🇨🇳⚡- Liu Jianchao, Head of China's Foreign Policy Department, and one of the most powerful members of the Xi-bloc within the Communist Party, has been arrested by police for "questioning".

Liu was widely expected to become China's Foreign Minister in the future, and has long battled corruption at government level.

🇺🇸🇨🇦⚡️- Abacus Data polling shows that Canadians care more about President Trump than almost every single domestic economic and political issue with 1 exception.

🇵🇸🇮🇱⚡- An Israeli airstrike in northern Gaza Strip targets an al-Jazeera tent, killing all 7 of the remaining journalists for foreign publications.

🇵🇸🇮🇱⚡- Director of al-Shifa Hospital, Gaza city, says Israel is preparing for a major escalation in violence ahead of its occupation plan by killing off the remaining journalists.

🇵🇸🇮🇱⚡- Heavy Israeli artillery shelling of eastern Gaza city.

🇵🇸🇮🇱⚡- Israeli artillery shelling has begun targeting infrastructure in the al-Zaytoun district of western Gaza city.

🇵🇸🇮🇱⚡- Scenes from al-Zaytoun, Gaza city, as Israel destroys infrastructure ahead of its military operation to occupy the city.

🇵🇸🇮🇱⚡- Israeli airstrikes now against al-Zaytoun, Gaza city.

🇦🇺🇵🇸⚡- BREAKING: Australia will recognize the State of Palestine in September.

🇨🇩🇷🇼⚡- BREAKING: M23 have launched its widely anticipated southern offensive in the Bukavu region, eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, DRC.

As Rerum Novarum reported early July, major troop movement was observed from either side in the south. Over the weekend, M23 launched several probing attacks, and then last night it began its full-scale offensive.

Kalole, Koshongerwe, Budodo, and the large town of Kaniola have all fallen to M23 control. Violent clashes are ongoing for the major and strategic town of Nzibira, which sits on N2-W Highway. M23 have entered Nzibira from the east and north, with street fights underway.

M23 posed in front of the 'Palacs of Martyrs' building, which Rerum Novarum have geolocated to central Kaniola, at -2.59464, 28.61634.

🇨🇩🇷🇼⚡- With the news of the new M23 offensive, a pro-war protest took place in Bukavu, M23-controlled eastern DR Congo, in support of M23. Protestors demand M23 march all the way towards Kinshasa, capital of DR Congo.

🇺🇸🇮🇷⚡- BREAKING: Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister Majid Takht-Ravanchi says Tehran and Washington are still in communication through a mediating state (likely Oman).

🇺🇸🇮🇷⚡- BREAKING: Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister Majid Takht-Ravanchi announces Tehran is open to restrictions on its nuclear program, but for a "specified period in exchange for the lifting of American sanctions".

🇺🇸🇮🇷⚡- "We have the full right to demand compensation for the aggression against Iran," - Majid Takht-Ravanchi, Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister.

🇺🇸🇮🇷⚡- "Washington must provide guarantees that it will not attack Iran again should negotiations resume," - Majid Takht-Ravanchi, Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister.

🇷🇺🇸🇾⚡- Heavy Russian reinforcements arrived at Russia's Qamishli Air Base in northeast Syria, SDF-controlled Syria. The military reinforcements arrived from Russia's Latakia Air Base, Damascus-controlled coastal Syria.

For the first time since the fall of the Assad regime, Russian troops patrolled the M4 Highway from Tell Tamr - Tell Baydr, northeast SDF-controlled Syria, along the frontline with SNA. The patrols used to occur daily during the Assad era.

Russian military sources in Syria have not confirmed the reason behind the movements of its military, but they do come after Damascus-backed forces began reinforcing positions along the Euphrates river, and after Turkey's Fidan advised Syria to withdraw from the Paris peace talks.