News Desk

ISTANBUL: Turkish authorities on Tuesday seized and jailed a 16-year-old youth for drawing a moustache on an election campaign poster showing re-elected President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, media reports said. Several media close to the opposition, including daily newspapers BirGun, Cumhuriyet and private TV station Halk TV, said the youth from the southeastern town of Mersin was accused of defacing the poster near his home with a pen, scribbling “a Hitler moustache and writing insulting comments.”

Ukrainian forces advance near Bakhmut as President Zelenskyy says his troops are set for a counterattack.

DOHA: Anthony Hudson has agreed a two-year deal to guide Al Markhiya in the Qatari soccer league a week after quitting as interim head coach of the US men’s national team. The club posted confirmation of the two-year contract on its social media platforms late Wednesday, saying Hudson’s immediate goal is to help Al Markhiya improve on the seventh-place finish it achieved in its first season after promotion to the Qatar Stars League.

Professor Marie Claire Yandju gives cassava a makeover to combat malnutrition and climate change.

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund-owned football club Newcastle United has extended its sleeve sponsorship agreement with the e-commerce platform Noon. According to a press release, the logo of Saudi-based Noon will continue to be displayed on the sleeve of Newcastle’s first-team kit across all competitions.  Newcastle United has been owned by a consortium led by Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund since 2021, with PIF holding 80 percent of the club’s shares, while RB Sports & Media and PCP Capital Partners hold a 10 percent stake each. 

RIYADH: Turkish decor group Serdur has finalized an agreement with Dubai-based real estate developer Andalusia Courtyard to establish an office in the UAE and a $10 million factory in Saudi Arabia.   The strategic partnership with Andalusia Courtyard will pave the way for the Turkish group’s expansion into the Middle East, with a primary focus on the UAE and Saudi markets.