Gentlefolk,
This post describes our main activities during the month of September 2025.
The contents of this post are in the following sequence:
Photos of our activities during September 2025.
News items which caught my eye in September 2025.
A brief summary by MSNBC of some key actions by President Trump during September 2025.
International business graphs (US and Canada).
Highlights of September 2025
A number of friends & family events:
- Jen & girlfriends in Portugal and Spain (Camino).
- Andrew & Caz & kids settling into life in London.
- Kurt's shoulder surgery.
- My back was giving me a lot of grief so I had an ultrasound which showed small tears in 2 glutes in the left buttock. Our GP, Dr Greenwood, suggested I try an anti-inflammatory, Meloxicam. It worked a treat - first time I've been almost pain-free in 4 years!!! But it can have side effects so she advised me to take it sparingly - so close, yet so far ...
Saying goodbye to Jen before her epic trip to Portugal and Spain with Jules and Tam.
Jen and Jules at Brisbane Airport. They met up with Tam in Singapore.
The "Three Amigos", Jules, Jen and Tam on their Camino adventure.
They spent time exploring Lisbon and Porto and other towns in Portugal.
Follow the Camino sign.
Part of the Camino trail in Spain. They averaged about 22 km a day.
Sometimes conditions were wet.
Celebrating at Santiago de Campostela.
Then they had a week in Spain (mainly around Malaga) before heading home.
Well done, girls!!!
Spring has sprung. September had many really lovely days, mid-to-high 20sC. Sea temperature is around 20C, still a bit cold for us oldies but many others are already swimming - see photo of Kings Beach.
I've strted using the pool at the Village again - a comfortable 27C!
Stockland put on a "Fiesta" for the residents, a light lunch and entertainment. Margaret, Una and Vera at the "Fiesta".
Andrew and Caroline moved to London in August to open a Reddie Office. They have found a nice townhouse to rent in Highbury / Islington.
Our grandson Eddie, 11, is enjoying his new school.
Our granddaughter Jay, 8, at her new school in London - the change from Sydney has been unsettling for her.
Our suitcase lost a wheel at the carousel at Jakarta Airport when we were in Indonesia last month. It's a really nice "Ricardo" case. We tried hard in Bandung and in Brisbane, but spare parts for this brand are scarce so it looks as if we will have to ditch it. Pity.
Lunch with my niece Laura in Mooloolaba. She enjoys living and working in Noosa, and is keen to stay in Australia if she can (not easy these days).
Will Costin enjoying his month in Italy. I met Will in Jakarta in 1972, and we have kept in touch. He is doing very well.
Lunch with Henny and Julius and their daughter Fina. They migrated from Indonesia to Australia in 2000. A lovely family. Fina is a lawyer in Brisbane.
Food, delicious food!
Our grandson Kurt needed surgery on both shoulders (rugby injuries). He had the right shoulder done in early August, and then the left shoulder in September (we went to Brisbane to help out while Jen was away).
He is an apprentice electrician, and will be off work for many months.
Kurt is young and fit, so rehab of his shoulders should be OK.
ABBA concert in the Clubhouse - even our neighbour Gary got up and danced!
Caught up with fellow residents Therese and Greg to hear about their recent tour of China.
End of Term 3 lunch for members of U3A Travel Chats group at the Power Boat Club, Golden Beach.
Watching the AFL grand final between Geelong Cats and Brisbane Lions. It was 36 all at half time, the Lions were 19 points ahead at three-quarter time, but then the Lions ran away with it in the 4th Quarter. The final score was 122 - 75. Most residents in our Village are Queenslanders, so delighted with the result.
The Brisbane Lions, AFL Aussie Rules Champions for the second year running.
......
News items which caught my eye in September 2025.
($ are US dollars unless otherwise shown)
Global
SCO: The Shanghai
Cooperation Organisation met in Tianjin, attended by China, Russia, India,
etc.
China: big military
parade in Beijing to commemorate 80th anniversary of Japan’s
surrender and the end of the Pacific War. Evergrande, once a huge real estate
developer, was removed from the HK Stock Exchange; it had debts of $45B.
