BBC News with Marion Marshall
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have left a London hospital to take home their newly born son for the first time. A smiling Prince William placed the child in a car seat for the short journey to Kensington Palace. The BBC’s royal correspondent Peter Hunt has more.
Just one day old and the prince had his first experience of the life he has been born into. The royal baby appeared unperturbed as he was carried in his parents’ arms as they posed for pictures. As the flash bulbs erupted, the future king stretched out his tiny fingers. Casually dressed, smiling and relaxed, his parents spoke to reporters, Prince William said his as yet unnamed son had a good pair of lungs, his mother’s looks and already more hair than his father.
Posters have been put up in German cities appealing for help in tracking down the last surviving Nazi war criminals and bringing them to justice. The poster campaign has been launched by the US-based Simon Wiesenthal Center. Their Israeli director Efraim Zuroff says that the passage of time in no way diminishes the crimes of the Nazis.
“These are the last people are not to deserve any sympathy because first of all, they had no sympathy for their victims. And second of all, in the cases I’ve got with personally I have never encountered a Nazi war criminal whoever expressed any regret or any remorse if anything just the opposite. Many of these people are proud till this day of what they did.”
Meanwhile a French politician is facing prosecution by the state for glorifying crimes against humanity after he allegedly said that Adolf Hitler had not killed enough Roma travelers. Gilles Bourdouleix who is a MP and mayor of the western town of Cholet insisted that a recording of his alleged remark was edited and he’s been set up. Up to half a million Roma were murdered by the Nazis during the Second World War.
Hundreds of thousands of Roman Catholics have been gathering on Rio de Janeiro’s Copacabana Beach for a Mass that will mark the beginning of an international youth event. More than 1.5million people are expected to take part. From Rio de Janeiro, Will Davis reports.
Despite the cold, wet and windy weather there is a party atmosphere on Copacabana Beach. There are pilgrims here from across the Catholic world. There’re probably more visitors from Argentina than elsewhere, Pope Francis’ home country. The Pope himself has been resting at his official residence today and is not expected to attend this huge rally. From tomorrow, Pope Francis embarks on an active schedule: visiting Catholic monuments, a favela and hospitals before a huge Woodstock-style open-air gathering on Sunday.
The government of Canada has issued an emergency directive toughening up rail safety following a deadly accident in Quebec earlier this month. Transport Canada said that any train carrying dangerous goods must have at least two operators and must not be left unattended on a main track.
World News from the BBC
The Iraqi government says gunmen who attacked two prisons on Sunday night received help from some of the prison guards. The statement on the website to the interior ministry said the attackers fired mortars at the Abu Ghraib and Taji prisons west and north of Bagdad as prisoners rioted inside. It’s said security forces are in pursuit of a number of prisoners who escaped from Abu Ghraib. The Iraqi prime minister has ordered an investigation.
The president of South Sudan Salva Kiir has suspended his entire cabinet in the largest reshuffle in the two-year history of his nation. The former information minister said that all ministers from the vice president downwards had been removed. It’s not clear which of any of the ministers will be reappointed.
The United States has called on Rwanda to end support for M23 rebels and withdraw military officials from the Democratic Republic of Congo. A State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said the US supported the findings of Human Rights Watch that M23 rebels in eastern Congo were to blame for multiple executions and rapes since March.
“We believe there is a credible body of evidence that supports the key findings of the Human Rights Watch report including support by senior Rwandan officials to the M23 and every Rwandan military personnel on the DRC. We call upon Rwanda to immediately end any support to the M23, withdraw military personnel from eastern DRC and follow through on its commitments under the framework.”
Earlier the Rwandan government said it demonstrably false allegation by a former M23 rebel who gave evidence to Human Rights Watch showed the organization had no credibility.
China has banned all national and local authorities from constructing any new government building for five years in a bid to stop officials providing themselves with lavish offices. To prevent bureaucrats from getting round the rules, the new directive also bans them from giving existing buildings a luxury makeover even with private money.