The largest dump in the world, the Fresh Kills landfill, used to sit on Staten Island, the least populated borough of New York City, from 1948 to 2001. Each day, rubbish from the other four boroughs was collected and ferried to the island’s western shore, through a marshy inlet—a bit like th...

At the end of January, Havana was struck by a frente frío, a cold front that blew off the ocean and plunged the island into unaccustomed wintry weather. As high winds sent waves crashing over the seaside promenade, the city’s inhabitants wrapped themselves in whatever warm clothing they had,...