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Riyadh Season Signs Strategic Partnership with MMA

The agreement is part of the Riyadh Season endeavor to host and sponsor prominent international public events and making Riyadh an important location for fighting games in the world - SPA
The agreement is part of the Riyadh Season endeavor to host and sponsor prominent international public events and making Riyadh an important location for fighting games in the world - SPA
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Riyadh Season Signs Strategic Partnership with MMA

The agreement is part of the Riyadh Season endeavor to host and sponsor prominent international public events and making Riyadh an important location for fighting games in the world - SPA
The agreement is part of the Riyadh Season endeavor to host and sponsor prominent international public events and making Riyadh an important location for fighting games in the world - SPA

Chairman of the Board of Directors of the General Entertainment Authority (GEA) Advisor Turki bin Abdulmohsen Al-alsheikh has announced the signing of a long-term strategic agreement between Riyadh Season and Mixed Martial Arts (MMA), whereby a new Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) will take place during the Riyadh Season 2024-2025.
As per the agreement, Power Slap competitions, another aspect of the UFC brand, will be launched at the event as well, and Riyadh Season will be a sponsor of the scheduled UFC fight, to be held at the Sphere in Las Vegas under the name Riyadh Season Fight, as well as organize yet another UFC fight during the 2024-2025 Riyadh Season, according to SPA.
Al-alsheikh stressed that this agreement is part of the Riyadh Season endeavor to host and sponsor prominent international public events and making Riyadh an important location for fighting games in the world, as well as to diversify the events taking place during the season, in order to gather the largest audience possible from all over the world.
Riyadh Season recently announced that UFC FIGHT NIGHT between champion Khamzat Chimaev and former champion Robert Whittaker will take place as part of the Integrated Martial Arts Championship, which will be held on June 22, 2024, at the Kingdom Arena.

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Indonesia Rescuers Evacuating Thousands after Volcano Erupts

A woman and child look on at volcanic ash rising into the air during the eruption of Mount Ibu, as seen from Duono Village in West Halmahera, North Maluku province, on January 15, 2025. (Photo by AZZAM / AFP)
A woman and child look on at volcanic ash rising into the air during the eruption of Mount Ibu, as seen from Duono Village in West Halmahera, North Maluku province, on January 15, 2025. (Photo by AZZAM / AFP)
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Indonesia Rescuers Evacuating Thousands after Volcano Erupts

A woman and child look on at volcanic ash rising into the air during the eruption of Mount Ibu, as seen from Duono Village in West Halmahera, North Maluku province, on January 15, 2025. (Photo by AZZAM / AFP)
A woman and child look on at volcanic ash rising into the air during the eruption of Mount Ibu, as seen from Duono Village in West Halmahera, North Maluku province, on January 15, 2025. (Photo by AZZAM / AFP)

Hundreds of islanders have been evacuated, with thousands more awaiting their turn following increased volcanic eruptions in eastern Indonesia, officials said on Thursday.

Mount Ibu, located on the remote island of Halmahera in North Maluku province, erupted on Wednesday, sending a column of smoke up to four kilometers (2.5 miles) into the sky.

The volcano's alert status was immediately raised to the highest level by Indonesia's Geological Agency, prompting local authorities to call for the evacuation of 3,000 people living nearby.

As of Thursday morning, 517 residents from the village closest to the volcano had been evacuated, with the remaining residents scheduled to be moved later in the afternoon.

"The evacuation shelters have been prepared by the local administration, and today a thorough evacuation will be conducted for all residents in six villages," said a spokesman of local disaster management agency, Irfan Idrus.

He added that evacuations began on Wednesday at 6:00 pm (1100 GMT) but were delayed due to administrative and logistical issues.

Rainfall since Thursday morning further hampered the process, he said.

According to an AFP reporter, residents were still carrying out their daily activities in their respective villages as trucks prepared for evacuation.

"Of course, there is some fear and concern, but we are already used to the eruptions here," 32-year-old resident Rista Tuyu said.

"In a week, eruptions could happen three to four times, but the biggest ones occurred this week," she said.

She added that she hoped the volcano would calm down soon so the village community could resume to their daily lives.

Mount Ibu has shown a significant increase in volcanic activity since last June, following a series of earthquakes.

In the first weeks of January alone, the volcano, which is one of Indonesia's most active, erupted nine times.

Residents living near Mount Ibu and tourists have been advised to avoid a five to six kilometer exclusion zone around the volcano's peak and to wear face masks in case of falling ash.

As of 2022, around 700,000 people were living on Halmahera island, according to official data.

Indonesia, a vast archipelago, experiences frequent seismic and volcanic activity as it lies along the Pacific Ring of Fire.

Last November, Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki, a 1,703-meter (5,587-foot) twin-peaked volcano on the tourist island of Flores erupted more than a dozen times in one week, killing nine people in its initial explosion.

Mount Ruang in North Sulawesi province erupted more than half a dozen times last year, forcing thousands from nearby islands to evacuate.