At press time, satellite data showed that there were more than 2,500 active fires burning in the Brazilian Amazon. Smoke from the fires caused dangerous smog levels in São Paulo, despite the city’s being more than 1,000 miles away. (“Active” is not a description of the size or longevity of a fire; it only means that, at the time of detection, it was burning and was distinct from other fires, so a small, short-lived fire would still have been counted.)

Up until Aug....

The US Department of State posts up-to-date travel advisories on every country and many territories, ranking each 1 (Exercise normal precautions), 2 (Exercise increased caution), 3 (Reconsider travel) or 4 (Do not travel). Note: A country’s regions are also ranked and may have different rankings than the country as a whole. Visit travel.state.gov and click on “Travel Advisories” at the top of the page.

More than 1,000 people were arrested during protests in Moscow on July 28. Protesters gathered in response to more than 30 opposition candidates having being left off of the ballot for a vote scheduled for Sept. 8. Some of those candidates were also arrested before the protest.

An approved protest against the ballot, held on July 21, attracted at least 20,000 people, resulting in dozens of arrests. Officials say that the July 28 protest was unapproved and contained about 3,500 people...