French investigators have opened a corruption inquiry into former Lebanese prime minister Najib Mikati, lawyers who made the formal complaint said Sunday.

Mikati, a 69-year-old billionaire telecoms tycoon, was prime minister until January this year.

The Collective of Victims of Fraudulent and Criminal Practices in Lebanon and the anti-corruption group Sherpa, which announced the inquiry, first made a complaint against Mikati in 2024.

The groups accused Mikati and his brother, Taha Mikati, of fraudulently building up their fortune.

Spain's political class clashed over chaotic pro-Palestinian protests in Madrid that brought the Vuelta to a premature end Sunday, with the opposition accusing the leftist government of permitting an "international embarrassment".

And comments from Socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez Sunday brought an angry response from Israel.

Demonstrators denouncing the participation of the Israel-Premier Tech team in one of cycling's major races overwhelmed police and invaded the course in the Spanish capital, forcing organisers to cut short the final stage.

MADRID (Reuters) -Spain's La Vuelta cycling race was halted in Madrid on Sunday afternoon as cyclists were entering the city after police clashed with pro-Palestinian protesters in the Spanish capital's centre.

(Reporting by Inti Landauro, editing by Charlie Devereux)

ANKARA (Reuters) -Tens of thousands of people protested in the capital Ankara on Sunday against a court case that could oust the head of the main opposition on Monday after a year-long legal crackdown on hundreds of its members.

Live footage showed crowds chanting for President Tayyip Erdogan's resignation while waving Turkish flags and party banners.

(Reuters) -Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said on Sunday he admired the pro-Palestinian protesters whose demonstrations along the route of the Vuelta a Espana cycling race led some riders to threaten to quit the competition last week.

With large demonstrations planned, more than 1,000 police officers were deployed on Sunday as cyclists reached the final stage of the 21-day race in the capital, Madrid.

By Jana Choukeir and Andrew Mills

DOHA (Reuters) -An Arab-Islamic leaders summit in Doha on Monday is expected to rally support for Qatar in the wake of last week's Israeli attack targeting the Palestinian militant group Hamas in the Gulf state.

The attack, which Hamas says killed five of its members but not its leadership, has prompted U.S.-allied Gulf Arab states to close ranks, adding to strains in ties between the United Arab Emirates and Israel, which normalised relations in 2020.

By Nidal al-Mughrabi and Simon Lewis

CAIRO/JERUSALEM (Reuters) -Israeli forces destroyed at least 30 residential buildings in Gaza City and forced thousands of people from their homes, Palestinian officials said, as U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio arrived on Sunday to discuss the future of the conflict.

Israel has said it plans to seize the city, where about a million Palestinians have been sheltering, as part of its declared aim of eliminating the militant group Hamas, and has intensified attacks on what it has called Hamas' last bastion.

Palestinian families streamed out of Gaza City on Sunday, some crammed into pick-up trucks, others on foot, as Israeli forces pressed their assault on the territory's main urban centre.

Parents carried their children while the elderly hobbled along, an AFP journalist reported.

A man in a wheelchair and another on crutches were among the long line of people heading south under Israeli military orders.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Sunday that a visit to Israel by top US diplomat Marco Rubio underscored the strength of ties between the allies, days after an unprecedented Israeli strike targeting Hamas leaders in Qatar drew broad criticism.

The attack on the US ally and key mediator in Gaza truce talks has prompted Arab and Muslim leaders to gather for a show of solidarity in Doha, where Qatar's prime minister urged the world to reject "double standards" and hold Israel to account.

The United States is "not happy" about Israeli strikes targeting Hamas in Qatar, but the attack will not change Washington's allied status with Israel, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Saturday as he departed for the region.

Tuesday's air strikes -- the first by Israel against US ally Qatar -- have rocked the region and put huge strain on diplomatic efforts to bring about a truce in war-ravaged Gaza.