Qatar announced a major reshuffle of its cabinet Wednesday and merged several government departments, state media announced, as the energy-rich emirate deals with the financial fallout from lower oil prices.

Key positions such as the top jobs in the labor and foreign ministries changed in a move seen as consolidating the power of Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani, who was announcing his first major reshuffle since taking power in 2013.

President Vladimir Putin and the Emir of Qatar on Monday discussed the Syrian crisis, as global powers seek to push the warring sides towards the negotiating table.

"Russia plays a main role when it comes to stability in the world," Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani said at the start of the meeting at the Kremlin.

Gunmen kidnapped at least 26 Qatari hunters in southern Iraq, officials said on Wednesday, the second high-profile abduction of foreigners in the country in three months.

Turkey, which like Qatar is at odds with various Iraqi groups over regional issues, had 18 of its citizens abducted in Iraq in early September. They were eventually released unharmed.

Qatar was hit by heavy flooding on Wednesday causing gridlock on the desert country's roads as well as closures of schools and the U.S. embassy.

Overnight rain made many roads near impassable for commuters amid reports on social media that even Doha's Hamad International Airport was affected, due to leaks at the estimated $17 billion (16 billion euro) building, which opened last year.

Qatar's ruler, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, arrived Monday in Mexico City for talks with President Enrique Pena Nieto, a first by an emir since ties were established in 1975.

The emir will visit the National Palace on Tuesday for an official ceremony and a meeting with Pena Nieto to take stock of bilateral relations, the Mexican foreign ministry said in a statement.

Qatar's oil minister said on Sunday he saw signs of an oil price rise in 2016 because of a recovery in the global economy and growth in demand.

In a statement, Energy Minister Mohammed bin Saleh al-Sada -- who is also acting president of OPEC, the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries -- said the oil price has "bottomed out" and he sees signs of recovery next year.

Qatar has reportedly tasked al-Jamaa al-Islamiya with spending an Emiri grant to fund the education of the children of Sheikh Ahmed al-Asir's supporters.

Al-Akhbar newspaper said on Thursday that instructions have been given to al-Jamaa al-Islamiya to register the children of al-Asir's supporters, who are either detained or on the run, at al-Iman high school in the southern city of Sidon.

The 2022 World Cup in Qatar will start on Monday, Nov. 21, kicking off a 28-day tournament that will finish on Sunday, Dec. 18.

FIFA's executive committee confirmed the 2022 dates on Friday, six months after picking Dec. 18 — Qatar's national holiday — for the final.

Football World Cup 2022 host Qatar has agreed changes to its controversial "kafala" sponsorship system for foreign  workers, which critics have likened to modern-day slavery, state media reported on Wednesday. 

At its weekly meeting, the cabinet backed draft legislation and took "measures to issue a law regulating the entry, exit and residency of expatriates," the official QNA news agency reported. 

Qatar's Emir vowed during talks with Lebanese Forces chief Samir Geagea on Monday that Doha would exert all efforts to resolve the case of the captive servicemen.

The LF leader, his wife MP Sethrida Geagea and the accompanying delegation met with Emir Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al Thani in Doha in the presence of the Qatari Foreign Minister, Khalid al-Attiyah.