The hell is going on with visas? (Beijing)

Hi there!
I'm asking for friends more than for myself, but anybody knows what exactly is going on with visas since July 1st?
I know of the whole change in guidelines, and as far as we heard from the PSB, L visa can only be extended once now and only for 15 days (which basically means a week, as you need to apply for the extension a week in advance...). I also hear of people who asked for an L visa for a month or more and got only 14 days!

Also, regarding F visas, they suddenly seem to want invitation letters not only from companies, but also from "the authorities", whatever that means.
And can F visas still be extended as before? For the same length of time?

Anybody knows what's going on?

Thank you!