California woman who admitted to stabbing wife had also killed husband

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Yolanda Olejniczak Marodi, who served a decade for killing her husband, pleaded guilty to murder of Rebecca Marodi, a fire captain who fought the Eaton blaze

A California woman this week admitted to killing her wife, a decorated fire captain who fought the deadly 2025 Los Angeles wildfires, by stabbing her – the same fate she previously delivered to her husband and had served a decade in prison for.

Yolanda Olejniczak Marodi, 54, pleaded guilty on Wednesday to second-degree murder after killing her wife, Rebecca “Becky” Marodi, 49, a California fire captain, at their home in February 2025, just a month after Becky, as she was known, battled the Eaton blaze that killed 19.

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Judge approves Trump effort to end South Sudan TPS protections

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Decision follows supreme court ruling that allowed US government to strip protections for Haitians and Syrians

Temporary protected status (TPS) for hundreds of South Sudanese nationals in the United States is set to end after a federal judge ruled that the Trump administration can move forward with stripping their protections.

On Friday, US district judge Patti Saris of the district of Massachusetts rejected an attempt by immigrant rights organizations including the New York-based African Communities Together to keep TPS for South Sudanese nationals living in the US.

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China & Taiwan Update, August 7, 2026 – Institute for the Study of War

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  1. China & Taiwan Update, August 7, 2026  Institute for the Study of War
  2. Japan outlines its military build-up plan, citing threats from China, Russia and North Korea  CNN
  3. CNA Explains: What’s driving Japan’s urgent defence push?  CNA
  4. Japan Plans to Transform Military Capabilities with Drones, Boost Domestic Defense Industry  USNI News
  5. China complains to Japan over defence white paper, foreign ministry says  Reuters
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Trump silent as severe water crisis hits tens of thousands of Americans – Newsweek

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  1. Trump silent as severe water crisis hits tens of thousands of Americans  Newsweek
  2. Drought and Aging Pipes Plunge Puerto Rico Into Another Water Crisis  The New York Times
  3. Hundreds of thousands of people in Puerto Rico wake up with no running water as rationing begins: "It's brutal"  CBS News
  4. Puerto Rican cities hit with water rationing measures during record drought  Al Jazeera
  5. Puerto Rico Rations Water Amid Severe Drought  WSJ
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Glasgow university to review its hiring of plagiarism row professor Jason Arday – BBC

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  1. Glasgow university to review its hiring of plagiarism row professor Jason Arday  BBC
  2. Icarus in the Faculty Lounge  The Atlantic
  3. Opinion | A Lot of the Attacks on Higher Ed Are Unfair. Not This One.  The New York Times
  4. Youngest Black professor at Cambridge resigns as university investigates allegations of plagiarism  CNN
  5. The Jason Arday affair has much to say about the current state of academia | Letters  The Guardian
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Millions in England face longer waits for mental health care as NHS providers plan cuts

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Exclusive: Seven in 10 survey respondents expect services to be reduced or shut, while more than half anticipate job losses

Millions of adults and children in England face being forced to wait longer for mental health care, with more than two-thirds of NHS providers planning to cut services and half expected to axe jobs, the Guardian can reveal.

With mental health services already under extraordinary pressure amid soaring demand for support, experts warned the proposed cuts – drawn up by trusts to plug holes in their finances – would also have “significant” consequences for the wider NHS, the economy and public services.

