Gentlefolk,
This post describes our main activities during the month of April 2026.
The contents of this post are in the following sequence:
Photos of our activities during April 2026.
News items which caught my eye in April 2026.
Some key actions by President Trump during April 2026 (from MS NOW Project 47).
Highlights of April 2026
From a personal perspective the highlight of the month was our visit to Canberra from 1 to 8 April 2026. Ani and Peter made us feel very welcome, always so generous. It was wonderful to catch up with many friends, although we couldn't see everyone. Just felt comfortable to be in familiar surroundings.
Internationally, the USA/Israel war on Iran after 8 weeks is in an indeterminant ceasefire stage. The closure of the Strait of Hormuz is causing havoc to energy markets around the world - does Trump either know or care how his actions have impacted the rest of the world???
Herewith photos of some of our activities in April 2026:
Our visit to Canberra 1 - 8 April 2026.
We stayed in Downer with Aniko and Peter - super hosts!
Family dinner on our first night in Canberra. From left: Peter, Michael, Richard, me, Tui, Nouvie, Lani, Adrienne, Britt, Vera & Aniko.
Vera & Sharon. She really misses Ian who passed away suddenly 6 years ago.
With Christine & David, and Noel. Oldest Canberra friends.
With former golfing buddies Peter & Noel.
With June & Craig. We were neighbours for a while when we first returned to Kingston. Now they live in Manuka.
From left: Heath, John, Niken, Vera, Reno, and me.
With Rae & Alex. Shooter goes back a long way. Good to see them still super-fit-and-active.
From left: Ketut Nanik, Tieke, Vera, Raden, Adrian, Robin, me, Rosie, and Jeanie.
With Angie and Aniko at Britt's place on Easter Sunday.
Angie with her grandkids. From left Oscar, Nouvie, Lani, Angie, Bonnie, and Tui.
Saying "hello" to my parents, Edletraut & Akos.
And to good mate Ian Loiterton.
We spent a day at the National Folk Festival, held in Canberra every Easter. Great fun.
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| American singer-songwriter Steve Poltz was a crowd favourite. |
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| String group: violins, guitar and Bass. |
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| Singer/songwriter "Fred Smith" is an accomplished entertainer. He grew up in Canberra and has had several postings with DFAT. |
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| The final parade was followed by the closing concert. |
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| With Jim. We were in Jakarta with Yvonne and Jim 1988 - 91. |
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| With Helen & John, we were Trade Commissioners together in Jakarta in 1972-3. |
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| With Helen and Neil, former dance buddies: mainly Salsa and Tango (the good old days!). |
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| Sue & Vera share the same birthday. Sue and Frank have become close friends. |
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| Martin Harris (Vera's old boss), Frank, Sue & Vera at Majura Park before our return flight to Brisbane. |
Attended a lecture by Emeritus Professor Colin Mackerras, respected China scholar.
Prof Colin Brown, Indonesian scholar, at Prof Mackerras's lecture.
Indonesian Christian Group 'Oikumene' organised a church service, followed by a delicious Indonesian food lunch prepared by the ladies.
Lunch with Heidi and George Sanderson. George was a classmate of mine at Monaro High School, Cooma back in the early 1960s. He settled in Canada and later became a Canadian Trade Commissioner specialising in the Middle East. They were visiting George's brother who lives at Maroochydore.
Jen & Tom picked up the Subaru Forester D-S (for Kurt). We loved that car, and got great service out of it for 10 years. Pleased it has gone to a good home!
Ken O'Shea entertained the good burgers of Halcyon Nirimba Village with songs and music.
ANZAC Day ceremony at the Village.
Many attended the ANZAC Day ceremony in the Clubhouse.
Our grandson Sid has shot up in the last year. He is in Year 12 at Marist College Ashgrove. Sid and his mates have gone "Short hair". Just got his driver's licence. He's a good lad!
Writer, painter, comedian Anh Do had the audience hanging on every word, laughing and crying - what a marvellous entertainer!
......
News items which caught my eye in April 2026.
