The Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani, is expected to meet members of the royal family, with Qatari officials and diplomats saying a transfer of power to his son.
Syria's civil war has caused a split within Hamas over whether to cling to Shiite backers Damascus, Tehran and Hezbollah or side with Sunni allies such as Qatar, Egypt and Turkey.
UN talks seeking to slow the march of destructive global warming ran far into extra time Saturday as host Qatar sought to broker an end to the standoff between rich and poor nations on funding.
Global warming will have dire consequences for the Middle East and North Africa, with even hotter and drier conditions devastating everything from agriculture to tourism.
Japan may backpedal on its pledge to cut greenhouse gas emissions by a quarter, an official said Wednesday, dealing a further blow to already deadlocked global warming talks in Doha.
Countries entered a second week of UN climate talks in Doha on Monday deeply divided on key issues even as fresh warnings were issued that rising greenhouse gas levels are putting our planet in peril.
As the first phase of the Kyoto Protocol draws to a close, the world will dissect its record for successes to emulate in the fight against global warming -- and pitfalls to avoid.
Nearly 200 nations gather in Doha from Monday for a new round of climate talks as a rush of reports warn extreme weather events like superstorm Sandy may become commonplace if mitigation efforts fail.
The emir of Qatar has called for an Arab intervention in Syria and a no-fly zone to protect refugees as President Bashar al-Assad's forces stepped up the battle for Aleppo.