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US intel assesses Putin could launch attack aimed at testing NATO unity – CNN

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  1. US intel assesses Putin could launch attack aimed at testing NATO unity  CNN
  2. Opinion | Russia keeps testing NATO. The lack of response will embolden Putin.  The Washington Post
  3. U.S. intelligence agencies warn Putin could test NATO by authorizing provocative actions  CBS News
  4. Panicked Putin’s Desperate New Plot Revealed  The Daily Beast
  5. Exclusive | U.S. Intel Finds Putin Could Test NATO’s Resolve With Limited Incursion  WSJ
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Live updates: Teen gunman dead after killing teachers in Thailand’s worst school shooting in years – CNN

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  1. Live updates: Teen gunman dead after killing teachers in Thailand’s worst school shooting in years  CNN
  2. ‘I’m sorry’: Father of Thailand’s school shooter offers first words  SMH.com.au
  3. Thailand school shooting toll rises to nine after 12-year-old dies, police say  The Guardian
  4. Families retrieve bodies after a 14-year-old killed at least 8 in Thai school shooting  NBC News
  5. Accused Thai school shooter had watched violent content online, police say  Reuters
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Live updates: Teen gunman dead after killing teachers in Thailand’s worst school shooting in years – CNN

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  1. Live updates: Teen gunman dead after killing teachers in Thailand’s worst school shooting in years  CNN
  2. Boy Kills Grandparents and Then Five Teachers, Thai Authorities Say  The New York Times
  3. Thailand shooting: Seven killed as teen opens fire at home and school near Bangkok  BBC
  4. Teen kills classmates, teachers, and his grandparents in Thai gun rampage, police say  Yahoo
  5. 7 killed and more than 20 injured in Thailand school shooting  The Washington Post
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French officers halted small boats at sea 10 times since spring

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Disclosure challenges Conservative and Reform claims that police are refusing to intervene

The French authorities have halted small boats at sea in the Channel on 10 occasions since the spring, officials said on Friday.

Despite claims from the Conservatives and Reform that the French were refusing to intervene in small boat crossings, maritime prefect officers were using “intervention tactics” to board or control vessels at sea and take asylum seekers back to France.

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Businessman was ‘preparing champagne’ to celebrate Caruana Galizia murder, court hears

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Taxi driver says he acted as middleman between Yorgen Fenech and three men already convicted of €150,000 contract killing

The businessman accused of paying for hitmen to murder the journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia was impatient for the killing to take place, and once texted from his boat to say he was “preparing champagne” to celebrate, a jury in Malta has heard.

Yorgen Fenech, the 44-year-old heir to a property empire that includes several Hilton hotels, is on trial in Malta for complicity in the murder of Caruana Galizia. She died in a car bombing in October 2017 after publishing a series of revelations about senior politicians that were so damaging they triggered a snap general election.

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EU lays out $18B satellite constellation plan, with Spanish firm winning key role – Breaking Defense

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  1. EU lays out $18B satellite constellation plan, with Spanish firm winning key role  Breaking Defense
  2. IRIS² reinforced and accelerated as implementation advances  European Space Agency
  3. Europe increases size and cost of IRIS² constellation  SpaceNews
  4. IRIS2 Gets Green Light With More Money and More Satellites  European Spaceflight
  5. EU Accelerates Sovereign Satellite Plans Citing Defense Needs  Bloomberg.com
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Ukraine’s Zelenskyy arrives for first visit to Russia-friendly Serbia – AP News

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  1. Ukraine’s Zelenskyy arrives for first visit to Russia-friendly Serbia  AP News
  2. Zelenskyy visits Moscow-friendly Serbia as Russian attacks on Kyiv region kill 4  AP News
  3. Leaders of Serbia and Ukraine pledge closer economic ties  Reuters
  4. Zelenskyy Makes Debut Trip to Serbia as Russian Influence Wanes  Bloomberg.com
  5. Zelensky visits Serbia, ally of Russia  Le Monde.fr
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Cambridge academics reject university’s attempt to end row over Jason Arday

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Group calls for ‘thorough and transparent investigation’ of hiring of professor who resigned after his claims came under scrutiny

The University of Cambridge has announced a review into the way it vets and hires senior academic staff in an effort to fend off external and internal criticism of its appointment of Jason Arday as a professor.

But a group of Cambridge academics quickly rejected the university’s response, saying: “We strongly believe that a thorough and transparent investigation into the wider circumstances of this damaging episode is essential.”

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