![Cold war ghosts Why Russian warships are back in Havana](https://cdn.magzter.com/1588175106/1718420259/articles/l0iw7sUvd1718439208894/COLD-WAR-GHOSTS-WHY-RUSSIAN-WARSHIPS-ARE-BACK-IN-HAVANA.jpg)
"It looks like a dead whale," says Adolfo García, as he queues under the scouring sun. The Kazan is offlimits, but García is hoping for a tour of a second of the four Russian naval vessels that have just docked in the Cuban capital, the frigate Admiral Gorshkov.
The warships sent a cold war frisson when they arrived on Tuesday: a demonstration of Russia's ability to operate in the US's back yard just as the American president signs a 10-year security pact with Ukraine. "The Russians seem interested in sticking a finger in Joe Biden's eye," says William LeoGrande, a professor at American University, although comparisons to the 1962 Cuban missile crisis when the Soviet Union's attempt to place nuclear weapons in Cuba brought the world close to disaster - are "ludicrous", he adds.
The Cuban government says this is a friendly visit, that these ships carry no nuclear weapons, and "there is no threat to the region".
On an island growing increasingly cynical in the face of economic hardship, the queue to visit the Gorshkov seems a quaint distillation of the affection many Cubans feel for Russia, which goes back to the early days of the island's communist revolution. The Soviet Union was the Castros' staunchest supporter. Many Cubans, including García, were educated in the Soviet Union and many more speak Russian. "This visit is a symbol of the friendship of two nations," says José Rodríguez, an economist also waiting in the queue.
Denne historien er fra June 15, 2024-utgaven av The Guardian.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent ? Logg på
Denne historien er fra June 15, 2024-utgaven av The Guardian.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
![Workers' rights Reform plans 'backed by senior managers'](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/21665/1824520/0vlRUaos41725692434328/WORKERS-RIGHTS-REFORM-PLANS-BACKED-BY-SENIOR-MANAGERS.jpg)
Workers' rights Reform plans 'backed by senior managers'
Labour's plans to boost workers' rights have widespread support from senior managers, a survey suggests, as the TUC hits back at corporate lobbying against the proposals.
![Starmer: We will tackle people smuggling gangs in same way we dealt with rioters](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/21665/1824520/dvbbXeDUh1725692325015/STARMER-WE-WILL-TACKLE-PEOPLE-SMUGGLING-GANGS-IN-SAME-WAY-WE-DEALT-WITH-RIOTERS.jpg)
Starmer: We will tackle people smuggling gangs in same way we dealt with rioters
Keir Starmer has vowed to break up people-smuggling gangs in the same manner used to apprehend and jail hundreds of rioters this summer.
![Gustafsson quits as CEO of Darktrace after sale](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/21665/1824520/qgZ7nAFfJ1725692173415/GUSTAFSSON-QUITS-AS-CEO-OF-DARKTRACE-AFTER-SALE.jpg)
Gustafsson quits as CEO of Darktrace after sale
Poppy Gustafsson, the co-founder and chief executive of the British cybersecurity firm Darktrace, is to leave the company after its $5.3bn (£4.2bn) sale to the US private equity business Thoma Bravo.
![Owner of Ivy 'close to deal' to sell chain to private equity](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/21665/1824520/yp8djje191725692094604/OWNER-OF-IVY-CLOSE-TO-DEAL-TO-SELL-CHAIN-TO-PRIVATE-EQUITY.jpg)
Owner of Ivy 'close to deal' to sell chain to private equity
Richard Caring and fellow shareholders are reportedly close to selling the Ivy chain of restaurants for £1bn to a little-known private equity group.
!['Like a boiling pot' - How the maelstrom under Greenland's glaciers may help slow sea level rise](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/21665/1824520/25yrL_-bM1725691835113/LIKE-A-BOILING-POT-HOW-THE-MAELSTROM-UNDER-GREENLANDS-GLACIERS-MAY-HELP-SLOW-SEA-LEVEL-RISE.jpg)
'Like a boiling pot' - How the maelstrom under Greenland's glaciers may help slow sea level rise
There are stadium-sized blocks of ice crashing from the soaring face of the Kangerlussuup glacier in western Greenland, fierce underwater currents of meltwater shooting out from its base and visibility below the surface is virtually zero owing to a torrent of suspended mud and sand. It's little wonder scientists have never explored this maelstrom.
![The state of the race - Why North Carolina shows how tight the US election really is](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/21665/1824520/yYznqCSg11725691717366/THE-STATE-OF-THE-RACE-WHY-NORTH-CAROLINA-SHOWS-HOW-TIGHT-THE-US-ELECTION-REALLY-IS.jpg)
The state of the race - Why North Carolina shows how tight the US election really is
The narrow geographical focus of the US presidential election is becoming sharply apparent, with the first ballots to determine the next occupant of the White House starting to be mailed out to voters.
![Amsterdam's pot crackdown: pavement gardeners bemused over city's new rules](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/21665/1824520/p0DiuLcp91725691624927/AMSTERDAMS-POT-CRACKDOWN-PAVEMENT-GARDENERS-BEMUSED-OVER-CITYS-NEW-RULES.jpg)
Amsterdam's pot crackdown: pavement gardeners bemused over city's new rules
Residents have reacted with bemusement at plans by authorities in Amsterdam to crack down on what it sees as a plague of messy plant pots.
![US-Turkish woman, 26, shot dead at West Bank protest](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/21665/1824520/938ZCH23v1725691493543/USTURKISH-WOMAN-26-SHOT-DEAD-AT-WEST-BANK-PROTEST.jpg)
US-Turkish woman, 26, shot dead at West Bank protest
A US-Turkish dual national has been shot dead reportedly by Israeli troops while participating in a protest against settler expansion in the occupied West Bank.
![Poltava Military faces questions over toll in strike on 'elite' facility](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/21665/1824520/M4jSexN4K1725691265121/POLTAVA-MILITARY-FACES-QUESTIONS-OVER-TOLL-IN-STRIKE-ON-ELITE-FACILITY.jpg)
Poltava Military faces questions over toll in strike on 'elite' facility
Polina Melnyk and Ihor Tkachov were having breakfast on Tuesday when they heard the whistle of a missile fly low over their Poltava apartment block and, moments later, the sound of two explosions.
![Abandoned sports centre may become first national skate park](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/21665/1824520/rGWK-WQY11725691144296/ABANDONED-SPORTS-CENTRE-MAY-BECOME-FIRST-NATIONAL-SKATE-PARK.jpg)
Abandoned sports centre may become first national skate park
An abandoned sports centre that escaped demolition after being turned into a backup Covid morgue could get a new role as Britain's first national skateboarding park.