Latest news with #Valdés
Chicago Tribune
10-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Chicago Tribune
Review: At Ravinia Festival, ‘Irakere 50' is a joyous musical reunion
The thing about the Martin Theatre is there's not quite enough room to dance. That didn't stop audiences from trying anyway on Wednesday, when Irakere, the storied Cuban band, visited Ravinia for its ongoing 50-year anniversary celebrations. It was a dance-worthy occasion, times three, with original Irakere members Chucho Valdés, Arturo Sandoval and Paquito d'Rivera — now all Latin jazz titans in their own rights — reunited onstage. But this was no mere nostalgic retrospective. An exciting two-hour set posited that Irakere was celebrating not just five decades but a boundless future, assured by up-and-coming Cuban talent. Halfway through the set, singer Emilio Frías, aka 'El Niño' — a star on the Cuban music scene as the bandleader of the orchestra 'El Niño y la Verdad' — joined the group to supercharge standards like 'Ilya' and 'Por romper el coco.' The band's rhythm section was sourced from Valdés's recent Royal Quartet with bassist José Armando Gola, drummer Horacio 'El negro' Hernández and percussionist Roberto Jr. Vizcaíno; Valdés' son Julian, who sometimes interprets his father's interviews with English media, joined Vizcaíno on batá. Bridging past and present, Carlos Averhoff Jr., the son of late Irakere saxophonist Carlos Averhoff Sr., held down tenor sax. Valdés, leading them from behind the keys, turns 84 later this year. But age hasn't dimmed his dexterity and power one iota, bursting forth early on with a crawly, chromatic starring role in 'Congadanza.' Later, a balladic intro to 'Estela va a estallar' sparked into an uptempo dance rhythm, into which alto saxophonist Luis Beltran promptly snuck a reference to 'Careless Whisper.' Often, Irakere's musical references were more than passing. D'Rivera blues-ified the second movement of Mozart's Clarinet Concerto (previously recorded as 'Adagio on a Mozart Theme'), played on soprano sax. D'Rivera's cheeky cadenza tested the audience's Mozart cred, inviting them to call-and-response along to 'Eine kleine Nachtmusik' and 'Rondo alla Turca.' For his turn, Sandoval kept the audience on its toes by not just playing but singing a husky, mellow rendition of 'When I Fall in Love,' accompanied by Valdés on piano. In the middle of the tune, he provided his own instrumental interlude on trumpet, playing his custom, rich-toned red trumpet. Most touching were the moments of partnership between not just the three veteran maestros but the band. Sandoval and d'Rivera huddled around a single microphone for a charming 'Blue Monk,' backed by Valdés, Gola and Hernández. But when they weren't up front and center — which was most of the show — the two eminences melted into the bands' horn section, swaying along with their compatriots. On more than one occasion, Sandoval's eyes popped appreciatively at the athletic chops of young trumpeter Thommy Lowry, who traded bars with Osvaldo Fleites in a mid-program medley. The only damper on this festive evening was the venue. Irakere's concert was meant to take place in the Pavilion, only to be moved to the more intimate Martin Theatre ahead of the performance. During Wednesday's show, however, that change proved unconvincing. The Martin, more often utilized for unamplified concerts, was at times overpoweringly loud, with an acoustic that tended to muddle speech and singing in particular. Then, of course, there's that dancing issue. With tight seats, narrow aisles, and a general expectation to remain seated, any possibility of getting on one's feet, except at the very end of the evening, went out the window. That is, unless you were a member of the band. Rather than do a traditional encore, Irakere briefly reprised their final number, seamlessly melding 'Lo que va a pasar' and, of course, 'Bacalao con pan,' the song that launched their career. One by one, musicians picked up the tune during their bows, keeping it going even as they boogied offstage. Long may Irakere dance.
