July 2, Friday, 2021 (1:30 p.m.) Newsline

1. U.S. President Joe Biden has met with families in Florida who lost relatives in a condo building that collapsed. The bodies of 18 people have been found. 145 others are still unaccounted for. The President met with the families in private. He said it’s bad enough to lose somebody. But he said it’s hard not to know whether they survived. 2. Hong Kong police say they have arrested 19 people as the former British colony celebrated the 24th anniversary of its return to China. The arrests came on Thursday, when the Hong Kong government held a celebration. Police say the 19 are suspected of desecrating China’s national flag and holding placards that incite secession.
3. France’s judicial authorities have launched an investigation into Uniqlo and three other multinational fashion companies concerning allegations of forced labor in China. The firms are suspected of concealing crimes against humanity in the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.