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Saudi Arabia releases US national Almadi from prison: Family

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Saudi Arabia releases US national Almadi from prison: Family

Saad Ibrahim Almadi was jailed for 19 years for posts on Twitter criticising the federal government after touchdown in Riyadh in November 2021.

Saudi authorities have launched a US citizen jailed for posting criticism of the federal government on Twitter, however he stays banned from travelling, his son mentioned, as the dominion strikes to enhance ties with the US.

Saad Ibrahim Almadi, 72, was jailed for 16 years by a felony court docket in 2022 earlier than an appeals court docket elevated his sentence to 19 years final month.

His son, Ibrahim, has now mentioned that his father was at his residence within the Saudi capital, Riyadh, together with his household.

“All prices have been dropped however we’ve got to struggle the journey ban now,” Ibrahim mentioned.

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Neither Saudi nor US officers instantly confirmed the discharge of Almadi.

Almadi, a twin US-Saudi nationwide who had been dwelling in retirement in Florida, was arrested after touchdown in Riyadh in November 2021 on a number of prices, together with funding “terrorism” and dealing to destabilise the dominion.

His case, together with these of different US residents who stay underneath a journey ban in Saudi Arabia, had added to an already strained relationship between the 2 conventional allies.

Thorny points

US President Joe Biden mentioned he had raised the instances throughout conferences with King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman when he visited Saudi Arabia in July.

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In October, Biden promised there could be penalties for Riyadh after the OPEC+ oil alliance, led by Saudi Arabia and which incorporates Russia, determined to chop output targets.

Nevertheless, either side have been working to enhance ties not too long ago.

The dominion, the world’s largest oil exporter, has been pouring a whole lot of billions of {dollars} right into a drive to remodel and open its financial system and scale back its dependence on crude.

The reforms have been accompanied by a raft of arrests of critics of Crown Prince Mohammed, in addition to of businessmen, non secular leaders and rights activists.

Final week, Saudi state tv confirmed prisoners who had been jailed for as much as 15 years after publishing vital posts on Twitter.

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Two Saudi ladies have been sentenced to 45 and 35 years final 12 months on prices that included “utilizing the web to tear the social material”.

Abdullah Alaoudh, Saudi director on the Freedom Initiative, mentioned Almadi’s launch confirmed that stress from the US had been efficient.

“There are far too many individuals in detention in Saudi Arabia who do not need the advantages of US citizenship to attract consideration to their instances,” he mentioned.

“Almadi’s launch reveals that strategic stress works, and US officers ought to proceed to press for launch of prisoners and lifting of journey bans,” he added.

This month, Democratic and Republican US senators launched a decision that would result in a reassessment of safety help for the dominion over its rights document.

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Italian state railways plans 1.3 bln euro investment in solar plant

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Italian state railways plans 1.3 bln euro investment in solar plant
Italian state railways Ferrovie dello Stato plans to invest 1.3 billion euros ($1.36 billion) in a photovoltaic plant with an initial 1 gigawatt (GW) capacity that would cover 19% of its energy needs by 2029, the CEO said in a newspaper interview.
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Christmas in Puerto Rico is a 45-day celebration with caroling, festive decorations, family feasts and more

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Christmas in Puerto Rico is a 45-day celebration with caroling, festive decorations, family feasts and more

Christmas, Navidad in Puerto Rico, extends far beyond Dec. 25. 

The island proudly proclaims itself as having the “longest holiday season in the world,” according to the website Discover Puerto Rico. 

On average, the holiday festivities in Puerto Rico last about 45 days, per the source, commencing right after Thanksgiving, and stretching all the way through mid-January. 

The Christmas season in Puerto Rico typically lasts around 45 days. (iStock)

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The holiday season in Puerto Rico is full of rich traditions beloved by families. 

One tradition those who visit Puerto Rico will immediately notice during the holiday season is decorations. 

In Puerto Rico, decorations are typically put up by Thanksgiving, and kept up until the season concludes in mid-January, with opportune picture moments at every corner. 

