Beirut's landmark Hamra Street is bustling again and hotel occupancy rates are on the rise as Lebanon's tourism industry rebounds, thanks in no small part to the misfortunes of its Middle East neighbors, engulfed by wars, chaos and political upheaval.

It was just four years ago when Lebanon seemed to be losing its grip on its internal security. The specter of war spilling over from neighboring Syria hung low over the capital and Lebanese proprietors looked longingly to the stability in Turkey and the Gulf region.

Iran's president has assailed a major dam project by Turkey involving the Euphrates and the Tigris River, demanding a halt in the construction.

Hassan Rouhani says the dams would be "dangerous" for the entire Middle East.

The Islamic State group has stepped up suicide attacks as it seeks to hold off Iraqi forces in the final stages of the battle for Mosul, a senior commander said Monday.

More than eight months after the operation to retake Mosul was launched, IS has gone from fully controlling the city to holding a limited area on its western side.

Qatar on Monday responded to a list of demands from Saudi Arabia and its allies after they agreed to give a defiant Doha another 48 hours to address their grievances.

The Lebanese army has dismissed allegations of abuse against hundreds of Syrian detainees in a security sweep at a refugee settlement near the eastern border town of Arsal, saying the mass detentions were necessary to combat terrorism.

The ruler of the United Arab Emirates has left the country on a private trip.

The state-run WAM news agency reported Saturday that Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan had traveled abroad. It provided no other details.

A spokesman for U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres says there's now a "clear understanding" about what's needed to reach an agreement reunifying ethnically divided Cyprus.

Spokesman Stephane Dujarric said Saturday that the recognition of the "essential elements" of a possible accord emerged from a meeting Guterres had with the rival sides during high-level peace talks in Switzerland.

Afghanistan's Interior Ministry says a Taliban shadow district chief was killed in fighting with security forces in eastern Wardak province.

According to a statement released Saturday, Mullah Bashir, the Taliban-appointed governor of the Nirkh district, was killed and two militants were wounded late Friday night.

As the U.S.-led coalition tightens the noose around the Islamic State group in Syria, President Bashar Assad's Iranian-backed troops are also seizing back territory from the militants with little protest from Washington, a sign of how American options are limited without a powerful ally on the ground.

Washington is loath to cooperate with Assad's internationally ostracized government. But it will be difficult to uproot IS militants and keep them out with only the Kurdish and Arab militias backed by the U.S. — and a coalition spokesman pointed out that Assad's gains ease the burden on those forces.

A man opened fire in a busy New York hospital on Friday afternoon, killing a female doctor and wounding six other people before turning his weapon on himself, according to officials.