Here are some of the stories we're covering from around the world:

Why the Johannesburg Apartment Building Was a Firetrap

It may take time to determine what started an apartment fire in Johannesburg early Thursday morning and why more than 70 people died. But witness accounts, imagery of the blaze and a visit to the site in May indicate that the five-story building had a litany of major safety issues that made it vulnerable to a deadly fire.

Rare Protests in Syria Summon Echoes of Arab Spring

Rare protests in Syria calling for the ouster of the authoritarian government have gathered momentum over the past two weeks, in scenes reminiscent of the Arab Spring uprising that began more than 12 years ago and morphed into a multisided war.

China’s Disinformation Fuels Anger Over Fukushima Water Release

By exaggerating the risks from Japan’s discharge of treated wastewater, Beijing hopes to cast Japan and its allies as conspirators in malfeasance, analysts say.

@nytimes