June 22 — China's navy said the Liaoning carrier group completed more than 40 days of high‑seas, combat‑oriented training and safely returned to its Qingdao home port. The group operated in the South China Sea and the western Pacific to validate combat operations and enhance carrier strike capabilities. During the deployment Japanese vessels and aircraft repeatedly conducted close‑range tracking, surveillance and harassment; the Liaoning maintained high alert, conducted continuous carrier‑based

Thailand's Fertilizer and Agricultural Materials Association said global fertilizer shortages are easing, with urea tightness seen in March–May materially improved. Imports from the Middle East via the Strait of Hormuz have resumed and Saudi logistics have been adjusted to ship to Thailand via the Red Sea. The association said domestic retail fertilizer prices will be reduced gradually as costs fall, noting some inventories were bought at higher prices, and asserted prices will not rise further. Iran has confirmed readiness to supply urea to Thailand and told Thai authorities it will not levy special fees or commissions on vessels bound for the country; Russia has also expressed willingness to cooperate on fertilizer trade.

A government-appointed committee will submit on Tuesday a draft pension overhaul backed by Chancellor Merz’s coalition that would introduce market-based savings, tighten early-retirement rules and phase up the retirement age in line with rising life expectancy. The proposal calls for phased supplementary contributions equal to 2% of total wages to be managed via a public fund vehicle and invested in capital markets. It would also remove an early-retirement route that allowed workers with 45 years’ contributions to retire early. The reform is one of the most divisive issues in the 13-month-old coalition and may face implementation risks amid Conservative–Social Democrat disagreement.