Daily News Roundup

Wednesday October 31

US President Donald Trump, shrugging off objections from some that he was unwelcome, has offered condolences at the Pittsburgh synagogue where 11 Jewish worshipers were shot dead.

Mr Trump, who opponents say has stoked a toxic political climate conducive to acts of violence, paid a brief visit to the Tree of Life temple, the scene of Saturday’s attack, accompanied by first lady Melania Trump.

His visit came as thousands of mourners attended the first funerals for victims of the massacre, reports the ABC.

Mr Trump and the first lady were greeted by Rabbi Jeffrey Myers, who led them inside the temple. Visiting a memorial outside the temple around 20 minutes later, the first lady placed a flower and the president placed a small stone on a marker for each of the shooting victims.

Mr Trump also planned to visit hospitalised police officers and other people wounded in Saturday’s gun violence.

About 2,000 people, many of them members of Pittsburgh’s tight-knit Jewish community, held a protest march against Mr Trump as his visit began, chanting, “Words have meaning”, and carrying signs with such slogans as “We build bridges not walls”.

Also joining Mr Trump on his trip to Pennsylvania’s second-largest city were Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner, his daughter and son-in-law, who are Jewish, and serve as White House advisers.

Mr Trump’s visit came just seven days before elections that will determine whether his Republican Party will maintain its control in both houses of Congress or whether the Democrats will seize a majority in one chamber or both.

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Asylum-seeker families on Nauru are secretly being moved to Adelaide as the federal government bows to public pressure to remove children from immigration detention, say the ABC and news.com.

Up to seven families have reportedly been resettled from the island’s immigration detention centre in the past two weeks, according to refugee advocates.

But the federal government has refused to confirm if a Nauru Airlines flight into Adelaide on Monday was carrying asylum seekers, even though the airline only flies into Adelaide on contract by the Home Affairs Department, The Advertiser reports.

Defence Minister and senior SA MP Christopher Pyne said he was not aware of the specific details.

“I don’t know if that’s to Adelaide, I haven’t made those inquiries, I’ve only seen that story myself this morning, but if that’s the case I think most people would welcome that outcome,” he told 5AA radio on Wednesday.

However, he added that it was important people smugglers did not think they had a green light to resume their “hideous trade”.

“We are, of course, making sure that particularly children who are suffering from health issues are being removed from Nauru back to Australia to be looked after from a health perspective.”

Refugee advocates say there are now 40 asylum seeker children on Nauru, with 79 evacuated since the Kids off Nauru campaign was launched in August.

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The Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s journey across Australia and the Pacific comes to an end on Wednesday with a close encounter with some kiwis in Rotorua.

Prince Harry and Meghan will spend the last day of their 16-day regional tour in the central North Island town taking in the local culture and nature.

They’ll receive a traditional welcome to a marae – or Maori community hub – before heading to the National Kiwi Hatchery.

There they’ll get to name a pair of the rotund, flightless birds and meet conservationists protecting the species.

The royals will also take a public stroll through the town’s gardens, go walking through a redwood forest and meet with the local mountain biking community before departing the country.