Lead investigator into the Beirut port blast Judge Tarek Bitar has told The Associated Press that he will go on with the investigation, “even if it is going to cost me my life" and hopes that there will be an indictment ahead of the third anniversary of the blast this coming August.

“I have nothing against Judge Oueidat but there are some suspicions that came up. He should come and defend himself,” Bitar said. “I will continue with the case and I will not leave it unless they remove me completely."

A winter storm that brought severe weather to the Gulf Coast and wintry precipitation to the north was headed east Wednesday, a day after tornadoes caused widespread damage in the Houston area and injured three people in Louisiana.

On Tuesday, forecasters issued a rare tornado emergency for the Houston area as the storm system moved through the heavily populated area. Substantial damage was reported in cities east of Houston, but there were no reports of injuries.

Socialite and reality TV star Paris Hilton has welcomed her first child with her husband, venture capitalist Carter Reum.

Hilton took to Instagram on Tuesday and posted a photo that seems to show the 41-year-old new mom holding her baby boy's tiny hand.

A museum in northwest Spain returned two 15th-century paintings to Polish officials on Wednesday after it was determined that they had been looted by Nazi German forces during World War II.

The paintings "Mater Dolorosa" (Mother of Sorrows) and "Ecce Homo" were handed over to a delegation from Poland's culture ministry. According to Spain's Museum of Pontevedra, the works were originally believed to be by Dieric Bouts, a Flemish master born in the Dutch town of Haarlem, but now they are attributed to a member of his school or group.

Newcastle is close to reaching a first cup final since being bought by Saudi Arabia's sovereign wealth fund.

Joelinton scored a 73rd-minute winner as Newcastle beat Southampton 1-0 away in the first leg of the English League Cup semifinals on Tuesday.

Wall Street is weakening Wednesday on worries about corporate profits following a mixed set of earnings reports and forecasts from Microsoft and others.

The S&P 500 was 1.4% lower in early trading, on pace for a second step down after reaching its highest level in seven weeks on Monday. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was down 314 points, or 0.9%, at 33,423, as of 9:55 a.m. Eastern time, and the Nasdaq composite was 2.1% lower.

All detainees in the Beirut port blast case were released on Wednesday after State Prosecutor Ghassan Oueidat ordered their release in a move disputed by the lead investigator in the case Judge Tarek Bitar.

A picture circulated by media outlets showed Customs chief Badri Daher smiling in his home following his release. He had been detained on August 7, 2020, three days after the catastrophic blast which killed over 215 people, injured more than 6,500 and destroyed entire neighborhoods.

Defending champion AC Milan was beaten 4-0 at Lazio in Serie A on Tuesday to extend the Rossoneri's winless streak to five matches across all competitions.

Mattia Zaccagni set up one goal then scored the other as Lazio moved into third and the Champions League places.

Just days after Erik ten Hag questioned his Manchester United players' winning mentality, the Dutch manager has the chance to move a step closer to lifting his first trophy at the club.

United travels to Nottingham Forest on Wednesday for the first leg of the English League Cup semifinals, looking to end a run of nearly six years without silverware.

Real Sociedad will put its nine-game winning streak to the test at a place where it hasn't succeeded in more than three decades.

Sociedad faces Barcelona in the quarterfinals of the Copa del Rey on Wednesday at the Camp Nou Stadium. It hasn't won there since 1991. Sociedad has lost 26 straight away games against Barcelona — with one draw and 29 losses in the last 30 matches at the Catalan club.