Indonesia: President
Prabowo said that MPs allowances would be reviewed following widespread
anti-Govt demonstrations. Severe flooding in Bali, 15 dead. 1,500+ primary
school children got food poisoning from the free lunch program.
Gold: passed US$3,600
per ounce.
Afghanistan: a major
earthquake killed 1,500+.
Portugal: The Gloria
Funicular in Lisbon (built in 1885) derailed.
Georgio Armani, famous Italian designer, died aged 91.
Tennis: US Open in New York. Aryna Sabalenka beat Amanda Anisimova to win the Women’s Singles and
Carlos Alcaraz beat Yannik Sinner to win the Men’s Singles.
France: PM Francois
Bayrou resigned after losing a vote of no confidence; replaced by Sebastien
Lacornu. Former President Nicolas Sarkozy was found guilty of criminal
conspiracy and sentenced to 5 years in jail.
Nepal: large anti-Govt
demonstrations’ 30+ killed.
UK: State visit by
Trump and Melania. Ange Postecoglou took over as manager of Nottingham Forest.
About 32,000 illegal immigrants have come to the UK in small boats so far this
year. The PM announced that a new ”digital ID” will be introduced to combat illegal immigration.
Brazil: Former
President Jair Bolsonaro, was sentenced to 27 years for plotting a military
coup to overturn the last election.
PNG: Papua New
Guinea celebrated 50 years of independence. Australia wants an enhanced
Defence Treaty with PNG.
Spain: Pro-Palestine
demonstrations which disrupted the final stage of the Vuelta, were applauded
by the Spanish Prime Minister.
East Timor: Anti Govt-corruption
demonstrations in Dili.
Palestine: UK, Canada,
Australia, Portugal, France and Belgium joined the other 146 countries which already
recognized Palestine.
United Nations: 80th
General Assembly held in New York. President Trump addressed the UNGA. He called
it useless, and said climate change is a huge con job. With the US reducing
funding, many UN programs and Agencies are in trouble.
Typhoon Ragasa: Much damage and
many deaths in the Philippines, Taiwan and southern China.
Switzerland: Swiss voters narrowly (50.4%) voted for a voluntary electronic ID card.
Israel –
Hamas & Hezbollah & Iran
Israel strikes on
Yemen targeted the Houthi leaders.
Israel attacked
Qatar and killed Hamas negotiators.
IDF launched full
scale attack on Gaza City, many casualties.
The UN Human
rights Commission released a report stating that Israel has committed
genocide in Gaza.
Presidents Trump and Netanyahu unveiled a 20-point peace plan for Gaza. Will Hamas agree?
Russian
invasion of Ukraine
26 countries said
they would contribute to a peacekeeping force in Ukraine, if there is a
ceasefire with Russia.
Dozens of drones
were observed in Poland, most shot down. Russia said it was not responsible,
but NATO worried.
USA
Trump renamed the
Dept of Defence to the Dept of War.
District Judge
Charles Breyer ruled that Trump’s deployment of the National Guard to help
ICE in LA violated the Federal Act that forbids the use of federal troops to
enforce domestic laws. Nevertheless Trump deployed the National Guard to combat crime in
Washington DC, and Memphis, and lately to Portland; he has threatened to use the National Guard in Chicago.
The US Air Force destroyed three Venezuelan “narco-boats” in international waters, claiming
they were transporting drugs.
A Judge
overturned Trump’s blocking of $2B in research grants to Harvard.
Lachlan Murdoch
was confirmed as Rupert’s successor; his 3 siblings, James, Elizabeth and
Prudence, got $1B each.
Larry Ellison
(Oracle) $393B passed Elon Musk’s $385B to become the World’s richest person
(at least temporarily).
Right-wing
influencer and Trump fan, Charlie Kirk 31, was shot and killed on a Utah
campus. FBI arrested alleged killer Tyler Robinson, 22. Kirk was hailed as a martyr
at a memorial service.
NASA banned the
employment of Chinese nationals.
Actor Robert
Redford died aged 89. He starred in over 50 films, including Butch Cassidy
and the Sundance Kid (1969, with Paul Newman). He won an Oscar for Best
Director.
