drummers and klaxons in a sea of orange vests from the CGT union and yellow vests from the Gilets Jaunes movement.  Even though five weeks of cross-sector strikes have shut major tourist destinations and hobbled transportation, Macron has shown no sign of backing off of his plan.  "I don't know if we're at the beginning, the middle or the end of this protest movement," said 46-year old train driver Fabrice Archet, "What I do know is that we won't give up - and I'm more motivated than ever before."  Polling shows a majority of the French support the strike.

Lebanon so far isn't going to extradite fugitive former Nissan chief Carlos Ghosn - Beirut has not extradition agreement with Tokyo - but officials have put a travel ban on Ghosn after Japan took out an Interpol "Red Notice", which basically acts as a wanted poster at dang near every airport in the world.  Ghosn this week gave a defiant news conference reiterating his view that he didn't flee justice in Japan, he escaped injustice and a politically-motivated prosecution.  Japan accuses Ghosn of corruption and using Nissan corporate assets for personal affairs.

China and the UN World Health Organization (WHO) believes a new type of coronavirus is responsible for a pneumonia outbreak that has sickened more than 50 people in Wuhan City and Hong Kong.  "It may take years for researchers to develop medicines and vaccines," Chinese state media reported.  This virus family is related to SARS and MERS.  Officials are keen to contain the outbreak before millions and millions of people travel around the country for the Lunar New Year Holiday later this month.

A German man is dead, four years after being poisoned by a co-worker who put mercury and other highly toxic substances on his sandwich in their employer's refrigerator in the town of Schloss Holte-Stukenbrock.  The 57-year old poisoner, identified only as Klaus O. in the media because of German privacy laws, was already sentenced to life in prison.  The 26-year old victim has been in a coma ever since ingesting the mercury; investigators say there is evidence that Klaus did this to at least two other co-workers.