Zinedine Zidane has been appointed head coach of France’s national football team, the French Football Federation confirmed in social and official statements. The 54-year-old former France player and Real Madrid coach has signed a contract running through 2030, beginning a new chapter for French football.

Zidane succeeds Didier Deschamps, who left after France were eliminated by Spain in the 2026 World Cup semi-finals. French media had identified Zidane as a likely successor following Deschamps’ departure, and the federation has now formally handed the French dugout to the former national-team star.

As a player, Zidane won the World Cup with France in 1998. His coaching record at Real Madrid includes three consecutive UEFA Champions League titles. He had remained away from coaching since leaving Real Madrid in 2021, making this appointment his return after a five-year break. His stated focus is to rebuild France under a long-term plan and pursue new trophies through 2030.

Police arrested BNP leader Billal Hossain Sani in Tongi, Gazipur, in a case alleging intimidation and extortion near the Pagaar Faiza Button and Zipper Limited factory area. Officers detained Sani, 45, during a raid in Tongi's Mirashpara area around midnight on Tuesday. He is the organisational secretary of Tongi East police station BNP.

Police said the case was filed over allegations that more than 100 motorcycles, along with locally made weapons, were used in a display in Pagaar on the afternoon of June 28, creating fear and involving extortion. Investigators identified Sani after reviewing CCTV footage, police said, before conducting the Mirashpara operation.

The report said Sani's followers attacked journalists in the presence of police when they tried to record video as he was being taken from the police station to court. Tongi East police station BNP president Sarkar Javed Ahmed Sumon expressed regret over the unwanted incident. Officer-in-Charge Md Mehedi Hasan said Sani had been sent to a Gazipur court and that operations were continuing to arrest the remaining accused.

Prime Minister Tarique Rahman, BNP chairman and chief patron of Amra BNP Poribar, sent a gift for Saifa Nur Subha, the newborn daughter of injured July fighter Md Sujon. On July 28, an Amra BNP Poribar delegation visited Sujon’s home in Keraniganj, Dhaka, met his family and delivered the gift on the prime minister’s behalf.

The delegation was led by Engineer Ashraf Uddin Bakul, member of parliament for Narsingdi-5 and an adviser to the organisation. It included Advocate Nipun Roy Chowdhury, general secretary of Dhaka district BNP and a reserved-seat member of parliament, and Krishibid Mokhchedul Momin Mithun, member secretary of Amra BNP Poribar.

Delegation members inquired about the condition of newborn Saifa Nur Subha, as well as Sujon’s physical health and his family’s overall situation. Sujon was injured during the student-public uprising of 2024, according to the report. Other organisation members and local BNP leaders and activists were also present during the visit.

The National Citizen Party (NCP) has suspended its pre-scheduled July marches in Kushtia’s Bheramara and Kumarkhali upazilas. NCP central organiser for the southern region Nayon Ahmmed confirmed the decision on Tuesday, July 28, saying the suspension was made centrally because of unavoidable reasons.

The cancelled events were part of the NCP’s “July March 2026,” organised under demands for implementation of a referendum, employment and border security. The party has been holding the 36-day programme since July 6 to mark the second anniversary of the July mass uprising.

In Kushtia, the march in Bheramara had been scheduled for 3pm on Tuesday, while the Kumarkhali event was set for 6pm. Neither programme will take place at its planned time. The NCP said a new schedule for the suspended marches in the two upazilas would be announced later.

Japan issued a tsunami warning after a powerful 7.1-magnitude earthquake struck the southwestern island of Kyushu on Tuesday. The Japan Meteorological Agency said the quake hit at 4:27 p.m. local time and reached a maximum intensity of 7 on Japan’s Shindo seismic scale. About 45,000 households and facilities in the Kumamoto area lost electricity, according to local utility Kyushu Electric Power.

The meteorological agency said tsunami waves could reach up to one metre. Public broadcaster NHK reported that waves of that height may already have struck. About half an hour after the earthquake, an NHK local reporter said shaking was still continuing and was so strong in the newsroom that it was difficult to remain standing.

Japan’s Nuclear Regulation Authority said no immediate abnormalities had been detected at nuclear power plants. Kyushu Electric Power said three operating nuclear reactors in the region were functioning normally during the quake. The NHK reporter urged people to remain alert for possible further tremors after describing the initial shaking as too intense to stand through.

Jannatul Ferdous Fariha Moni, a teenage footballer from Nandaraypur village in Lalpur upazila of Natore, was named Man of the Tournament at the national Under-14 girls’ football competition organised by Notun Kuri Sports. She received the individual honour at the closing ceremony held Monday at Dhaka’s Army Stadium, where Prime Minister Tarique Rahman presented awards to players from the champion and runner-up teams.