Trump filed a
$25B lawsuit against the New York Times for defamation – the Judge described it as 'frivolous'.
An Appeals Court
stopped Trump from firing Lisa Cook, a Governor of the Federal Reserve. The
Senate approved (48-47) Stephen Miran as a new Governor of the Federal
Reserve. At its September meeting the FR cut interest rates by 0.25% to
4.25%.
Disney/ABC
suspended Jimmy Kimmel for making light of Charlie Kirk’s death. They
reversed the decision a week later following a huge backlash.
The US will
introduce a $100,000 fee for new H-1B visas for technical specialists (IT
experts from India get 70% of these visas).
Without providing
evidence, Trump warned pregnant women against using Tylenol (Paracetamol) as
it may cause autism.
The Dept of
Justice charged former FBI Director James Comey with perjury (he is on Trump's enemy list).
The Kraft-Heinz
conglomerate will be split up.
Trump announced
new tariffs on imports of pharmaceuticals (100%), kitchen cabinets (50%) and
heavy trucks (25%). Also movies not made in the USA.
Australia
South Australia
banned fish-shaped soya containers as they cause pollution.
Right-wing “March
for Australia” rallies were held in several cities; limited support.
The Federal Govt
agreed to pay $495M to victims of Robodebt.
Erin Patterson 50
was sentenced to life imprisonment (parole possible after 33 years) for the
killing of 3 persons with poisonous mushrooms.
The police
offered a A$1M reward for information on Dezi Freeman, accused of killing 2
policemen; search now weeks old.
PM Albanese
announced $12B new naval base south of Perth.
Latest Newspoll
showed primary vote: Labor 36%, Coalition 27%. One Nation 10%, Greens 13%
Independents 14%.
The Govt said that
its 2035 target is to reduce carbon emissions by 62% over 2005 levels.
Despite ending
the NRL regular season as Minor Premiers, my beloved Canberra Raiders lost to the Brisbane
Broncos (28-29) and the following week lost to the Cronulla Sharks (12 – 32).
The Grand Final will be between the Melbourne Storm and the Broncos on October 5.
AFL: The Brisbane
Lions 122 beat the Geelong Cats 75 to win the 2025 AFL Championship for the second
year. Gold Coast Suns’ Matt Rowell won the Brownlow Medal.
President Trump continued to dominate the media and news.
Trump's key actions in 7 days to 3 September 2025
MSNBC
Planned a military funeral for Ashli Babbitt, who was shot
during the attack on the Capitol, according to documents released by a
conservative nonprofit.
Revoked Secret Service protection for former Vice President
Kamala Harris, which had been extended by former President Joe Biden.
Claimed that Republicans in Congress were working on a
“comprehensive crime bill” that does not appear to exist yet.
Claimed that his approval ratings, which are as low as 37%
in one recent poll, are “in the 60s and even 70s.”
Ousted the director of the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention just weeks after she was confirmed by the Senate.
TRUMP’S key actions in week ending 10 Sept 2025
Continued to claim Trump’s signature was faked on a
“birthday book” for sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein.
Signed his 200th executive order after just 228 days in
office, a pace that is unprecedented in modern history.
Said, during a speech at the Museum of the Bible, that when
“a man has a little fight with the wife,” it’s not really a crime.
Announced that he intends for the next G20 summit to be held
at a Trump-owned property in Florida.
Abandoned a Biden-era plan that sought to require airlines
to compensate passengers when their flight is canceled.
TRUMP’S
key actions in week ending 17 Sept 2025
Announced plans to deploy National Guard troops to Memphis,
claiming the city is “deeply troubled.”
Said he was “not familiar” with the name of a Minnesota
state lawmaker who was killed in an act of political violence.
Saw the Senate confirm Stephen Miran, a critic of Federal
Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell, to the Fed’s board of governors.
Announced he would level sanctions on Russia if all other
countries in the 32-member NATO coalition do so.
Persuaded Missouri Republicans to back an unusual mid-decade
redistricting that could help the GOP win another House seat next year.
