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The National Planning Council (NPC) has concluded the "Data Summer Camp 2025" organised in collaboration with the Ministry of Sports and Youth (MSY), represented by the Qatar Scientific Club (QSC).The camp was held over five days at the Club’s headquarters in Doha.The camp welcomed 125 participants who had the opportunity to explore Qatar’s Open Data Portal, which hosts more than 1,100 datasets covering various economic, social, and service sectors.They also worked on developing innovative solutions, including interactive dashboards using Microsoft Power BI, smart applications, and predictive models based on artificial intelligence (AI) algorithms.These efforts strengthened their ability to link real-world challenges with modern digital tools and implement projects that contribute to the Qatar National Vision 2030.The programme featured specialised workshops, practical exercises, and applied projects inspired by the needs and development aspirations of Qatari society.This enriched the participants’ experience and enhanced their skills in deriving analytical insights and effectively utilising data.During the closing ceremony, the top three winning teams in both categories, high school and university students aged 15-22, were honoured.The ceremony included final presentations by the shortlisted teams, where participants presented their projects designed to provide practical solutions aligned with the pillars of the Qatar National Vision 2030.In the high school category, Team Mesaieed won first place for a project on using solar energy in households to reduce natural gas consumption and contribute to the transition toward renewable energy and sustainable development.Team Smaisma secured second place for a project proposing solutions to prevent water waste and showcasing datasets that could help raise awareness of this critical issue.Team Al Sadd came third with a project analysing the number of students with disabilities and the dedicated staff supporting them.In the university category, Team Tamkeen claimed first place for a project creating a platform for persons with disabilities aimed at reducing employment gaps compared to their peers.Team Al Khor came second for a project analysing national databases to identify the main sources of greenhouse gas emissions and electricity consumption, providing insights to integrate renewable energy sources and implement measures to reduce Qatar’s carbon footprint.Team Reginald won third place for a project analysing Qatar’s import and export activities using Harmoniszed System (HS) codes and linking them to a *CO₂ emissions database, enabling precise and targeted environmental analysis.The director of the NPC’s National Data Affairs Department, Maha Rashid al-Mattwi, emphasised the importance of this camp as part of a series of regular initiatives and activities organised by the Council to promote innovation, encourage youth to develop skills in statistical analysis and AI, and harness the power of data to support Qatar’s economy."The Data Summer Camp is an important step toward preparing a new generation capable of understanding the language of numbers, analysing data, and transforming information into tools for development and innovation,” she said."We believe Qatar’s future depends on nurturing young minds and equipping them with the tools of digital transformation so they can play an active role in nation-building and in realising its ambitious vision," al-Mattwi added.

Market EyeAhead of the US key inflation data in the US, the Qatar Stock Exchange listed, like other major Gulf bourses, saw severe selling pressure, leading to a 112-point plunge in its index and about QR7bn in capitalisation.The foreign institutions were seen increasingly net profit takers as the 20-stock Qatar Index shed 0.99% to 11,226.84 points, although it touched an intraday high of 11,367 points.The industrials, insurance and banking counters witnessed higher than average selling pressure in the main market, whose year-to-date gains truncated further to 6.2%.The Gulf institutions turned bearish in the main bourse, whose capitalisation eroded QR6.93bn or 1.02 to QR670.75bn, mainly on large and small cap segments.The domestic institutions’ substantially weakened net buying had its influence on the main market, which saw as many as 2,966 exchange traded funds (sponsored by AlRayan Bank and Doha Bank) valued at QR0.02mn trade across eight deals.However, the local retail investors were seen net buyers in the main bourse, whose trade turnover and volumes were on the increase.The Islamic index was seen declining slower than the other indices of the main market, which saw no trading of treasury bills.The Arab individual investors turned bullish in the main bourse, which saw no trading of sovereign bonds.The Total Return Index shed 0.99% and the All Share Index by 1.06% and the All Islamic Index by 0.59% in the main market.The industrials sector index tanked 1.61%, insurance (1.26%), banks and financial services (1.25%), transport (0.27%) and consumer goods and services (0.24%); while telecom gained 0.25% and real estate 0.12%.About 71% of the traded constituents were in the red with major losers in the main market being Meeza, Industries Qatar, QNB, Qatar Insurance, Qatar Electricity and Water, Qatar Islamic Bank, Doha Bank, AlRayan Bank, Gulf International Services, QLM, Nakilat and Gulf Warehousing.Nevertheless, Ezdan, Medicare Group, Milaha, Vodafone Qatar, Inma Holding and Mazaya Qatar were among the gainers in the main bourse.In the venture market, Techno Q saw its shares appreciate in value.The foreign institutions’ net profit booking increased drastically to QR50.95mn compared to QR31.06mn the previous day.The Gulf institutions turned net sellers to the tune of QR1.6mn against net buyers of QR8.3mn on August 27.The domestic institutions’ net buying decreased substantially to QR18.76mn compared to QR31.4mn on Wednesday.The foreign individual investors’ net buying eased marginally to QR1.18mn against QR1.86mn the previous day.However, the Qatar individuals were net buyers to the extent of QR29.75mn compared with net sellers of QR6.35mn on August 27.The Arab retail investors turned net buyers to the tune of QR2.7mn against net sellers of QR3.38mn on Wednesday.The Gulf individuals were net buyers to the extent of QR0.18mn compared with net sellers of QR0.59mn the previous day.The Arab institutions had no major net exposure against net profit takers to the tune of QR0.18mn on August 27.The main market saw a 2% jump in trade volumes to 143.38mn shares, 4% in value to QR359.1mn and 5% in deals to 18,014.In the venture market, a total of 1.63mn equities valued at QR4.55mn changed hands across 275 transactions.