Fariha played a key role in taking the Rajshahi division to the final. She scored four goals in a 5-0 win over Barishal and added one in a 2-0 semifinal victory against Khulna, accounting for five of her side’s seven goals across the two matches. Although the team did not win the final, her performance throughout the tournament impressed the judges. Fariha credited her teammates’ passing and said the achievement belonged to the whole team.

The player trained at North Bengal Football Academy after cycling about eight kilometres daily despite poverty, household work and social taunts. Coach Mohammad Jewel supported her with travel costs, training expenses and equipment. Lalpur’s executive officer, Barkat Ullah, said the administration would stand by talented athletes like her, while Jewel said proper care and opportunity could bring her further success.

The government will ensure justice over the incident at Shapla Chattar, Prime Minister’s Information and Broadcasting Adviser Dr. Zahed Ur Rahman said on Tuesday. He made the remarks at about noon during a regular press conference at the Secretariat on recent government activities, responding to a question. He said the government would not ignore the matter in any way.

The adviser said that whoever had violated the law would face justice. Referring to what he called the “disaster” at Shapla Chattar, he said that when the government takes necessary action over an incident, all violations of law involved must be tried. He said accountability should be established regardless of the reasons behind the event.

Dr. Rahman said people may remember how those involved were called, allowed to come, and that a “massacre” took place there. He said a proper trial would take place during the current government’s tenure and that there was no reason for obstacles. He also said Begum Khaleda Zia had expressed solidarity with the incident at the time.

A court in Manikganj sentenced two defendants to death in the murder case of schoolboy Sohan Mia in Singair. Senior District and Sessions Judge S K M Tofayel Hasan delivered the verdict on Tuesday afternoon. The convicted men are Awabin Mia of Madhabpur upazila in Habiganj and Sagar Munshi of Airport upazila in Barishal.

The court also fined each defendant Tk50,000 and ordered an additional four years in prison if the fines are not paid. According to case information, Sohan was a ninth-grade student from Fordnagar village in Singair upazila. During the coronavirus pandemic, he drove a battery-powered Halobike bought by his family to help support them.

Sohan left home with the vehicle on the morning of July 19, 2021, and did not return. His throat-slit body was later recovered beside the road from Khaser Char Bazar to Dhalla Bazar, while his Halobike and mobile phone were missing. His mother, Laili Begum, filed a murder case the same day. Police submitted charges against three people, and the court found allegations against two defendants proven after hearing 19 witnesses.

A life-sentence warrant for Suman Reza, convicted in a drug case in Rajshahi, reportedly did not reach Chapainawabganj for a year. A court sentenced Reza and another accused, Suman Ali, to life imprisonment on November 27, 2024, in their absence. Court bench assistant Mizanur Rahman said he sent the punishment warrants for both men to the Rajshahi Metropolitan Police court inspector’s office on April 8 last year.

Reza is from Gangarampur village in Shibganj, Chapainawabganj. The report found information on at least 18 cases against him in Rajshahi, Chapainawabganj and Naogaon, involving alleged drug and counterfeit currency dealings. He is currently in Rajshahi Central Jail in connection with two pending cases under Godagari and Damkura police stations, while prison authorities said they had no information about his life sentence.

Chapainawabganj police said they received only Suman Ali’s warrant from RMP on June 5 last year, which later reached Shibganj police station. Sources alleged Reza’s warrant was held at the RMP court inspector’s office in exchange for money. RMP Deputy Commissioner Gaziur Rahman said the matter was being investigated.

Ukraine struck an Iranian vessel in the Caspian Sea that was supplying drones and military equipment to Russia, according to the report published on July 28. William Courtney, a former US ambassador and senior fellow at RAND Corporation, told Al Jazeera that Washington would likely view the action positively. He said the move served Ukraine’s own interests while also advancing those of the United States.

Courtney said Ukraine appeared to be aligning itself with the US strategy on Iran. The United States has long been deeply concerned about Iran’s supply of Shahed drones to Russia, he said, adding that more advanced versions are now being produced at a Russian factory. An attack on Iranian supplies could therefore provide relief to the US administration, in his view.

Courtney said Ukraine has no desire to become directly involved in the ongoing war involving Iran, the United States and Israel. He warned that the war against Iran in the Middle East is unpopular among Western countries, meaning Ukraine would not want to become overly associated with it. The report also said Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had arrived in Washington, DC, with possible talks with President Trump expected during their visits.

Turkey’s leading textile company Sanko has expressed interest in investing about $300 million in Bangladesh’s textile and jute sectors through an integrated textile production facility in the Mirsarai industrial zone. The company disclosed the plan at a Tuesday meeting at the Secretariat with Khandaker Abdul Muktadir, minister in charge of the commerce, industries, and textiles and jute ministries. State Minister for Textiles and Jute Md Shariful Alam also attended.