Yahoo
11-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
What to know about Héctor Luis Valdés Cocho, Cuban activist who might be deported
In June 2025, a claim (archived) circulated online that the Cuban-born "Latinos for Trump" leader and activist Héctor Luis Valdés Cocho was arrested by U.S. Customs and Immigration Enforcement and was awaiting deportation. Womp inPoliticalHumor A Reddit post included an image that read: "'Latinos for Trump' leader Hector Luis Valdes Cocho, a Cuban activist who rallied others to vote for Trump, was picked up by ICE and is in a detention center waiting to be deported." The claim also appeared on Facebook (archived), X (archived), Threads (archived), Instagram (archived), Bluesky (archived) and TikTok (archived) dating to February (archived) 2025 (archived). Snopes readers messaged us about claims surrounding the arrest of Valdés starting in February. According to the ICE's Online Detainee Locator System, a Hector Luis Valdes-Cocho born in Cuba was in ICE custody at Otay Mesa Detention Center in California at the time of this writing. Snopes was unable to view the details of Valdés' immigration case without his alien registration number (also known as an A-Number), which is not generally publicly available information. Therefore, it was not possible to confirm whether Valdés was facing deportation at the time of this writing. ICE detains people for reasons including "to ensure their presence for immigration proceedings, to facilitate removals to their countries of citizenship, and to protect public safety." Furthermore, though popular online claims said Valdés was a leader in the Latinos for Trump campaign movement, we found no credible reports linking him to this particular group (archived, archived, archived, archived). Valdés' Facebook and Instagram accounts were inactive at the time of this writing, so they could not provide additional information about his political activities. We reached out to ICE for any information it could provide about the status of Valdés' immigration case and potential deportation. We also reached out to the former co-chairs of Latinos for Trump, Jeanette M. Nuñez and Margarita Paláu-Hernández, to ask if they could confirm or deny Valdés' involvement with the group. We await replies to our queries. ICE's locator system did not include a picture of the Hector Luis Valdes-Cocho the agency detained. CiberCuba, an online newspaper founded by Cuban expatriates, said that the person detained by ICE in California (and previously Florida) was the same person who featured in the claims in this article. When asked about the authenticity of a mug shot (archived) showing Valdés during an arrest in November 2024, a spokesperson for Orange County, Florida, jail told Snopes they were prohibited under federal law from disclosing or otherwise permitting to be made public "the name or other information relating to ICE inmates," further indicating that the Valdés arrested in November 2024 was the same person detained by ICE at the time of this writing. Valdés was a journalist and anti-government activist in Cuba before he was forced into exile in January 2022. It was unclear when and how he arrived in the U.S. In April 2024, Partido del Pueblo, a self-described right-wing political party founded to counter the Communist Party of Cuba, posted (archived) a picture on Instagram of Valdés holding a Trump 2024 banner and said it was taken in Michigan. It was also unclear at the time of this writing exactly how Valdés ended up in ICE detention. In November 2024, CiberCuba reported that Valdés was arrested by Orange County sheriff's deputies in Florida. The report referenced a mug shot of Valdés from a Facebook page that reposts mug shots from Orange County. CiberCuba's report said the arrest was for failure to appear in a traffic violation case. A spokesperson for the Orange County Sheriff's Office said it carried out the arrest on an out-of-county warrant. We contacted the Osceola County Sheriff's Office on the Orange County department's recommendation to ask what the warrant was for. At the time of his arrest, multiple Cuban journalists and activists accused Valdés of failing to repay loans, according to CiberCuba. It was unclear whether any of the accusations led to criminal charges or, in turn, to ICE detention. Then, in February 2025, CiberCuba reported that it found Valdés on ICE's online detainee locator detained in Florida. It was unclear when ICE moved Valdés to California, where the locator said he was detained at the time of this writing. News of Valdés' ICE detention came as the Trump administration paused and aimed to terminate a number of humanitarian parole programs, including one for nationals of Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua and Venezuela. In May 2025, the Supreme Court allowed the Trump administration to pause the program, and with it the short-term lawful status granted to citizens of the named countries under the program, making them deportable. It was unclear whether Valdés gained lawful status in the U.S. under the CHNV program and whether he was affected by the Trump administration's pause. The program grants short-term lawful status to successful applicants, usually around two years, which would have expired by 2025. "Amnesty International Names Prisoners of Conscience in Cuba." Amnesty International, 19 Aug. 2021, "CPJ Welcomes El Salvador's Acceptance of 2 Journalists Expelled from Cuba." Committee to Protect Journalists, 6 Jan. 2022, "Cuba." United States Department of State, Accessed 11 June 2025. "Cuban Héctor Luis Valdés Cocho Is in ICE Custody in Florida." CiberCuba, 1 Feb. 2025, Derby, Kevin. "Mike Pence, Jeanette Nuñez Launch Latinos for Trump." Florida Daily, 25 June 2019, Detain | ICE. 17 Aug. 2020, Echavarri, Fernanda. "Latinos for Trump Co-Chair Boasts of a Country That 'Has Opened Doors.'" Mother Jones, Accessed 11 June 2025. "El Partido Del Pueblo ." Facebook, "Héctor Luis Valdés Cocho" and "Latinos for Trump" - Google Search. Accessed 11 June 2025. "Héctor Luis Valdés Cocho" and "Latinos for Trump" - Search News. Accessed 11 June 2025. "Héctor Luis Valdés Cocho" and "Latinos for Trump" - Yahoo Search Results. Accessed 11 June 2025. "Héctor Luis Valdés Cocho" and "Latinos for Trump" at DuckDuckGo. Accessed 11 June 2025. "Héctor Luis Valdés Cocho Arrested in the U.S. amid Scandal over Scams." CiberCuba, 22 Nov. 2024, Litigation-Related Update: Supreme Court Stay of CHNV Preliminary Injunction | USCIS. 