News of the Day From Around the World, Aug. 1

1 American rapper: American rapper A$AP Rocky testified Thursday at his assault trial in Sweden that he did everything possible to avoid a confrontation with two men he said were persistently following his entourage in Stockholm, but one of those men picked a fight with one of his bodyguards. Rocky, whose real name is Rakim Mayers, is accused along with two other men believed to be members of his entourage of beating a 19-year-old man, Mustafa Jafari, on June 30. The rapper, 30, pleaded not guilty at the start of the trial Tuesday, saying he acted in self-defense. The trial has created a stir in U.S.-Swedish diplomatic relations after President Trump weighed in to support the Grammy-nominated recording artist.

2 Ebola outbreak: Olivier Nduhungirehe, Rwanda’s state minister for foreign affairs, says his country has closed its border with Congo because of the deadly Ebola outbreak. Last week Saudi Arabia stopped issuing visas to people from Congo while citing the outbreak, shortly before the annual hajj pilgrimage there this month. More than 1,800 people have died, nearly a third of them children. It is now the second-deadliest Ebola outbreak in history, and last month the World Health Organization declared it a rare global emergency.

3 Siberia fires: Hundreds of Russian towns and cities are shrouded in heavy smoke from wildfires in Siberia and the Far East on Thursday, and the blazes appear to be spreading in remote terrain. Avialesookhrana, Russia’s aerial forest protection service, said more than 11,850 square miles are on fire, with the vast majority in areas that are hard to reach and where potential damage is likely to be less than the cost of fighting them. Although the fires have not hit populated areas, heavy smoke from them is affecting about 800...