Tuesday's memorial service for Nelson Mandela generated some informal diplomacy and political controversy alongside praise for the late South African president.
In a moment caught by television cameras, U.S. President Barack Obama shook hands with Cuban President Raul Castro as he walked to the podium.
The handshake was notable because the United States and Cuba have not had diplomatic relations since 1961, at the height of the Cold War, and the U.S. maintains a trade embargo on Cuba. Relations have begun to thaw in recent years.
Obama is popular in South Africa, and thousands of people in the stadium cheered when his image appeared on the giant screen overlooking the field.
In contrast, South African President Jacob Zuma was booed each time his image was shown on the screen. Many South Africans have been angered by recent accusations that Zuma spent $200 million in taxpayer money to renovate his private home.
In all, more than 70 heads of state attended the ceremony, including British Prime Minister David Cameron, French President Francois Hollande, Afghan President Hamid Karzai, and Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe.
Some information for this report was provided by AFP.
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