US Central Command said US forces struck an Iranian command center, air defense facilities, missile and drone capabilities, and coastal surveillance facilities, including targets near the port of Bandar Abbas.
Trump said that U.S. strikes on Iran will be expanded to power plants and energy facilities unless Iran returns to the negotiating table and reaches a deal with the United States.
Iranian forces threatened to disrupt other oil export corridors near the Strait of Hormuz and continued to strike Kuwait, Bahrain and Jordan; the countries concerned said they had thwarted Iranian air threats.
Trump delivered a national address from the White House, focusing on U.S. election integrity, the vulnerabilities of voting systems, and foreign interference.
Trump claimed that since the start of the 2020 election cycle, China has illegally obtained data on about 220 million US voters, including sensitive personal information and party affiliation information.
Trump claimed that China had tried to influence the 2018 midterm elections and the 2020 presidential election, and that it had hired American media figures to write negative articles about his administration.
Trump claimed that the CIA, FBI, and National Security Council hold information about Chinese interference in U.S. elections, yet have not reported it fully to the president and Congress.
Trump claimed that serious vulnerabilities exist in U.S. vote-counting machines, voting machines, central ballot collection systems, polling places, and related websites, which could be infiltrated by foreign powers.
Trump claimed that the Department of Homeland Security found approximately 270,000 non-U.S. citizens involved in election fraud, and said the actual number could be higher.
Trump claimed that another 250,000 foreigners are registered and voting in the United States, arguing that the U.S. electoral system therefore cannot continue as it is.
Iran said it would not allow the United States to interfere in the affairs of the Strait of Hormuz, calling it a red line; the Iranian military also threatened to disrupt other oil export corridors in the region.
The U.S. military resumed its naval blockade of Iran, forcing 3 commercial ships that tried to bypass the blockade to change course and disabling another vessel that refused to comply with orders.
On July 16, Guizhou Provincial Market Supervision Administration Party Committee member Xu Liuwei is currently undergoing review and investigation for suspected serious disciplinary and legal violations. Xu Liuwei went viral online for demanding that Wang Jianlin retain all profits.
Wang Huning, member of the CCP Central Committee Politburo Standing Committee and chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, led a Chinese delegation to meet Kim Jong Un in Pyongyang; the Korean Central News Agency released related photos the next day.
Liang Wenjie, Deputy Chairperson and spokesperson of the Mainland Affairs Council, said at a press conference that in July there were reports of 10 Taiwanese missing in the mainland, including a group of four traveling together that is currently being detained for unknown reasons.
Beijing's Moonshot AI has released the Kimi K3 model, with a total scale of 2.8 trillion parameters, capable of processing 1 million tokens, and achieving leading results in tests such as the Arena.
Argentina staged a 2-1 comeback victory over England in the World Cup semi-final in Atlanta to reach the final, and Argentine fans subsequently celebrated in Buenos Aires.
A military conflict between Iran and the United States and the situation in the Strait of Hormuz have pushed global oil prices higher, with Trump saying oil is at about $79 a barrel.
The US Department of Homeland Security announced a final visa rule that replaces the existing duration-of-status system with fixed stay periods; F visas and J visas would generally be tied to the program end date, with a maximum of 4 years.
Trump announced that starting that evening, documents concerning cyberattacks on voting systems, foreign interference, and the security of election data would be made public.
Trump has asked the Justice Department, the CIA and other intelligence agencies to investigate and dismiss personnel accused of covering up information about Chinese interference in U.S. elections.
Trump claimed that the FBI possesses evidence related to Michigan voter registration and cheating rings, and called for investigations and prosecutions of those involved.
Trump urged American voters to demand that members of Congress pass the Save America Act, and to support verifying voters' photo IDs and citizenship at the polls.
At the Ministerial Conference on Political Terrorism held in Washington, U.S. Secretary of State Rubio urged officials from more than 60 countries to adjust their counterterrorism priorities and pay attention to the threat of far-left violence.
Since November 2025, the United States has designated multiple European far-left groups as foreign terrorist organizations or Specially Designated Global Terrorists, and has offered rewards for intelligence on their funding sources.
US Republican Representatives Pat Harrigan and Ryan Mackenzie have introduced the General Aviation Protection Act, which would expand foreign investment reviews and restrict Chinese-linked entities from acquiring US general aviation companies.
John Moolenaar and Rick Scott sent a letter to the chair of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, calling for a study of restrictions on companies linked to the Chinese military entering U.S. capital markets and a suspension of related securities trading.
