The Stars and Stripes is flying over the US embassy in Cuba for the first time since 1961.

The US flag was raised to cheers and the playing of the US national anthem at the diplomatic mission next to the Florida Straits in Havana.

US secretary of state John Kerry called for a political opening-up in communist-run Cuba.

He said: "We remain convinced the people of Cuba would be best served by a genuine democracy, where people are free to choose their leaders, express their ideas (and) practise their faith."

However, Mr Kerry accepted that past US policies had not led to democracy.

He said: "Cuba's future is for Cubans to shape."

Sign up to our free newsletters

Get the best updates straight to your inbox:
Please select at least one mailing list.

You can unsubscribe at any time by clicking the link in the footer of our emails. We use Mailchimp as our marketing platform. By subscribing, you acknowledge that your information will be transferred to Mailchimp for processing.