Rhenda Strub invited strangers to accompany her to Seattle Mariners games this season to help overcome the loneliness of grieving for her son’s death.

© Chona Kasinger for The New York Times

Kirill Nguyen, the founder of Gaga Daily, said he had been imprisoned in Belarus for participating in pro-democracy protests. He resurfaced this week after an absence of more than two years.

© The New York Times