Parrandas, Christmas caroling, is a holiday staple. 

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Carolers choose houses of family and friends to visit, typically starting around 10 p.m., performing aguinaldos (traditional Christmas songs), with not only their voices, but often with instruments as well, according to Discover Puerto Rico. 

The group you begin caroling with is likely not the same group you end with. 

In Puerto Rico, when carolers visit a house, they’ll often stop inside for conversation, food and drink before moving to the next residence. 

Coquito

Coquito is a popular beverage enjoyed during the holiday season in Puerto Rico. Coconut, vanilla and rum are among the ingredients. (Mayra Beltran/Houston Chronicle via Getty Images)

Usually, the residences of the house visited will join the group for the next house, according to Discover Puerto Rico. 

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A night of serenading loved ones can last quite a while, often stretching into the early morning hours of the following day, according to the source. 

The biggest day of the holiday season in Puerto Rico actually isn’t Christmas, but instead, the night before. 

In Puerto Rico, Dec. 24 is Nochebuena. On that day, loved ones gather for the exchange of gifts, caroling and a large feast. 

Many families will also attend a midnight Mass on the day, known as Misa de Gallo. 

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After Christmas passes, the festivities go on in Puerto Rico. 

Another big event in the holiday lineup is Three Kings Day on Jan. 6, a holiday that “commemorates the visit that the Three Wise Men paid to Jesus after his birth,” according to Discover Puerto Rico. 

On the eve of the day, children fill up a shoebox with grass to be left for camels to munch on while the Three Kings leave behind gifts for them, according to PuertoRico.com. 

For a particularly festive Three Kings Day, Juana Díaz is the place to go, as it hosts the largest celebration in Puerto Rico for the holiday. In Juana Díaz, there is an annual festival and parade in honor of Three Kings Day that brings together over 25,000 people every year, according to Discover Puerto Rico. 

Woman Wrapping Christmas Gifts

Gifts are primarily exchanged between loved ones on Christmas Eve in Puerto Rico. (iStock)

 

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Then, eight days later is Octavitas, a post-holiday celebration where families get together and celebrate one last time for the season. 

The end of the holiday season is marked with the San Sebastián Street Festival.

This festival, spanning over multiple days, takes place in Old San Juan, and is filled with live music, dancing, shopping and parades. 

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Small plane crashes into Brazil town popular with tourists, killing 10

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Small plane crashes into Brazil town popular with tourists, killing 10

Twin-engine plane crashed in largely residential neighborhood of Gramado shortly after takeoff, authorities say.

A small plane has crashed into a tourist hotspot in southern Brazil, killing all 10 people on board and injuring more than a dozen people on the ground, officials have said.

The twin-engine Piper PA-42-1000 hit the chimney of a home and the second floor of a different house before crashing into a shop in a largely residential neighbourhood of Gramado shortly after takeoff from Canela, Brazil’s Civil Defense agency said on Sunday.

Rio Grande do Sul Governor Eduardo Leite told a news conference that the aircraft’s owner and pilot, Luiz Claudio Galeazzi, was killed along with nine members of his family.

Leite said that 17 people on the ground were injured, 12 of whom were still receiving treatment in hospital.

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Galeazzi’s company, Galeazzi & Associados, confirmed that its CEO and Galeazzi’s wife and three daughters had died in the crash.

“Luiz Galeazzi will be forever remembered for his dedication to his family and for his remarkable career as a leader of Galeazzi & Associados,” the company said in a post on LinkedIn.

“In this moment of immense pain, Galeazzi & Associados is deeply grateful for the expressions of solidarity and affection received from friends, colleagues and the community. We also sympathize with all those affected by the accident in the region.”

Gramado, located in the Serra Gaucha mountains, is a popular destination for vacationers, especially during the Christmas season.

The crash comes a little more than a year after Brazil suffered its worst air disaster in nearly two decades when a twin-engine plane crashed in the southeastern city of Vinhedo, killing all 62 people on board.

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