South Korean forward Son Heung-Min posted an emotional apology on Instagram to fans over the national team's disappointing performance at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, urging everyone to offer support to the players instead of criticism.

South Korea's World Cup campaign ended at the group stage after three matches in Group A against host Mexico, South Africa, and the Czech Republic. The team managed only three points and finished third, failing to advance to the knockout rounds.

In excerpts from Son's post, he wrote: "I must sincerely apologize to the South Korean people. If I were a viewer watching this tournament, I would feel heartbroken, disappointed, and deeply distressed as well. That's why even an apology doesn't feel sufficient. This tournament meant more to me than anything, and it's indescribably painful to see the dream stage I've always spoken about crumble. Honestly, I haven't been able to accept this reality yet, and I believe you feel similarly.

Moving forward, I will do everything in my power to win back the hearts of South Korean football fans. I will run with all my strength to bring you joy again. I have never forgotten the promise I made to our fans. I will give everything to prepare myself once more.

I feel heavy-hearted and deeply sorry to ask for your compassion again in this situation. But instead of excessive criticism and hurting our players' feelings, I sincerely ask that you send us encouragement and support, no matter how difficult that may be."

Chicago Fire of Major League Soccer confirmed the acquisition of elite striker Robert Lewandowski on a free transfer, with a contract agreement extending through the 2027-28 season. Lewandowski became a free agent after his contract with Barcelona expired at the end of the recent season. He is currently awaiting visa approval and international transfer clearance, which is anticipated to be completed without issues.

The 37-year-old Lewandowski spent four seasons with Barcelona, making 193 appearances across all competitions and scoring 120 goals. He contributed to the club's success, helping them win three La Liga titles and three Spanish Super Cup trophies, plus one Copa del Rey championship.

Fire currently has several players named in their national team squads for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, including South African defender Mbongeni Mbokazi, Canadian defender Joel Waterman, and U.S. goalkeeper Chris Brady.

Brazil coach Carlo Ancelotti says his team deserved to win, praising their composure despite conceding first. Japan manager Hajime Moriyasu acknowledged the painful early exit but pledged to use the disappointment to build a stronger team.

In the 2026 World Cup Round of 32 match on June 29, Brazil narrowly defeated Japan 2-1. Japan took the lead through Kaichuu Sano in the 29th minute, but Brazil scored twice to clinch victory through Casemiro in the 56th minute and Gabriel Martinelli in the 90+5th minute.

Brazil advanced to the Round of 16 and will face the winner of the Ivory Coast-Norway match on July 5. Japan remains without a knockout-stage victory in World Cup tournaments.

Ancelotti said: "We deserved to win. We stayed composed even after falling behind. We had many options both on the field and on the bench. Japan is a difficult team to break down—they're disciplined and play aggressively."

Moriyasu stated: "I'm deeply disappointed we've been eliminated so soon. But every player gave their maximum effort and the coaching staff worked tirelessly. I accept this result and will use it to develop a stronger team."

Nakhon Ratchasima province has the highest drowning death rate in Thailand, with 79 fatalities reported. The primary causes include inability to swim, lack of life-saving skills, and children entering water without informing their guardians.

On June 30, Deputy Governor Wijit Kitwirat of Nakhon Ratchasima presided over the opening of a water safety training and drowning prevention program at Starwell Bali Resort in Muang district. Representatives from relevant agencies, local government organizations, rescue units, and network partners from all 32 districts participated in activities to raise awareness, enhance understanding, and exchange knowledge about drowning prevention models for children, along with workshops on designing prevention processes.

Anant Thamthong, a local official in Nakhon Ratchasima, revealed that drowning deaths represent a critical public health and safety issue. According to the Department of Disease Control, between January and June 2568, Thailand recorded 1,768 drowning incidents nationwide, with Nakhon Ratchasima accounting for the highest death toll at 79 cases.

The main contributing factors include inability to swim, lack of survival skills, children entering water without close parental supervision, absence of warning signs or safety barriers—particularly during school holidays and breaks. In many cases, older siblings or elderly relatives supervise children, and statistics show children are the most vulnerable. Common drowning locations include canals, rivers, agricultural water sources, and swimming pools.

Recognizing the severity and necessity of intervention, Nakhon Ratchasima has launched a program to establish prevention measures at community and family levels before tragedies occur, aiming to reduce drowning mortality rates through serious prevention strategies.

British-American Tobacco (BAT), the English-American cigarette manufacturer and distributor of brands including Dunhill, Kent, and Rothmans, is preparing to lay off 5,500 positions—or one-fifth of its approximately 47,000 global workforce—as part of a major organizational restructuring aimed at reducing costs and improving operational efficiency.

According to Bloomberg, citing an internal BAT announcement, the company will lay off 5,500 employees by year-end while outsourcing 3,500 positions. BAT has partnered with Accenture to manage multiple business functions, including service centers that typically employ large numbers of staff. Positions in the United Kingdom, Singapore, Costa Rica, Mexico, Poland, Romania, and Malaysia have already been transferred to Accenture, while some operations in Pakistan have been outsourced to Systems Ltd, a Pakistani technology and business services company.

The reported layoff figures do not include BAT's U.S. operations, which operate through subsidiary Reynolds American. BAT faces declining demand for traditional cigarettes in many global markets while needing to invest in alternative nicotine products that are gaining consumer popularity as more smokers seek to quit. Like competitor Philip Morris International, BAT aims to generate more than half its revenue from smoke-free nicotine products such as the Vuse e-cigarette and Velo nicotine pouches.

The restructuring also involves closing traditional cigarette manufacturing plants. In January, BAT announced it had closed its eighth cigarette factory in South Africa due to illegal trade competition. The company forecasts a 2 percent decline in global cigarette industry volume this year. BAT's Chief Financial Officer Javed Iqbal stated in February that artificial intelligence and data analytics tools will also impact staffing levels. The company expects to complete most of its cost-reduction plan, valued at approximately 500 million pounds, within the coming year.

Rung Khao (Lanlaa Tharavidee), a 21-year-old Thai tennis player ranked 99th in the world, delivered an outstanding performance by defeating Austria's Lilly Tackett 2-1 sets to reach the second round of Wimbledon for the first time at the 2026 Grand Slam tournament held in England on June 29.

Lanlaa became the fourth Thai female player to reach the main draw round of a Grand Slam after Tamarine Tanasugarn, Luksika Kumkhum, and Mananchaya Sawangkaew. The two players had previously met at the 2026 Australian Open in January, where Lanlaa dominated with a 2-0 set victory (6-3, 6-0).

This match saw both players compete at a high level. The first set went to a tiebreak where Lanlaa prevailed 7-6 (7-3) to take a 1-0 set lead. The second set was equally competitive until Tackett mounted a comeback to win 7-5, forcing a decisive third set.

The third set proved grueling before Lanlaa secured victory 6-4. She ultimately won the match 7-6 (7-3), 5-7, 6-4, making history as she advanced to the Wimbledon second round for the first time while earning approximately 5.5 million baht in prize money.

Lanlaa faces a tough challenge in her next match against world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus, who defeated Serbia's Teodora Kostovic (ranked 182nd) 2-0 sets.