($ are US dollars unless otherwise shown)
Global
Iran war: The
USA and Israel bombed over 2,000 military and industrial sites in Iran. Spain,
France and Italy restrict air space for US Airforce attacking Iran. Iran blocked
the Strait of Hormuz, then the US blocked Iranian ports to stop their export
of oil. The two sides had met in Islamabad and agreed on a ceasefire, but the
Iranians said the US blockade negated the ceasefire. It was a stalemate and a
mess.
Soccer: The World
Cup will be held in North America 11 June to 19 July. Australia is in Group D
with Turkey, the USA and Paraguay. Socceroos first game is against Turkey on
14 June in Vancouver.
AI: the acclaimed
novel “Shy Girl” was 70% AI generated.
EU: introduced new
procedures for visitors: fingerprints plus photo.
China: Pres Xi Jin
Ping met with leader of the Taiwan Opposition (KMT) Cheng Li Wan in Beijing. A number of Chinese companies entered robots
in the Beijing Half Marathon – won by a robot in 50m26s (world record by a
human is 57m20s).
Hungary: After 16
years in office, Victor Orban’s Fidesz Party lost the election (only won 55
seats out of 199). New PM Peter Magyar’s Tisza Party will have a
super-majority in Parliament (138/199).
Pope Leo 14:
criticised warmongers, which got a strong response from Trump.
Canada: the
Liberal Party (Mark Carney) won 3 by-elections, and 7 other MPs defected to
them. They now have a majority in the House of Commons (174 of 343). The
Conservatives have 140 seats.
Germany: With 4
games still to play Bayern Munich Football Club was declared national
champion (13th time). They scored 109 goals in the season and
conceded 29 goals.
Japan: Changed its
export policy to allow export of military equipment.
Marathon running:
Kenyan Sabastain Sawe (30) won the London Marathon in 1h59m30s – the first person
to break 2 hours!!! Remarkably the second place-getter, Ethiopia’s Yomif
Kejelcha, finished in 1h59m40s. Ethiopian Tigst Assefa was the first woman with
2h15m41s. They were all wearing Adidas Adizero Adios Pro Evo 3 running shoes.
UAE: The United Arab Emirates said it will leave OPEC, to give it more flexibility (the UAE represents about 15% of OPEC's oil production; was a member for 60 years).
USA
In a post on Truth Social on
Easter Sunday, Trump said “open the fucking Strait you bastards, or all
hell will hit you”. The following day he threatened to “end a
civilization” if the Iranians didn’t accept his peace terms. Then the USA
and Iran agreed to a 2 week cease fire; JD Vance led the US team to the peace negotiations in Islamabad; but no
agreement reached, and Trump then announced a blockade of Iranian ports to
stop their oil exports and make them suffer financially. Later Trump extended
the ceasefire indefinitely “so that Iran could get their side
organised”.
Israel attacked parts of Lebanon
– thousands killed, buildings destroyed. Ceasefire talks were successful,
later extended for another 3 weeks.
An Israeli missile killed
Iranian Intelligence Chief Majid Khadim.
Rory McIlroy won his second
Championship at the Augusta Course.
Trump posted on Truth Social,
then deleted, a Christ-like image of himself.
Pres Trump asked Congress to
approve a defence budget of $1.5 T for next year (an increase of 42%).
Trump removed Attorney General
Pam Bondi; she was replaced by her deputy Todd Blanche. US Labor Secretary
Lori Chavez DeRemer (58) is also leaving.
Trump unveiled plans for a giant
gold-accented ‘Victory Arch’ in Washington DC.
Melania Trump denied a close
association with Jeffrey Epstein.
The national average price of
petrol in the USA passed $4 per gallon; diesel $5.40 pg.
Artemis 2 blast off on a 9 day
voyage to circle the moon. First time since 1972 humans will travel outside
earth’s orbit. Four astronauts: Reid Wiseman (Commander); Victor Glover
(Pilot); Christine Koch (Specialist), and Canadian Jeremy Hansen.
Anthropic’s powerful new AI
program “Mythos” released amid warnings.
Democrats in the Senate called
for limitations on Trump’s actions in the war with Iran. Motion failed 52 –
47.
Average tax refunds are expected
to rise by about $345 as a result of tax cuts in the One Big Beautiful Bill.
