While You Were Sleeping: 5 stories you might have missed, July 15

The US House of Representatives on Thursday approved legislation that would create a new hurdle for President Joe Biden's plan to sell F-16 fighter jets to Turkey.

The House approved the measure, offered by Democratic Representatives Frank Pallone and Chris Pappas, as an amendment to the annual National Defence Authorisation Act, by 244 to 179.

It is the latest effort by members of Congress to exert control over the sale of the Lockheed Martin aircraft to Nato ally Turkey.

The amendment would bar the United States to sell or transfer the jets to Turkey unless the administration certifies that doing so is essential to US national security and included a description of concrete steps taken to ensure they are not used for repeated unauthorised overflights of Greece.

Italy’s president rejected the resignation of Prime Minister Mario Draghi on Thursday after a day of political drama that threatened to bring down a national unity government that has been in office less than 18 months.

Draghi, the former European Central Bank (ECB) president, announced he was to resign on Thursday after the 5-Star Movement, a coalition party, failed to back him in a confidence vote over his plan to combat soaring prices.

“The national unity coalition that backed this government no longer exists,” said Draghi, who has been prime minister of a broad coalition since February 2021.

US President Joe Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid signed a joint pledge on Thursday to deny Iran nuclear arms, a show of unity by allies long divided over diplomacy with Teheran.

The undertaking, part of a "Jerusalem Declaration" crowning Biden's first visit to Israel as president, came a day after he told a local TV station that he was open to "last resort" use of force against Iran - an apparent move towards accommodating Israel's calls for a "credible military threat" by world powers.

"We will not allow Iran to acquire a nuclear weapon," Biden told a news conference following the signing of the declaration.

Ivana Trump, the first wife of former US President Donald Trump and the mother of his three oldest children, who helped her husband build some of his signature buildings including Trump Tower, has died at age 73, Donald Trump said on Thursday (July 14).

“I am very saddened to inform all of those that loved her, of which there are many, that Ivana Trump has passed away at her home in New York City,” Trump said in a post on the social medial platform Truth Social.

The couple married in 1977 and divorced in 1992. They had three children together: Donald Jr., Ivanka and Eric.

Tiger Woods made a dismal start to his British Open bid as he carded two early double-bogeys on the way to a six-over-par 78 that left him 14 shots behind the leader on Thursday.

The American 15-times major champion, who has won the Open twice at St Andrews, looked out of sorts from the moment he found the water on the par-four first hole and started with a six on his card.

Woods, who returned to competitive golf in April at the Masters 14 months after suffering serious injuries in a car crash, missed last month’s US Open to prepare for the British Open.