Netanyahu derides UK as 'Islamic Republic of Great Britain'

The spokesman for the Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, has defended his reference to the UK as an 'Islamic Republic'. In a podcast with Israeli Army Radio, Mr Netanyahu recalled meeting the grandson of Winston Churchill, describing him as a 'lover of Israel' and then adding that you won't find that kind of attitude in the UK now, which he said was known as 'The Islamic Republic of Britain'. The UK and Israel are long-standing allies, but relations have become notably more tense since the war in Gaza. Also: At least eight people have died and several more have been injured in eastern Japan after record rainfall caused widespread flooding; the United Nations adds its voice to flag concerns about the pressure extreme weather events like droughts are putting on food security; builders in Belgium working on a renovation project have found a chest filled with gold bars and gold coins, bricked in the wall of a cellar; in Australia, tech executives give evidence about the ban on social media for under-16s to a parliamentary inquiry; we hear from Save the Children about the latest on the humanitarian crisis in Sudan; Spain announces it's extending the life of the country's biggest nuclear plant; and in Britain, the Reform UK leader, Nigel Farage is re-elected as an MP in a by-election he triggered, defeating 33 other candidates - a parliamentary investigation into a nearly seven-million dollar gift he received from a crypto billionaire has now resumed.