ISS astronauts, including two scheduled to return months ago, held a cookie-decorating contest in zero gravity and built a reindeer out of storage bags.
Russia's state aviation authority said the Azerbaijan Airlines plane was attempting to make an emergency landing. Kazakh authorities said at least 29 people survived.
Protests in Damascus erupted after footage circulated online of an artificial Christmas tree burning in a predominantly Christian city, as masked men stand around it.
After an attacker driving an SUV killed five people, calls for solidarity quickly gave way to criticism from rival lawmakers, ahead of snap elections set for February.