There are lots of things we think of when we think of the TriBeCa Film Festival but until now defecting wasn't one of them. But we aren't Cuban actors Analin de la Rua and Javier Nunez, cast members of Una Noche, which premiered at the festival last week. After going missing en route to the festival, the pair emerged in Miami on Friday to reveal that they are seeking political asylum in the States. The actors' journey to the States, at least, has not been nearly as harrowing as the one by raft they depict in the film. more ›

Time to flashback to 2007, when a history teacher at the Beacon School was in hot water for arranging a class trip to Cuba. See, there are travel restrictions to Cuba and the kids were detained by customs agents from their way back to New York. Now, showing how slowly bureaucracy moves, the Department of Education finally released its report on the incident and decided to ban teacher Nathan Turner from the school system. more ›

Four decades after helping hijack a Pan Am plane to Havana, Luis Pena Soltren, 67, pleaded guilty yesterday to conspiracy to commit air piracy, interfering with flight crew members and kidnapping. When he finally surrendered after more than 40 years in Cuba, he was the FBI's longest wanted fugitive. Soltren's co-conspirators, who were arrested in the mid-70s, were sentenced to between 12 and 15 years, but Soltren's looking at a much longer bid because federal sentencing guidelines were made stricter in 1987. He could get at least 21 years to life in prison, though his lawyer is imploring the court to consider the circumstances that drove his client to hijacking. more ›

The FBI's longest wanted fugitive was arrested at JFK yesterday, where he had arrived from Cuba after spending more than four decades outside the feds' grasp. Louis Armando Peña Soltren, 66, was arrested at the same airport where his crime originated: On November 24th, 1968 he left the airport with two accomplices on a Pan Am 707 bound for Puerto Rico. During the flight they forced their way into the plane's cabin and ordered the crew to fly to Havana, threatening them with guns and knives quaintly smuggled on board in a diaper bag. more ›

Sure, the State Department cleared the NY Philharmonic to go to Cuba next month, but the donors who helped fund that trip weren't allowed, so it's all off! The Philharmonic said, "We have been told by officials at the Treasury Department that the current regulations governing travel to Cuba does not provide for this particular category of people"—rich patrons of the arts—"Without (their) support, this trip is not financially possible." more ›

Footage of Fidel Castro was released yesterday, showing the former Cuban president visiting with Venezulan President Hugo Chavez and his young brother Raul Castro, who now rules Cuba. Per CBS News:

A thin but animated Castro, dressed in an open-neck track suit over pajamas, is seen in a spirited conversation with the other two men in an unidentified garden setting. There is no audio, but the government news anchor said the three were discussing the global food crisis and the U.S. elections, among other issues.

Cuban president Fidel Castro resigned his position after nearly 50 years of rule. The 81-year-old Castro has been battling illness since 2006, notably turning over power to his brother Raul and other ministers temporarily. Though he was still ruling after his 2006 surgery, Castro was little seen. Now it is expected that Castro's resignation positions Raul Castro, 76, in line for the presidency. more ›