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12/10/13

South Africa: Nelson Mandela memorial draws thousands to stadium to celebrate ‘moment of sadness with song and dance - By Jon Gambrell, Julie Pace and Alan Clendenning

Among the nearly 100 heads of state and government were some from countries like Cuba that don’t hold fully democratic elections. On the way to the podium, Obama shook hands with Cuban President Raul Castro, underscoring a recent warming of relations between Cuba and the U.S.

The handshake between the leaders of the two Cold War enemies came while Obama was greeting a line of world leaders and heads of state. Among those he greeted was Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff, who has clashed with Obama over alleged National Security Agency spying.

The U.S. and Cuba have recently taken small steps toward rapprochement, raising hopes the two nations could be on the verge of a breakthrough in relations. But skeptics caution that the two countries have shown signs of a thaw in the past, only to fall back into old recriminations.

Read more: Nelson Mandela memorial draws thousands to stadium to celebrate ‘moment of sadness with song and dance’ | National Post

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