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Saudi Arabia Hosts LEAP Conference to Discuss Future Technologies

A general view of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. (SPA)
A general view of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. (SPA)
    Riyadh - Asharq Al-Awsat
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Saudi Arabia Hosts LEAP Conference to Discuss Future Technologies

A general view of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. (SPA)
A general view of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. (SPA)

Saudi Arabia will host LEAP, the global technology platform, to address future challenges such as healthcare technologies to improve the quality of life and increase life expectancy, empowering humans through robots and technologies.

The Ministry of Communications and Information Technology (MCIT) and the Federation for Cybersecurity, Programming, and Drones will organize the platform.

It will review the most prominent technologies in the education sector, creative economy, and showcase technologies that enhance the well-being of communities.

It will address future energy technologies that will enhance the region's leadership in the oil and gas sectors and the impact of technology on the development of energy sources.

The platform will be held on Feb. 1 to 3 in Riyadh, with the participation of more than 350 speakers from 80 countries and 700 innovators and start-ups from around the world.

Saudi Arabia will host the conference LEAP to address future challenges, as it consolidates its digital regional and global leadership.

Held under the theme "One Eye on the Stars," LEAP seeks to discuss the most prominent social and cultural challenges facing the world through modern technologies, which have the potential to reshape the way people live and find appropriate and innovative solutions for them.

The platform targets the attendance of 40,000 local and international visitors.

Vice Minister of Communications and Information Technology Haitham al-Ohali stressed that Saudi Arabia is undergoing an accelerating technological era, seeking to enable digital pillars to build a connected present and an innovative future.

Ohali indicated that Vision 2030 is a road map that points to the future under the leadership of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

Ohali said the expected results of LEAP will be significant and supportive of the Ministry's strategic directions that seek to make the Kingdom a global technology hub and a destination for major companies operating in the sector.

Meanwhile, Chairman of the Saudi Federation for Cybersecurity, Programming and Drones, Faisal al-Khamisi, said LEAP represents a global bridge towards the future, aiming to achieve leadership in technology development and innovation.

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Business

G7 Energy Ministers Confirm Readiness to Release Oil Stockpiles

Out of service signs are pictured on unleaded petrol and diesel fuel pumps at a petrol service station in Cambridge, eastern England on March 09, 2026. (Photo by Paul ELLIS / AFP)
Out of service signs are pictured on unleaded petrol and diesel fuel pumps at a petrol service station in Cambridge, eastern England on March 09, 2026. (Photo by Paul ELLIS / AFP)
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G7 Energy Ministers Confirm Readiness to Release Oil Stockpiles

Out of service signs are pictured on unleaded petrol and diesel fuel pumps at a petrol service station in Cambridge, eastern England on March 09, 2026. (Photo by Paul ELLIS / AFP)
Out of service signs are pictured on unleaded petrol and diesel fuel pumps at a petrol service station in Cambridge, eastern England on March 09, 2026. (Photo by Paul ELLIS / AFP)

Energy ministers from the Group of Seven nations confirmed readiness to ⁠take necessary steps to support ⁠global energy supplies, ⁠including possible joint release of strategic oil stockpiles, Japan's Industry Minister Ryosei Akazawa told a ⁠briefing on ⁠Tuesday.

The International Energy Agency (IEA) hosted a meeting of G7 energy ministers at its headquarters in Paris, chaired by Minister Roland Lescure of France, which holds the G7 presidency.

At the virtual meeting, the agency provided an update on its view of the situation in global oil and gas markets, which have been significantly affected by the conflict in the Middle East.

Lescure said the group is prepared to release emergency stockpiles if required.

“We are ready to take the necessary measures, including drawing on strategic reserves to stabilize the market,” Lescure said.

“We are not there yet,” he told reporters in Brussels, after hosting a meeting of G7 finance ministers.

“We are monitoring the markets, the impact on the macroeconomy but also on our citizens,” he said, adding that coordination among major economies remains central to the response.

“Everyone is willing to take measures to stabilize the market, including the US,” Lescure said.

“We have asked the IEA to elaborate scenarios for a potential oil stock release, we need to be ready to act at any moment,” he added.

For its part, the agency said in a statement, “We discussed all the available options, including making IEA emergency oil stocks available to the market. IEA Member countries currently hold over 1.2 billion barrels of public emergency oil stocks, with a further 600 million barrels of industry stocks held under government obligation.”