U.S. President Donald Trump focused on election integrity in a national address, stating that China obtained more than 200 million U.S. voter registration files, and accusing the U.S. intelligence community of suppressing intelligence about China's multi-domain influence operations in 2020.
Kazakhstan's President Tokayev visited Shanghai and met with Xi Jinping at the Xijiao State Guest House. The two sides held talks, and Tokayev expressed his support for the wise leadership.
After the Jinjiang shoe factory fire, on July 16, a waste recycling station in Tangcuo Village, Chidian Town, dozens of kilometers away, caught fire. Workers tried to extinguish the fire but the fire hydrant water pressure was insufficient, causing them to miss the golden rescue window. Some fire trucks could not reach the site due to narrow roads.
After the fire at the Jinjiang shoe factory, multiple netizens brought equipment such as cranes and drones to participate in the rescue efforts. However, they were unable to provide assistance because the equipment had not gone through approval procedures or was not permitted to enter the scene.
The State Council appointed and removed Tan Quan from the position of Assistant Minister of the Ministry of Public Security. Two days later, Tan Quan appeared in Chongqing.
The self-media account "Financial City Beast" published an article claiming that Shen Haixiong had pursued Tong Liya and subsequently married and divorced her; these claims have not been verified.
U.S. State Department officials revealed that Secretary of State Marco Rubio will host a ministerial meeting on the resurgence of political terrorism in Washington on July 16, and has sent invitations to more than 60 countries.
The matchups for the 2026 World Cup final have been officially confirmed: Argentina will face Spain for the title, while England and France will battle for third place.
Chip stocks dragged down US equities, with the S&P 500 index falling 0.51%, the Nasdaq index falling 1.47%, and the semiconductor sector falling 4.3%.
A mountain debris flow struck Chongqing, toppling two buildings; a video says the relevant claims announced no casualties, but questioned this result.
Argentina defeated England 2-1 in the 2026 World Cup semifinal to advance to the final.
Spain defeated France 2-0 in the semifinal of the 2026 World Cup to advance to the final.
On July 16, 2026, the human rights organization "Safeguard Defenders" released the investigative report "Behind Iron Bars," which, based on a survey of 59 former detainees, accuses China's prison system of routinely carrying out severe torture and abuse against both Chinese and foreign prisoners.
On July 16, 2026, the Chinese government formally submitted an extradition request to Thailand, seeking the repatriation of former investigative journalist Bai Zhaodong, who fled abroad amid an investigation into corruption and is being detained in Bangkok. International human rights groups have urged Thailand to reject the extradition to prevent him from being subjected to torture.
On July 16, 2026, the Philippine government issued a statement strongly condemning an AI animation published by Chinese official media China Daily that depicted Filipinos as monkeys, accusing the video of being filled with racist and dehumanizing propaganda and demanding its removal.
On July 16, 2026, anti-trafficking volunteer Shangguan Zhengyi published a report revealing that two people with disabilities of unknown identity in Jingshan City, Jingmen, Hubei, had been held by a local rice mill and a scrap station for periods ranging from several years to 20 years, reduced to unpaid forced labor and subjected to abuse.
On July 17, 2026, the UK government announced the completion of the nationalization takeover of British Steel, the UK's second-largest steel producer, formally ending the controlling stake of Chinese private enterprise Jingye Group.
On July 16, 2026, China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed that it had detained a Czech businessman at the end of June on suspicion of endangering national security. Outside observers analyze the move as a tit-for-tat retaliation for the Czech Republic's earlier arrest of a Guangming Daily reporter suspected of espionage.
After police accepted the case of Lin being raped on June 30, the Yunlian County Public Security Bureau decided on July 16 not to file a case on the grounds that "no criminal facts had occurred."
During his inspection of Shanghai, Xi Jinping entered residents' homes, lifted the toilet seat, and delivered a speech on solving the “toilet problem.”
TSMC announced an additional $100 billion investment in capacity and equipment in Arizona, USA, bringing its total investment in the United States to $265 billion.
On July 15, 2026, netizens photographed the moat near the Yongdingmen Reception Division of the National Public Complaints and Proposals Administration in Beijing, where not only dense wire mesh had been installed, but sharp metal anti-climb spikes had also been affixed to the surrounding tree trunks, strictly guarding against petitioners climbing and lingering.
On July 16, 2026, a fire broke out suddenly at a scrap recycling station in Tangcuo Village, Chidian Town, Jinjiang, Quanzhou, Fujian. When workers at the scene tried to put out the fire, they encountered insufficient water pressure from the fire hydrants, which delayed the golden rescue window and allowed the blaze to spread.