Trump’s
key actions in week to 24 September 2025
Demanded on social media that Attorney General Pam Bondi
move more quickly to prosecute his political opponents.
Said he was “trying” to get back Bagram Airfield, the former
U.S. military base in Afghanistan.
Said on social media that he will designate antifa as a
domestic terror group, despite the fact that there is no formal organization.
Said that news networks that write too many negative stories
about him should “maybe” have their broadcast licenses taken away.
Filed a $15 billion defamation lawsuit against The New York
Times over its coverage that a judge dismissed as “tedious and burdensome.”
......
Then they had a week in Spain (mainly around Malaga) before heading home.
Well done, girls!!!
I've strted using the pool at the Village again - a comfortable 27C!
Our grandson Eddie, 11, is enjoying his new school.
He is an apprentice electrician, and will be off work for many months.
Global
SCO: The Shanghai
Cooperation Organisation met in Tianjin, attended by China, Russia, India,
etc.
China: big military
parade in Beijing to commemorate 80th anniversary of Japan’s
surrender and the end of the Pacific War. Evergrande, once a huge real estate
developer, was removed from the HK Stock Exchange; it had debts of $45B.
Indonesia: President
Prabowo said that MPs allowances would be reviewed following widespread
anti-Govt demonstrations. Severe flooding in Bali, 15 dead. 1,500+ primary
school children got food poisoning from the free lunch program.
Gold: passed US$3,600
per ounce.
Afghanistan: a major
earthquake killed 1,500+.
Portugal: The Gloria
Funicular in Lisbon (built in 1885) derailed.
Georgio Armani, famous Italian designer, died aged 91.
Tennis: US Open in New York. Aryna Sabalenka beat Amanda Anisimova to win the Women’s Singles and
Carlos Alcaraz beat Yannik Sinner to win the Men’s Singles.
France: PM Francois
Bayrou resigned after losing a vote of no confidence; replaced by Sebastien
Lacornu. Former President Nicolas Sarkozy was found guilty of criminal
conspiracy and sentenced to 5 years in jail.
Nepal: large anti-Govt
demonstrations’ 30+ killed.
UK: State visit by
Trump and Melania. Ange Postecoglou took over as manager of Nottingham Forest.
About 32,000 illegal immigrants have come to the UK in small boats so far this
year. The PM announced that a new ”digital ID” will be introduced to combat illegal immigration.
Brazil: Former
President Jair Bolsonaro, was sentenced to 27 years for plotting a military
coup to overturn the last election.
PNG: Papua New
Guinea celebrated 50 years of independence. Australia wants an enhanced
Defence Treaty with PNG.
Spain: Pro-Palestine
demonstrations which disrupted the final stage of the Vuelta, were applauded
by the Spanish Prime Minister.
East Timor: Anti Govt-corruption
demonstrations in Dili.
Palestine: UK, Canada,
Australia, Portugal, France and Belgium joined the other 146 countries which already
recognized Palestine.
United Nations: 80th
General Assembly held in New York. President Trump addressed the UNGA. He called
it useless, and said climate change is a huge con job. With the US reducing
funding, many UN programs and Agencies are in trouble.
Typhoon Ragasa: Much damage and
many deaths in the Philippines, Taiwan and southern China.
Switzerland: Swiss voters narrowly (50.4%) voted for a voluntary electronic ID card.
Israel –
Hamas & Hezbollah & Iran
Israel strikes on
Yemen targeted the Houthi leaders.
Israel attacked
Qatar and killed Hamas negotiators.
IDF launched full
scale attack on Gaza City, many casualties.
The UN Human
rights Commission released a report stating that Israel has committed
genocide in Gaza.
Presidents Trump and Netanyahu unveiled a 20-point peace plan for Gaza. Will Hamas agree?
Russian
invasion of Ukraine
26 countries said
they would contribute to a peacekeeping force in Ukraine, if there is a
ceasefire with Russia.
Dozens of drones
were observed in Poland, most shot down. Russia said it was not responsible,
but NATO worried.
USA
Trump renamed the
Dept of Defence to the Dept of War.
