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The recently held Business Continuity and Resilience Conference (BCRC) 2025 concluded with key recommendations to strengthen organisational resilience in Qatar, under the theme ‘Business Continuity and Resilience – Smart Solutions and Artificial Intelligence’.Key recommendations of the conference included accelerating the integration of smart solutions and AI into continuity plans; emphasising adaptive, data-driven resilience powered by AI; using AI not only to forecast disruptions, such as cyber threats and supply-chain bottlenecks, but to automate crisis response; enhancing public–private collaboration to unify standards and share expertise; establishing specialised training programmes to improve team readiness; and building secure, resilient digital infrastructure to support sustainable transformation.Engineer Abdulatif Ali al-Yafei, BCRC chairman, sad: “This conference reflects Qatar’s steadfast commitment to fostering a dynamic business ecosystem, one that does not merely face challenges, but transforms them into drivers of innovation, growth, and competitive advantage.“This year’s theme, ‘Business Continuity and Resilience – Smart Solutions and Artificial Intelligence’, embodies our ambitious vision for the future and presents a pivotal opportunity for collective progress.”The event was attended by Hassan bin Sultan al-Ghanem, Assistant Undersecretary for Consumer Affairs at the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, along with CEOs from both the public and private sectors and senior representatives from various entities, underscoring the importance of strengthening institutional readiness to face challenges through the adoption of advanced technological solutions and artificial intelligence (AI).The conference also focused on the transformative role of AI and smart solutions in reshaping resilience strategies. These technologies have become essential tools for risk forecasting, crisis response, and accelerating disaster recovery, enabling Qatari organisations not only to withstand challenges but also to convert them into opportunities for growth and innovation.Al-Yafei said: “We stand at a defining moment in which AI, machine learning, and predictive analytics are revolutionising how institutions handle risks. These technologies empower organisations to move from reactive crisis management to proactive resilience, embracing change as a fundamental opportunity for advancement.”According to al-Yafei, the conference highlighted the critical role of risk management, business continuity, resilience, and crisis management in an era shaped by technological transformation.“We explored how AI and tools ranging from predictive analytics to automated crisis responses are redefining readiness. Modern resilience is no longer reactive: it is intelligent, cognitive, adaptive, and analytics-driven. The event demonstrated how these powerful technologies equip companies to anticipate disruptions, such as cyber threats or supply chain issues, and automate crisis response to ensure faster recovery and a robust, monitored infrastructure,” al-Yafei emphasised.He added: “Through this conference, the BCR Qatar network gathered industry leaders and experts in support of Qatar National Vision 2030. Our mission is to stimulate innovation, promote sustainable growth, and strengthen Qatar’s global position as a resilient, future-ready economy. Together, we explore how to transform challenges into opportunities for innovation, collaboration, and strategic advantage—turning resilience into a critical strategic asset that drives our success.”The conference was highlighted by the National Excellence Awards 2025, which recognised outstanding institutions and individuals contributing to resilience across Qatar. 

The Department of Meteorology forecast that inshore weather until 6:00 pm on Wednesday will be relatively hot to hot daytime with slight dust in places and mild by night. The report warned of expected strong winds during daytime. Offshore, conditions will be fine, with warnings of strong winds and high seas. Inshore winds will be northwesterly at 10 to 20 KT, gusting to 28 KT during the day. Offshore, winds will be northwesterly at 8 to 18 KT, gusting to 23 KT at times. Sea state inshore will range between 2 and 4 ft, rising to 5 ft at times, while offshore will be 3 to 5 ft, rising to 7 ft at times. Visibility inshore will range from 4 to 9 km, while offshore will be between 5–10 km.

The Department of Meteorology forecast that inshore weather until 6:00 pm on Tuesday will be relatively hot to hot daytime, with slight dust in places, and mild by night. The report warned of expected strong winds daytime. Offshore, conditions will be slightly dusty at times, with warnings of strong winds and high seas. Inshore winds will be northwesterly at 10 to 20 KT, gusting to 29 KT during the day, before decreasing to 5 to 15 KT by night. Offshore, winds will be northwesterly at 5 to 20 KT, gusting to 29 KT. Visibility inshore and offshore will range from 4 to 9 km. Sea state inshore will range between 4 and 5 feet, while offshore it will be between 4 and 6 feet, rising to 9 feet at times.

The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) lifted its 2025 growth forecast for the first time in more than a year but warned that the effects of tariffs and war will weigh on growth in 2026. The report, which covers economies in emerging Europe, Central Asia, the Middle East and Africa, raised the 2025 growth outlook slightly to 3.1%, but noted a growing divergence as emerging European countries' growth lagged expansion elsewhere.The 2025 estimate excludes the development bank's newest members — Iraq and six Sub-Saharan African countries, including Nigeria, Kenya and Ghana — but they are included elsewhere in the report for the first time.Rising debt, resurgent inflation, prolonged wars and tariffs were menacing all EBRD economies, EBRD chief economist Beata Javorcik warned.While US imports from those countries had grown in the first half of the year, that was driven by the first quarter, before tariffs hit, she said.

The Department of Meteorology has forecast hot to very hot weather inshore until 6:00 pm on Tuesday, with slight dust in some areas and occasional clouds. Offshore, the weather will be hazy at times with some clouds. Inshore winds will be northwesterly at 6 to 16 KT, gusting to 26 KT, while offshore winds will be northwesterly to northeasterly at 5 to 15 KT, gusting to 20 KT. The sea state inshore will range from 1 to 3 feet, rising to 4 feet, while offshore it will be 2 to 4 feet, rising to 6 feet. Visibility is expected to range from 4 to 90 km inshore and from 4 to 10 km offshore.

The Department of Meteorology has forecast hazy to misty conditions at first, with hot and humid weather inshore during the day on Friday, while offshore conditions are expected to be hazy at times.Inshore winds will be variable at first, becoming mainly northwesterly to northeasterly at 5 to 15 KT, gusting to 20 KT in some areas during the day. Offshore, winds will be mainly northeasterly to northwesterly at 5 to 15 KT, gusting to 18 KT at times.Sea state inshore will range from 1 to 3 feet, rising to 4 feet at times. Offshore, it will range between 2 and 4 feet, rising to 5 feet at times.Visibility inshore is expected to range between 4 and 9 km, dropping to 3 km or less in some areas at first, while offshore visibility will be between 4 and 10 km.