6 June 2025, Online Detainee Locator System. Accessed 11 June 2025. Orange County Mugshots. "VALDESCOCHO, HECTOR LUIS." Facebook, 20 Nov. 2025, @pdpcuba. "Nuestro Consejero de Seguridad Héctor Luis Valdés Cocho Desde Michigan." Instagram, 24 Apr. 2022, Schmidt, Samantha. "Cuba's Internet Comes Back on — and Reveals Scenes of a Crackdown." The Washington Post, 14 June 2021, "Securing Our Borders." The White House, 21 Jan. 2025, Totenberg, Nina. "Supreme Court Allows Trump Administration to End Humanitarian Status for Some Migrants." NPR, 30 May 2025. NPR,
Yahoo
28-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Rayados renew interest in Diego Valdés
This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇪🇸 here. Diego Valdés may have played his last match with América against Toluca, as, according to César Luis Merlo, the Chilean is not part of the club's plans. His participation in the Club World Cup will depend on the result against LAFC, since the Águilas must win to qualify for the tournament. According to ESPN Chile, Rayados de Monterrey are reportedly interested in signing the midfielder. With the arrival of Domènec Torrent to the bench, the Monterrey board sees Valdés as an ideal option to strengthen their squad for upcoming challenges. If his departure is finalized, the Monterrey team could represent a new beginning for Valdés, who would also have the opportunity to play in the Club World Cup with Rayados. So far, there are no confirmed negotiations or a response from the player regarding his immediate future. Rayados' interest in the Chilean dates back to the era of Fernando Ortiz, who considered him indispensable at América. Although at the time the Coapa club declared him non-transferable, fate could once again reunite Valdés with his former coach in Monterrey. 📸 JULIO CESAR AGUILAR - AFP or licensors
Yahoo
13-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Royal Caribbean adds a surprising new homeport
While Royal Caribbean's () name laves no doubt as to which part of the world most of its cruises sail to, the cruising giant also has itineraries that go around Alaska, the Mediterranean and Central and South America. Leaving from both Florida and California, popular itineraries through the latter pass through countries like Mexico and Panama on the way to more southern ports like Cartagena, the latter city has been a popular Royal Caribbean stop for years, the cruise ship company is preparing to start its first cruises from there in 2026. The new homeport is, alongside Panama's Colón, being brought back following an eight-year gap after Royal Caribbean canceled Rhapsody of the Seas itineraries departing from there. "We are excited to bring back the best vacation experience to the Latin American market with adventures to the Southern Caribbean departing from the region," Itzel Valdés, associate vice president for Latin America and the Caribbean for Royal Caribbean International, said in a two itineraries, which are set to start sailing between April 2026 and 2027, will take place on Royal Caribbean International's Jewel of the Seas. The 2,702-passenger vessel has been sailing since 2004 and is currently on a 10-night Caribbean tour that departed from Galveston. The cruises from both Cartagena and Colón will each take seven days and tour northward through the Southern Caribbean with stops in ports such as Aruba's Oranjestad, Bonaire's Kralendijk and Willemstad in Curaçao. While both the Colombian and Panamanian ports are very popular tourist destinations for their beaches and unique colourful architecture, the cruises are also tailored for the Latin rather than just U.S. market — in particular, South Americans who are looking for a nearer port from which to depart on a cruising voyage. "During this season and its itineraries from Colombia and Panama, the Jewel will celebrate the richness of Latin culture with flavors, music and activities that highlight our identity," Valdés said further. While the exact details of the stops and what will be available at the ports will be announced closet to the start date, the time slots are already available to book on Royal Caribbean's website. More on travel: American Airlines crash with U.S. Army copter leaves no survivorsAnother country just issued a new visa requirement for visitors At present, Royal Caribbean is also working to build a new cruise ship port in the small Italian village of Isola Sacra sitting on the country's Lazio region 20 miles from Rome. Royal Caribbean bought the land on the Tyrrhenian Sea with the goal of opening it up to more routes across the Mediterranean but has recently started seeing significant local pushback due to the disruption such a large project would cause to local residents. While the French city of Nice has more than a hundred times the population, it has still banned large cruise ships wit more than 900 passengers ahead of the upcoming summer season. Overcrowding and pollution from having many large cruise ships in the Nice port were primary considerations that swayed local lawmakers toward passing the ban; Royal Caribbean has repeatedly pushed back against it to no avail. (The Arena Group will earn a commission if you book a cruise.) , or email Amy Post at or call or text her at 386-383-2472.