District Judge
Charles Breyer ruled that Trump’s deployment of the National Guard to help
ICE in LA violated the Federal Act that forbids the use of federal troops to
enforce domestic laws. Nevertheless Trump deployed the National Guard to combat crime in
Washington DC, and Memphis, and lately to Portland; he has threatened to use the National Guard in Chicago.
The US Air Force destroyed three Venezuelan “narco-boats” in international waters, claiming
they were transporting drugs.
A Judge
overturned Trump’s blocking of $2B in research grants to Harvard.
Lachlan Murdoch
was confirmed as Rupert’s successor; his 3 siblings, James, Elizabeth and
Prudence, got $1B each.
Larry Ellison
(Oracle) $393B passed Elon Musk’s $385B to become the World’s richest person
(at least temporarily).
Right-wing
influencer and Trump fan, Charlie Kirk 31, was shot and killed on a Utah
campus. FBI arrested alleged killer Tyler Robinson, 22. Kirk was hailed as a martyr
at a memorial service.
NASA banned the
employment of Chinese nationals.
Actor Robert
Redford died aged 89. He starred in over 50 films, including Butch Cassidy
and the Sundance Kid (1969, with Paul Newman). He won an Oscar for Best
Director.
Trump filed a
$25B lawsuit against the New York Times for defamation – the Judge described it as 'frivolous'.
An Appeals Court
stopped Trump from firing Lisa Cook, a Governor of the Federal Reserve. The
Senate approved (48-47) Stephen Miran as a new Governor of the Federal
Reserve. At its September meeting the FR cut interest rates by 0.25% to
4.25%.
Disney/ABC
suspended Jimmy Kimmel for making light of Charlie Kirk’s death. They
reversed the decision a week later following a huge backlash.
The US will
introduce a $100,000 fee for new H-1B visas for technical specialists (IT
experts from India get 70% of these visas).
Without providing
evidence, Trump warned pregnant women against using Tylenol (Paracetamol) as
it may cause autism.
The Dept of
Justice charged former FBI Director James Comey with perjury (he is on Trump's enemy list).
The Kraft-Heinz
conglomerate will be split up.
Trump announced
new tariffs on imports of pharmaceuticals (100%), kitchen cabinets (50%) and
heavy trucks (25%). Also movies not made in the USA.
Australia
South Australia
banned fish-shaped soya containers as they cause pollution.
Right-wing “March
for Australia” rallies were held in several cities; limited support.
The Federal Govt
agreed to pay $495M to victims of Robodebt.
Erin Patterson 50
was sentenced to life imprisonment (parole possible after 33 years) for the
killing of 3 persons with poisonous mushrooms.
The police
offered a A$1M reward for information on Dezi Freeman, accused of killing 2
policemen; search now weeks old.
PM Albanese
announced $12B new naval base south of Perth.
Latest Newspoll
showed primary vote: Labor 36%, Coalition 27%. One Nation 10%, Greens 13%
Independents 14%.
The Govt said that
its 2035 target is to reduce carbon emissions by 62% over 2005 levels.
Despite ending
the NRL regular season as Minor Premiers, my beloved Canberra Raiders lost to the Brisbane
Broncos (28-29) and the following week lost to the Cronulla Sharks (12 – 32).
The Grand Final will be between the Melbourne Storm and the Broncos on October 5.
AFL: The Brisbane
Lions 122 beat the Geelong Cats 75 to win the 2025 AFL Championship for the second
year. Gold Coast Suns’ Matt Rowell won the Brownlow Medal.
INTERNATIONAL Business
My 30 year career as an Australian Trade Commissioner gave me an interest in matters related to international trade and economics. I used to subscribe to Bloomberg's excellent daily newsletter "Supply Lines", but in May 2025 this publication became "pay only". Fortunately Bloomberg has other, shorter, daily bulletins. The following graphs are from those sources (this month mainly about the USA economy).
......
Well, that's it for this month.
Stay safe and healthy, everyone, and keep smiling.
Vera & Alex Olah
Caloundra, Australia
Tuesday 30 September 2025
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