A Death Valley hiker gave an interview as temps soared to 121°F. Hours later, he died.

While the world’s attention is fixed on Tehran, a neighbouring Gulf state with a similar history of sponsoring terror is also facing a challenge to its ruling order. An exiled former insider says he is quietly building a government‑in‑waiting for tiny Qatar, envisioning a very different role for Doha at home and abroad. Sheikh Khalid Al-Hail, the president of the Qatari National Democratic Party, and self-proclaimed opposition leader, wants to lead his country, end the state’s terror-sponsoring, and provide goodwill overtures to Israel. “We will be a moderate country,” he said of his...