Turkish archeologists announced this week that they may have discovered the bones of St. Nicholas, the saint better known to the world as Santa Claus. The remains were unearthed beneath a 4th-century structure in Demre (ancient Myra), the traditional location of Nicholas’ birth. The discovery of St. Nicholas raises a whole host of unpleasant bedtime questions. If Santa is buried in Turkey, who has been delivering the presents?  The discovery was made after digital analysis of the ground beneath the church. Archaeologists currently believe that the tomb has gone undisturbed since antiquity, but the mosaics on the floor make it difficult to excavate there. Cemril Karabayram, the head of Antalya’s Monument Authority, explained that specialists are unable to confirm the story until the floor of the church (which depicts scenes from the life of Nicholas of Myra) can be carefully removed.

According to the data published by Turkish Steel Exporters’ Association (CIB=Çelik İhracatçıları Birliği), Turkish steel exports increased by 7 pct YoY to 13.1 mln tons in the first nine months of 2017. Export value increased by 23.4 pct to USD 8.2 bln. In Jan-Sept 2017, EU remains the top destination for Turkish steel exports. Steel exports to EU were 4 mln tons, a considerable 53 pct increase against the same period last year. Turkish steel exports to Middle East were 3 mln tons and that of North Africa were 1.1 mln tons.

A fashion designer, painter, decorator and entrepreneur, Emre Ertürk is undoubtedly a diverse artist. For him, every form of art is somehow related to the other, and he loves doing it all. Daily Sabah sat with Ertürk in his lovely office to discuss his line, projects and his new website for online sales. We wanted to know what inspires him in general. Most people know Ertürk as a world-renowned fashion designer specializing in handbags, sunglasses, shirts, skirts and "mostly anything that adds style to people's daily lives," as he says himself. However, there is much more to him than that. "I am also a recognized painter and a professional decorator for home and hotel owners. After opening several art shows in Istanbul, Ankara, London and New York, my yearning to reach out to more people give me the drive to create my own fashion company," Ertürk said.

Both the United States and Turkey have suspended all non-immigrant visa services for travel between the two countries, after last week's arrest of a US consulate employee in Istanbul.
With some exceptions, the move effectively blocks Turks from travel to the United States, and vice versa, indefinitely. "Recent events have forced the United States government to reassess the commitment of government of Turkey to the security of US mission and personnel," the statement by the US mission in Ankara said.