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President Vladimir Putin has threatened to seize Western commercial ships in retaliation for European detentions of Russian tankers, which he called piracy and robbery.

Meanwhile, a Houthi missile strike killed six on a cargo ship in the Bab al-Mandeb, and Panama Canal transit fees hit a record high on drought and the Iran war.

Read more below ⤵️

Top 5 Stories

1️⃣ 🇾🇪🇸🇦 Six killed in a Houthi strike on a Bab al-Mandeb ship: Yemen's Transport Ministry said three Pakistani nationals and one Indonesian were killed when the Houthis fired three ballistic missiles at the Egyptian-owned Tihamah on Tuesday, and the coastguard said another missile struck as rescuers evacuated the dead and wounded, killing at least two troops. There was no official Houthi comment, though the group's news agency reported it had attacked a Saudi ship carrying military equipment in the strait.

2️⃣ 🇵🇦🌍 Panama Canal fees hit a record as drought meets the Iran war: Daily auctions for a slot through the commonly used locks have averaged about $1.1m this month, more than 16 times the average for the same period last year, with prices for the larger locks reaching $2.5m as Hormuz's closure pushes Asian buyers towards US Gulf Coast crude. Water levels in Gatun Lake are below the 1965 to 2022 average and projected to fall further, and 113 vessels were waiting to transit on 3 August against 40 on 2 January.

3️⃣ 🇵🇰🇮🇷 Pakistan says a Hormuz arrangement is close: Defence Minister Khawaja Asif said "the signals in the last two to three days are that we are close to some sort of an arrangement", according to Bloomberg, and a Qatari spokesman told Al Jazeera that Iran-Oman talks were at a "critical juncture". Iran's security council secretary said on Saturday the strait would not reopen until Washington lifts its blockade and sanctions, withdraws forces, pays reparations and releases frozen assets.

4️⃣ 🇸🇦🇪🇬 Riyadh blocked Egypt from the Mecca pact, sources say: A former senior adviser to the Saudi monarchy said Riyadh did not want Egypt in "at least for now", with sources citing frustration at Cairo's "minimal and unreliable" role in the Yemen war and its perceived subordination to the UAE. Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan has called Egypt a "natural partner", and Turkish sources said Ankara formally proposed it, but the Saudi sources called it "laughable" to suggest Cairo had refused.

5️⃣ 🇭🇺 A judge Orbán sacked is elected Hungary's president: Baka, 73, who served 17 years as Hungary's judge at the European Court of Human Rights, was elected 140 votes to 6 and told parliament "we cannot build the new Hungary on revenge". All 51 Fidesz MPs walked out in protest, having themselves removed him as Supreme Court president in 2011 after he tried to stop the party undermining the rule of law.

Major Story

🇷🇺🇪🇺 Putin threatens to seize Western ships in return

President Vladimir Putin threatened retaliation for Western seizures of Russian commercial vessels, calling them "nothing but piracy and robbery" and a breach of international maritime law.

"If this is done, we will be forced to respond in kind," he said while visiting a Russian warship taking part in a naval exercise in the Pacific.

He added that any response would not necessarily come in the waters where Russian ships were detained, and that Moscow could retaliate "in any area where we see it as necessary and appropriate", including the Pacific.

The Pacific Fleet chief, Admiral Viktor Liina, reported to Putin that the navy was ready to begin inspections of commercial ships serving "unfriendly nations".

France and the UK have detained tankers suspected of belonging to Russia's shadow fleet, the EU has sanctioned hundreds of such ships, and Russia has recently started deploying warships to escort its own commercial vessels.

Other News

1️⃣ 🇱🇻🇧🇾 Latvia launches a border operation over Belarus crossings: Prime Minister Andris Kulbergs launched an operation named Vilkatis, or Werewolf, sending more troops, drones and aircraft to the border, on the same day guards found 15 people who had crossed through a tunnel dug from Belarus. Latvia recorded 111 attempted crossings in a single day in mid-July, against two in Lithuania, whose border with Belarus is four times longer, and goes to the polls on 3 October.

2️⃣ 🇰🇵🇰🇷 North Korea fires a missile before US-South Korea drills: South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said the missile was fired from the Wonsan area at around 6am and flew more than 700km, in what Seoul assesses as Pyongyang's 11th suspected ballistic missile test this year. The Ulchi Freedom Shield exercises begin on 17 August and run for 11 days with 18,000 South Korean troops, and North Korea has denounced previous editions as a rehearsal for invasion.

3️⃣ 🇺🇸🇷🇺 Russia releases a former US Marine in poor health: Robert Gilman, arrested in 2022 for allegedly kicking a police officer aboard a train and later given 10 years, had been moved to a civilian hospital after entering a catatonic-like state, and President Trump said no prisoner swap took place. Senator Ed Markey said Gilman was diagnosed with a dissociative stupor about 50 days ago, and his advocacy group said five other Americans remain detained in Russia with medical issues.

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