European governments are on edge about the prospect of a repeat of the energy crisis they faced in 2022 after Russia ⁠invaded Ukraine, when prices surged to record peaks, forcing some industries to shut down operations.

The EU imports more than 90% of its oil and around 80% of its gas, making European countries highly ⁠exposed to fluctuations in global oil and gas prices.

European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen is due to propose measures to tackle the politically sensitive issue at an EU summit next week.

Being “completely dependent on expensive and volatile imports” of fossil fuels puts Europe at a disadvantage to other regions, von der Leyen said in a speech.

“Developments in the Middle East remind us once again of the risks of relying still too much on fossil fuels,” von der Leyen said, adding that reducing Europe's nuclear energy sector was a “strategic mistake.”

On Tuesday, the EU called on member states to help consumers and businesses by lowering taxes on energy where possible, as war in the Middle East saw oil and gas prices surge.

“If you are at all able to lower taxes on energy, especially on electricity, there is a huge potential” to reduce consumer bills, EU's energy chief Dan Jorgensen said at Parliament in Strasbourg on Tuesday.

Jorgensen said cutting taxes could help ease the financial burden on households as rising energy costs continue to affect consumers across the union.

According to the European Commission Joint Research Center, around 48 million people in Europe, roughly one in ten, cannot afford to heat their homes adequately.

Business

CEO: Exxon Evacuated Non-essential Middle East Staff

An Exxon gas station sign in Dallas, Friday, March 6, 2026. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)
An Exxon gas station sign in Dallas, Friday, March 6, 2026. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)
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CEO: Exxon Evacuated Non-essential Middle East Staff

An Exxon gas station sign in Dallas, Friday, March 6, 2026. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)
An Exxon gas station sign in Dallas, Friday, March 6, 2026. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)

Exxon Mobil has evacuated non-essential employees from its operations in the Middle East, CEO Darren Woods said in an interview on Tuesday, as the US-Israel war on Iran continues.

Some operations have been scaled back to manage oil inventory levels as traffic through the Strait of Hormuz has been challenged, he said. ⁠Exxon is a ⁠minority partner in oil and gas projects in the UAE, Qatar and Saudi Arabia.

"Our first and highest priority is making sure our people remain safe, and we evacuated folks who weren't critical or essential to the operations that we were providing support for," Reuters quoted Woods as saying.

Traffic ⁠through the Strait of Hormuz, an important waterway between Iran and Oman that sees one-fifth of the world's oil supply pass through it, has effectively halted after Iran threatened to attack tankers that attempt to pass.

US President Donald Trump on Monday threatened to escalate the war with Iran if it blocked oil shipments from the Middle East, even as he predicted a quick end to the conflict.

With exports strained, oil producers have ⁠cut output ⁠at some oilfields as storage capacity runs out.

"The ability to manage ... inventory becomes very challenged, and many of the operations are pulling back simply to manage inventory levels as the logistics in the supply chain and the flow through the Strait get worked (through) with time," Woods said.

About 20% of Exxon's oil and gas production is in the Middle East, according to analysts from Jefferies. Nearly 60% of the US oil major's liquefied natural gas business is concentrated in the region, according to TD Cowen.

Business

EU Opposes Removing Oil Sanctions on Russia to Cool Energy Prices

Pumpjacks operated by Aera Energy work the wells at the Midway-Sunset field near Taft in Kern County, California, on March 8, 2026. (Photo by Frederic J. BROWN / AFP)
Pumpjacks operated by Aera Energy work the wells at the Midway-Sunset field near Taft in Kern County, California, on March 8, 2026. (Photo by Frederic J. BROWN / AFP)
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EU Opposes Removing Oil Sanctions on Russia to Cool Energy Prices

Pumpjacks operated by Aera Energy work the wells at the Midway-Sunset field near Taft in Kern County, California, on March 8, 2026. (Photo by Frederic J. BROWN / AFP)
Pumpjacks operated by Aera Energy work the wells at the Midway-Sunset field near Taft in Kern County, California, on March 8, 2026. (Photo by Frederic J. BROWN / AFP)

EU economy chief Valdis Dombrovskis said Tuesday the European Union did not support removing sanctions on Russian oil despite soaring energy prices, AFP reported.

"We must continue to exert maximum pressure on Russia," he said when asked about US President Donald Trump's announcement he will waive some sanctions on oil, warning easing restrictions would "reinforce Russia's capacity to wage war, undermining Ukraine".