ST. NICHOLAS’ BONES ARE FOUND
Turkish archaeologists believe they may have discovered the remains of St. Nicholas — from whom the legend of Santa Claus emerged — beneath a church at his birthplace in southern Turkey, an official said Thursday.
St. Nicholas was born and served as a bishop of what is now the Turkish Mediterranean town of Demre, near Antalya, in the 4th century. He was buried in the area formerly known as Myra, but his bones were believed to have been stolen and taken to the southern Italian town of Bari.
Archaeologists, however, have recently discovered what they think is a temple below the church and now believe his remains may be lying there, Cemil Karabayram, the head of Antalya’s Reliefs and Monuments authority, told The AP.
Pence vows U.S. will go to the moon, Mars and beyond
Seated before the grounded space shuttle Discovery, a constellation of Trump administration officials used soaring rhetoric to vow to send Americans back to the moon and then on to Mars.
After voicing celestial aspirations, top officials moved to what National Intelligence Director Dan Coats called “a dark side” to space policy. Coats, Vice President Mike Pence, other top officials and outside space experts said the United States has to counter and perhaps match potential enemies’ ability to target U.S. satellites.
But details, such as how much the new ideas will cost, were scant and outside experts said they’ve heard grandiose plans before only to see them fizzle instead of launch.
“We will return American astronauts to the moon, not only to leave behind footprints and flags, but to build the foundation we need to send Americans to Mars and beyond,” Pence said.
Spain’s top court halts Catalan secession parliament meeting
SPAIN» Spain’s Constitutional BARCELONA, Court on Thursday ordered Catalonia’s parliament to suspend a planned session next week during which separatist lawmakers wanted to declare independence — fueling Spain’s worst political crisis in decades.
Catalan regional authorities previously have ignored Constitutional Court orders, so it was not immediately clear if the session would go ahead and if all parties would attend.
The court said its order could be appealed but also warned Catalan parliament speaker Carme Forcadell and other members of the speakers’ board that they could face prosecution for failing to halt the session.
Catalan authorities and the Spanish central government are at odds over the legitimacy of the vote. Spain’s 1978 Constitution bars any attempt to secede and rules that all Spanish nationals must have a say in the country’s sovereignty.
Mueller team questions ex-spy on Trump dossier, source says
WASHINGTON» Special counsel Robert Mueller’s team of investigators recently questioned a former British spy who compiled a dossier of claims about President Donald Trump’s ties to Russia.
A person familiar with the investigation says the interview with Christopher Steele took place in Europe. The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity to discuss an ongoing investigation.
The dossier received public attention in January when it was revealed that then-FBI Director James Comey briefed Trump in a private meeting on a summary of Steele’s findings. Trump has called those allegations “fake news” even as the FBI has been investigating and working to corroborate the document’s claims.