Several hundred people have come out to protest in Brussels, Belgium's capital city, against government coronavirus restrictions, AFP reports.The protests broke out after the government required all citizens to wear face masks in public places.Some protesters were carrying placards reading: "It's my body it's my choice."

The defense establishment is considering firing rubber bullets at 'hilltop youths' throwing stones at police in the vicinity of Yitzhar.

A Katyusha rocket has fallen in the "Green Zone" of the Iraqi capital, Baghdad, Reuters reports.No casualties have been reported.The "Green Zone" houses government buildings and foreign missions, and is frequently targeted by terrorists. According to Reuters, this attack was at least the ninth in the last week seemingly aimed at US interests.

An aide to the Democratic party has confirmed that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is considering recalling lawmakers from their summer recess in order to debate delays in the US Postal Service that could threaten the integrity of the upcoming presidential election.Reuters reports In "increasing delays following cost-cutting measures imposed by President Trump's new Postmaster General."For his part, Trump told reporters asking him about the cuts that "I don't know what [the Postmaster General] is doing." Earlier, he had accused Democrats of being guilty of starving the Postal Service of funding, and suggested that the delays in postal service could mean that election results might Inly be known days or even weeks after voting.In response, Chuck Schumer, Senate Democratic leader, stated that: "The President, his cronies and Republicans in Congress continue to wage their all-out assault In the Postal Service and its role in ensuring the integrity of the 2020 election."

Israel's Economy Ministry gives its first estimate In the value of direct trade with and investments from the UAE.

US President Donald Trump has indicated that he may pardon Edward Snowden, a former US National Security Agency (NSA) contractor, who leaked a huge trove of secret information back in 2013, Reuters reports.Snowden fled the US following the leaks, made to various media outlets, and has been living in Russia for the past few years, where he was given asylum.US authorities continue to seek his extradition to face criminal charges for revealing domestic and international surveillance operations conducted by the NSA.Shortly after the leaks, Trump called Snowden "a spy who should be executed" - now he has changed his tune, saying that "there are a lot of people that think that he is not being treated fairly" by U.S. law enforcement and that "I"m going to start looking at it."Snowden"s Russian lawyer, Anatoly Kucherena, told the RIA news agency that a pardon, in his opinion, was not sufficient - rather, the US should drop all charges against Snowden, since "he was acting not Inly in the interest of the American citizens, but in the interest of all the humankind."

Despite international condemnation of its actions, Turkey today stated its intention to continue drilling operations in disputed waters off Cyprus until mid-September, Reuters reports.The Turkish Yavuz drilling ship will be accompanied by three other ships.EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell called In Turkey to halt the operations immediately, noting that, "This action runs counter and undermines efforts to resume dialogue and negotiations, and to pursue immediate de-escalation."However, President Tayyip Erdogan said yesterday that, "The language of sanctions and threats" will not deter his country from exercising what it sees as its national rights.

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has reported 54,686 new cases of coronavirus in the last 24 hours, The Guardian reports, for a total of 5,340,232 confirmed cases since the outbreak of the pandemic.1,150 people died in the same period of coronavirus-related complications, for a total death toll of 168,696 people.