Beirut blast probe to resume as court rejects challenges

BEIRUT (AP) — Lebanon’s National News Agency says the country’s appeals court has rejected lawsuits filed against the lead investigator of the Beirut port explosion. The decision allows him to resume his work. Monday’s ruling came a week after three former Cabinet ministers, who are also defendants in the investigation, accused the judge of bias and filed lawsuits demanding he be dismissed. The challenge automatically suspended the probe until a decision was reached. The appeals court rejected the request to remove Judge Tarek Bitar, saying doing so is not its jurisdiction.