COURT RULES THAT TSAR’S BONES MUST COME TO MOSCOW.

Russia’s Supreme Court has overturned a ban by a regional court in Sverdlovsk Oblast on transferring to Moscow the remains of Russia’s last tsar and his family. The decision, which is legally binding, is intended to facilitate a final round of tests to determine the authenticity of the bones. Once that has been determined, the way will be open for a decision on where the remains of Nicholas II and his family should be buried. The authorities in Sverdlovsk Oblast want the royal family to be buried in the regional capital, Yekaterinburg, where they were murdered by the Bolsheviks in 1918, but there are also moves to have them buried in Moscow or St. Petersburg. (Reuter, December 15)

Russia Applauds EU Expansion Decision.