SOFIA (Reuters) -Police in Bulgaria have arrested the Russian owner of a ship that brought the explosive material that detonated at Beirut port in August 2020, killing more than 200 people, Bulgarian media reported on Tuesday.

Igor Grechushkin, a Russian businessman based in Cyprus, was detained for possible extradition to Lebanon, where he is wanted for his role in the blast, Bulgarian National Radio and other outlets reported.

A shipowner wanted over a 2020 blast at Beirut port that killed more than 220 people has been arrested in Bulgaria, officials said Tuesday.

The August 4, 2020 disaster was one of the world's largest non-nuclear explosions, ravaging swathes of the Lebanese capital and injuring more than 6,500 people.

Authorities have said the blast was triggered by a fire in a warehouse where tonnes of ammonium nitrate fertiliser had been stored haphazardly for years after arriving by ship, despite repeated warnings to senior officials.

STUTTGART, Germany (Reuters) -An Afghan man with suspected Islamist motives was sentenced to life in prison by a German court on Tuesday for a knife attack that killed a police officer and injured five others at an anti-Islam rally last year.

The verdict comes at a time of heated debate about immigration and security in Germany, and a strong surge in support for the country's far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party.

DUBAI (Reuters) -Israel has launched a 'significant' operation in Gaza, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Tuesday during a testimony in court.

(Reporting by Steven Scheer in Jerusalem and Tala Ramadan in Dubai.)

By Emma Farge

GENEVA (Reuters) -A United Nations Commission of Inquiry concluded on Tuesday that Israel has committed genocide in Gaza and that top Israeli officials including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had incited these acts.

It cites examples of the scale of the killings, aid blockages, forced displacement and the destruction of a fertility clinic to back up its genocide finding, adding its voice to rights groups and others that have reached the same conclusion.

United Nations investigators on Tuesday accused Israel of committing "genocide" in Gaza in a bid to "destroy the Palestinians", blaming Israel's prime minister and other top officials for incitement.

The UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry (COI), which does not speak on behalf of the world body and has faced harsh Israeli criticism, found that "genocide is occurring in Gaza and is continuing to occur", commission chief Navi Pillay told AFP.

"The responsibility lies with the State of Israel."

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio pledged strong support for Qatar's security on a lightning visit on Tuesday, as anger boils in the Gulf ally over last week's Israeli attack on Hamas negotiators.

On a hastily arranged stop in Doha after a visit to Israel, Rubio shook hands with Qatar's emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, in his office before entering closed door talks that lasted just under an hour.

He flew out straight after the meeting.

(Reuters) - The Israeli military launched a ground offensive on Monday to seize Gaza City, the enclave's largest urban centre, Axios reported, citing Israeli officials.

The Israeli military did not immediately respond to request for comment on the reported move, which comes after weeks of intensive Israeli strikes on the city.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered the military last month to capture Gaza City, which he describes as a stronghold of the militant group Hamas that launched the October 2023 surprise attack on Israel.

By Elizabeth Piper and Steve Holland

LONDON (Reuters) -Prime Minister Keir Starmer hopes the pomp of a royal welcome for U.S. President Donald Trump on a state visit to Britain this week will offer him protection from possible pitfalls on anything from free speech to scandal over Jeffrey Epstein.

Trump arrives in Britain late on Tuesday, to be greeted over the next two days by King Charles and then Starmer on a visit expected to be heavy on red carpet treatment and the promotion of investment deals to draw the two nations' economies closer.

TEL AVIV (Reuters) -Qatar and the United States are on the verge of finalising an enhanced defence cooperation agreement, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Tuesday while departing Tel Aviv for Doha.

Rubio is visiting the Middle East amid heightened tensions after Israel attacked Hamas political leaders in Qatar last week drawing widespread criticism.

(Reporting by Simon Lewis, Writing by Nayera Abdallah; Editing by Michael Georgy)