Sanko said the proposed project would produce fabrics, process fabric, and manufacture value-added textile goods. It cited Bangladesh’s promising market, skilled workforce, export capacity, existing business ties and demand from international buyers as reasons for seeking to expand local production. The company currently supplies textile products from Turkey. Its representatives said a local facility could bring new international buyers to Bangladesh and help existing textile factories through technology, skills and market expansion.

The company said it has selected possible sites and discussed the project with partners. It sought support for energy facilities, gas connections, electricity and faster government approvals, while emphasizing coal-free, environmentally friendly energy and sustainable production. If approvals and infrastructure are secured, Sanko plans to begin subsequent work within months and target operations 12 to 18 months after construction begins. The minister pledged necessary support.

Water Resources Minister and BNP joint secretary general Shahid Uddin Chowdhury Anni said BNP’s 17-year struggle created the foundation for the July uprising. He made the remarks on Tuesday as chief guest at a discussion titled “Unity, Not Division, to Build a Just and Discrimination-Free Society” at the National Press Club in the capital. The event was organized by a group called Amra Bangladeshi.

Anni said BNP had formed alliances and carried out simultaneous movements, arguing that an uprising requires a foundation. He questioned the opposition’s role in earlier movements and criticized its claims regarding the uprising. He also cited BNP’s multiple candidates in some constituencies and weaknesses in expatriate voting, alleging that expatriate votes had been influenced and calling for monitoring to ensure fresh elections in relevant seats.

He said the government, only five months old, had not yet been able to resolve many problems, although the prime minister was making efforts and had taken programmes. Anni also referred to alleged theft and looting over the past 17 years, shrinking land and population growth. Lawmaker Shahadat Hossain Selim said he wanted unity rather than division.

Professor Dr A B M Saiful Islam has been appointed vice-chancellor of Patuakhali Science and Technology University. The appointment was announced in a notification issued Monday by the Science and Technology University branch of the Secondary and Higher Education Division under the Education Ministry. Islam is a professor in the university’s Soil Science Department and dean of its Faculty of Oceanography.

The appointment was made with approval from the President and Chancellor under Section 10(1) of the Patuakhali Science and Technology University Act, 2001. His term will remain effective for four years from the date he joins or until his retirement date, whichever comes first. He will receive salary and allowances equivalent to his current post, along with other benefits under the rules.

As the university’s executive officer, Islam must reside on campus full time, while the Chancellor may cancel the appointment at any time if necessary. He joined the university as a lecturer in 2007 and said he wanted to work with integrity, transparency and accountability to improve education, research and administration with everyone’s cooperation.

M Abdullah, joint editor of Amar Desh and president of the Bangladesh Association of Journalists, donated Tk100,000 to the July Martyrs Memorial Foundation. The donation was handed over on Tuesday afternoon, July 28, at the Amar Desh office in Karwan Bazar, Dhaka. Samsi Ara Zaman, the foundation’s general secretary and mother of July martyr journalist Tahir Zaman Priyo, received it with senior accounts and finance officer Md Harun-or-Rashid.

Mahmudur Rahman, joint convener of the National Editors Council and Amar Desh editor, managing editor Zahed Chowdhury, sports editor M M Kaiser and staff reporter Mahmud Ashik attended the handover. Abdullah is also a former president of the Bangladesh Federal Union of Journalists and a former managing director of the Bangladesh Journalists Welfare Trust.

The foundation was formed to remember those killed in the July movement and has undertaken initiatives for martyrs’ families and injured July fighters. It has faced financial hardship, and its officers and employees have not received salaries for the past five months. After learning of the crisis at the foundation’s theme song launch, Abdullah announced he would donate one month’s salary. He urged people from all sections of society to support martyrs’ families, while Samsi Ara Zaman expressed gratitude.

A Faridpur court sentenced three people to death in the murder case of vegetable seller Faisal Sheikh, 22. Judge Mohammad Badiuzzaman of the First Additional Sessions Judge Court delivered the verdict at about 11:30 a.m. on Tuesday. The convicts are Chan Sardar, Tara Sardar and Babul Akand. Babul was present when the judgment was announced and was later taken to prison under police guard.

Court sources said Faisal was hacked and beaten at the under-construction building of Faridpur Medical College Hospital on September 5, 2012. He died while being taken to Dhaka Medical College Hospital after being rescued in critical condition. Faisal was the son of late Aku Sheikh and lived in the Middle Alipur area of Faridpur town.

The victim's mother, Firoza Begum, filed a murder case at Faridpur Kotwali police station the following day, naming four people including Chan and Tara. CID inspector Md Shahjahan Mia submitted the charge sheet on July 31, 2013. Another named accused, Shahin Sardar, died during the proceedings. Public prosecutor Chowdhury Zahid Hasan said the killing was proven beyond doubt through hearings and witness testimony. Arrest warrants were issued for fugitive brothers Chan and Tara.