Marketa Vondrousova has taken the first set of the Wimbledon women’s final against Ons Jabeur by a 6-4 score

A fire that broke out in a Milan nursing home during the night has killed six residents

A spokesman for the White House National Security Council (NSC) has flatly rejected a report which claimed that China and Cuba have reached an agreement in principle to host a surveillance post. John Kirby appeared on MSNBC shortly after the publication of The Wall Street Journal’s report on Thursday; the report claimed that the cash-strapped Cuban government had accepted an offer by Beijing to set up a listening post on Cuban soil, within range of some US military installations. The article went on to claim that such a listening post could theoretically scoop up communications across much of the southeastern United States. “Officials familiar with the matter said that China has agreed to pay cash-strapped Cuba several billion dollars to allow it to build the eavesdropping station and that the two countries had reached an agreement in principle,” read the report. It continued: “An eavesdropping facility in Cuba, roughly 100 miles from Florida, would allow Chinese intelligence services to scoop up electronic communications throughout the southeastern U.S., where many military bases are located, and monitor U.S. ship traffic.” But Mr Kirby said that the Journal’s assertions were inaccurate when confronted by NBC’s Andrea Mitchell. "China and Cuba have now reached a secret agreement, we’re told, for China to establish an electronic facility which would allow Chinese intelligence agents to scoop up electronic communications throughout the southeastern US,” Mitchell began to Mr Kirby. “I’ve seen that press report, it’s not accurate,” Mr Kirby contended. “What I can tell you is that we have been concerned since day one of this administration about China’s influence activities around the world, certainly in this hemisphere and in this region, we’re watching this very, very closely.” Mitchell tried again: “You’re saying it’s not accurate that they’re planning this?” “I’m saying we’ve seen the report, it’s not accurate,” said Mr Kirby in response. It was a much stronger statement than he himself had made to the Journal initially. The paper quotes him as saying in response to their request for comment, “While I cannot speak to this specific report, we are well aware of – and have spoken many times to – the People’s Republic of China’s efforts to invest in infrastructure around the world that may have military purposes, including in this hemisphere.” “We monitor it closely, take steps to counter it, and remain confident that we are able to meet all our security commitments at home, in the region, and around the world,” he added in that statement. At a news briefing on Thursday, a spokesman for the Pentagon echoed Mr Kirby’s denial. “I’ve seen that reporting, I can tell you, based on the information that we have, that that is not accurate,” said Air Force Brig Gen Pat Ryder. The report’s publication comes at a time of tension between Washington and Beijing, with both sides accusing the other of purposefully inflammatory actions. Some of those actions have included trips to Taiwan by senior US officials, which have enraged the Chinese government as they mark the US’s continued defiance of China’s claims of sovereignty over the island. It also comes as many in the US, particularly on the left, argue that the time has come for an end to the US embargo of Cuba, the socialist nation shunned by the US since the Cold War, when it was firmly allied with the Soviet Union. The decades-long trade prohibition has left Cuba’s economy in a delicate state, and many argue serves no purpose in the modern era. Read More Biden and Sunak to focus on Ukraine and economic security in British PM's first White House visit AP-NORC poll finds both Democrats, Republicans skeptical of US spying practices Alabama senator says Space Command prefers Huntsville for HQ, but command has no comment Rishi Sunak and Joe Biden stress ‘unwavering support’ for Ukraine Sunak announces ‘Atlantic Declaration’ to boost UK-US ties after Biden talks AP-NORC poll finds both Democrats, Republicans skeptical of US spying practices

By Rami Amichay TEL AVIV Amid a sea of hundreds, perhaps thousands of Israeli flags at an anti-government

Texas is ready for the Southeastern Conference

Hydropower projects in India’s Himalayan states are gradually coming back online as waters recede, although the flooding has

Sir Alex Ferguson's wife Lady Cathy has passed away aged 84, the family have announced. The Glaswegian mother-of-three – who was described by her husband as his ‘bedrock’ – died yesterday morning in Cheshire surrounded by family. Lady Cathy was credited with having helped nurse him back to health after he suffered a stroke following his retirement from the club in 2013. A statement on behalf of the Ferguson family said: “We are deeply saddened to confirm the passing yesterday of Lady Cathy Ferguson, survived by her husband, three sons, two sisters, 12 grandchildren and one great-grandchild. The family asks for privacy at this time.” The pair were married for nearly 60 years before her death, having met while they were both working at a typewriter factory in Glasgow. When Ferguson announced his retirement as manager of Manchester United in 2013 following a remarkable and enduring period of success, he said: “My wife Cathy has been the key figure throughout my career, providing a bedrock of both stability and encouragement. Words are not enough to express what this has meant to me.” A Manchester United club statement said: “Everyone at Manchester United sends our heartfelt condolences to Sir Alex Ferguson and his family. Lady Cathy was a beloved wife, mother, sister, grandmother and great-grandmother, and a tower of strength for Sir Alex throughout his career.” In the documentary titled ‘Sir Alex Ferguson: Never Give In’ , released in 2021, Sir Alex dedicated his career to Lady Cathy. He discussed meeting his future wife in the factory where they worked. “I was 22. I had this friend, she said to me, ‘there’s a really nice girl, just started’. I’d suffered an injury in football and had a plaster on my face. She thought I was a gangster or a boxer. I took her to the movies.” Lady Cathy revealed in the documentary, which was directed by their son Jason, that Sir Alex had taken her to the cinema on their first date. “He bought me a box of liquorice allsorts at the movies, of which he ate all of them, and a local paper when we came out. That was my romantic day,” she said. “We got married in Glasgow registry office in 1966 and that was the start. I went to my work and he went to his football.” Jason Ferguson said in the film that his mother had been his father’s “rock”, adding: “She has allowed him to indulge in his obsession. She more or less brought me and my brothers up on her own and made sacrifices to allow him to do what he did.” Flags at Old Trafford have been lowered to half-mast as a mark of respect, while the men’s and women’s teams will wear black armbands in their fixtures this weekend. Manchester City issued a reply to United’s social media post concerning Lady Cathy’s death which read: “Everyone at Manchester City sends their condolences to Sir Alex Ferguson and his family at this very difficult time.” Read More Auckland shooting takes place just 5km from venue of World Cup match Danish journalist ‘detained in Qatar for filming attack on Iranians by mob’ Rafael Nadal and wife welcome first child Auckland shooting takes place just 5km from venue of World Cup match Danish journalist ‘detained in Qatar for filming attack on Iranians by mob’ Rafael Nadal and wife welcome first child

Residents in the Southwest are bracing for heavy rains and potentially catastrophic flooding as Hurricane Hilary is expected to pummel the region as a rare tropical storm beginning Sunday and lasting into next week.

MEXICO CITY Ovidio Guzman, a son of incarcerated Mexican drug lord Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman, has been extradited

Rickie Fowler and Wyndham Clark share the lead after three rounds of the U.S. Open

China will hold its third Belt and Road Forum on Oct. 17 and 18, according to state media,

By Lewis Jackson SYDNEY Australian police are considering applying special stop-and-search powers for the first time in almost