International
Tottenham’s Son Heung-min says he faced racism as teen in Germany
AFP
Tottenham Hotspur star Son Heung-min has revealed he faced racism as a teenage footballer in Germany and was happy to get “revenge” when South Korea knocked Germany out of 2018 World Cup.
Son, 29, became the first Asian footballer to win the Golden Boot for being top scorer in the English Premier League with 23 goals last season.
The South Korea football icon, the leading Asian goalscorer in English football’s top-flight history, was awarded the country’s highest sporting honour in June for his achievements.
But Son said his most memorable career moment had been South Korea’s stunning 2-0 victory over Germany four years ago, because of the racism he had endured in the country as a teenager after joining Hamburg in 2010.
Son shared in public for the first time his experiences of racism, while speaking to fans at an event in Seoul on Monday.
“I moved to Germany when I was young, and went through so many really difficult, unimaginable moments,” said Son, who left Hamburg in 2013 for Bayer Leverkusen.
“I faced a lot of racism. And while going through such a really difficult time, I had a lot of thoughts on my mind I should get my revenge one day.”
Germany were the defending World Cup champions in Russia but the shock defeat to South Korea meant they finished bottom of their group, leaving many German fans in tears at the Kazan Arena.
Son, who scored the second goal in injury time to seal Germany’s early exit, said he had little sympathy.
“When people cry, I’d (usually) want to comfort them and give them a hug,” he said. “But watching German people cry, (I felt) I was able to take revenge by doing something I like,” he added.
Son has also faced racism during his Premier League career in England since he moved to Spurs from Leverkusen in 2015.
Last year, eight men suspected of tweeting racist abuse at Son were arrested at addresses across England and Wales.
Son will join up with his Tottenham teammates when they arrive in South Korea for pre-season games against the K-League All-Stars in Seoul on July 13 and Sevilla FC three days later in Suwon, 45 kilometres south of Seoul.
International
Trump says Venezuela is ‘feeling the heat’ amid U.S. anti-drug operations in the Caribbean
President Donald Trump said he believes Venezuela is “feeling the heat” as his administration intensifies its military campaign against alleged drug-trafficking vessels in the Caribbean — operations that have resulted in the destruction of at least two boats over the past week.
While Trump has stated that the missions aim to curb the flow of narcotics into the United States, analysts and several lawmakers argue that the operations have a broader political goal: to increase pressure on Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro to step down.
“The Trump administration is likely trying to force Maduro to voluntarily relinquish power through a combination of diplomatic moves and now military action — or the threat of it,” said Brandon Buck, a foreign policy analyst at the Cato Institute, in an email to Fox News Digital. “Whether that amounts to ‘regime change’ or something else is largely a matter of semantics.”
The Trump administration has repeatedly stated that it does not recognize Maduro as Venezuela’s legitimate head of state, describing him instead as the leader of a drug cartel. In August, Washington raised its bounty for information leading to Maduro’s capture to $50 million, calling him “one of the world’s most notorious drug traffickers.”
So far, U.S. officials have remained tight-lipped when questioned about potential plans targeting Maduro. On Wednesday, Trump declined to say whether the CIA had the authority to “eliminate” the Venezuelan leader.
International
U.S.-Colombia Tensions Escalate as Trump Ends Subsidies, Criticizes Petro
U.S. President Donald Trump on Sunday accused his Colombian counterpart, Gustavo Petro, of tolerating drug production and announced that the United States will end “large-scale payments and subsidies” to the South American nation.
The relationship between the two historically allied countries has reached a low point with the arrival of Trump in office and Petro, Colombia’s first leftist president in history, assuming power.
“As of today, these payments, or any other form of payment or subsidies, will no longer be made,” Trump wrote on Truth Social, adding that Petro is “strongly encouraging mass drug production.”
In response, Petro took to X (formerly Twitter), claiming that the U.S. president is “misled” by his advisors. He added, “I recommend Trump carefully read about Colombia and distinguish where the drug traffickers are and where the Democrats are.”
Last month, Washington revoked Colombia’s status as a key ally in the fight against narcotrafficking, a certification that had previously enabled the country to receive hundreds of millions of dollars in U.S. aid.
International
María Corina Machado: “Venezuela is closer than ever to regaining freedom”
Venezuelan opposition leader and 2025 Nobel Peace Prize laureate María Corina Machado declared on Friday that Venezuela is facing “the most decisive moment in its contemporary history” and that the country is “closer than ever to regaining freedom and democracy.”
Her remarks were delivered via video message during the 81st General Assembly of the Inter American Press Association (IAPA), held in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic.
Machado emphasized that the situation in Venezuela remains “extremely serious” due to censorship and repression imposed by Nicolás Maduro’s regime, particularly in a global context where “society is built on information.”
She warned that authoritarian governments manipulate public opinion through “psychological warfare” and disinformation, while shutting down media outlets and persecuting journalists.
“The only way to topple these regimes is through the constant, relentless, and unrestricted preaching of the truth. It is absolutely true that the truth will set us free,” she stated.
Trump says Venezuela is ‘feeling the heat’ amid U.S. anti-drug operations in the Caribbean
U.S.-Colombia Tensions Escalate as Trump Ends Subsidies, Criticizes Petro
María Corina Machado: “Venezuela is closer than ever to regaining freedom”
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