The Govt started processing refunds
of the “Liberation Day” tariffs which were declared invalid by the US Supreme
Court – to about 300,000 American importers.
In Shreveport Louisiana Shamar
Ellis shot 7 of his own children and another child.
FBI Director Kash Patel filed a
$250M lawsuit against The Atlantic for alleged defamation.
Apple CEO Tim Cook announced his
successor, John Ternus (51) VP of Hardware (expected to occur in September
2026).
The Dept of Justice dropped its
probe into head of Federal Reserve Jerome Powell for alleged huge budget over runs
in renovating the Fed HQ (a Republican Senator warned that he would not vote for
Trump’s nominee if Powell was still being persecuted). In his last meeting as Chairman, the Fed held interest rates at 3.5%. Powell will be replaced by Kevin Warsh, but he will stay on the Fed's Board.
Cole Tomas Allan (31) was
charged with attempting to assassinate President Trump when he tried to storm
the White House Correspondents Dinner.
King Charles and Queen Camilla undertook
a 4 day State Visit to the USA.
Former FBI Director James Comey was indicted by the Dept of Justice (for the 2nd time) this time for wishing ill of the President (by promoting a sea shells image).
US master sergeant Ken Van Dyke was arrested for using confidential and inside information to bet on the capture of Maduro (he made about $400K).
Australia
“Sovereign Citizen” Dezi Freeman
was found after evading police for almost 7 months (he killed 2 policemen and
wounded another) – he was shot & killed during the arrest.
The Federal Govt reduced fuel
excise by 26.3 cents a litre (50%), as prices rose following the USA / Israel
attacks on Iran. Will cost the budget A$2.6B over 3 months.
Victoria’s ban on smart phones
in schoolrooms (introduced 2020) extended to include smart watches and head
phones.
The Federal Govt will restrict
(but not ban) advertising on gambling.
Former SAS Corporal and VC
awardee Ben Roberts-Smith was arrested for alleged war crimes in Afghanistan
(killed 2 civilians and ordered the deaths of 3 others).
PM Albanese visited Singapore,
Brunei and Malaysia to discuss oil supply to Australia.
A court ruled that Gina Rinehart
must share the iron ore royalties with the family of her father’s business
partner.
Qantas and Virgin announced cuts
to some domestic routes, caused by the steep rise in aviation fuel costs.
Sprinter Gout Gout (18) ran 200m
in 19.67 seconds.
The NSW Court of Appeals is
examining the legality of the Govt’s ban on slogans such as “from the river
to the sea” and “globalise the intifada”.
Australia and Mitsubishi Heavy
Industries signed a contract for 3 new frigates (another 7 will be built in
Perth).
Major fire at the Viva Energy
oil refinery at Geelong – will impact production of petrol.
The Govt announced major
changes/cuts to the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS), which is now
costing about A$50B a year. Eligibility of patients and providers will be
tightened. Recipients will be reduced from the current 760K to 600K over 4
years.
Duke & Duchess of Sussex
Harry & Meghan made a private visit to Australia for 4 days.
The White House will nominate David Brat as the next US Ambassador to Australia. He was a former Republican congressman from Virginia.
Foreign Minister Penny Wong visited China to as the Govt to facilitate jet fuel supplies.
Australia's inflation 4.6% for last 12 months (mainly impacted by energy prices).
President Trump continues to dominate world media. American
government policy is based on Trump posts on Truth Social, his social media
site. It is bizarre, but fascinating.
The following were some of his actions during April.
Trump’s
key actions in week ending …
MS NOW
Project 47
Week
ending 3 April 2026
Said that the Supreme Court justices and other federal
judges have “really hurt our country”
Became the first known sitting president to attend Supreme
Court oral arguments in person
Signed an executive order that seeks to bar the U.S. Postal
Service from delivering ballots to voters the administration deems noncitizens
Claimed to have had a long conversation with the head of the
company that makes Sharpie pens that apparently did not occur
Week
ending 10 April 2026
Said he is “very disappointed with NATO” because its members
“didn’t come to our rescue” after the U.S. launched the Iran war
Threatened to start destroying civilian power plants in Iran
— a potential war crime — if the country did not fully open the Strait of
Hormuz
Launched an official White House “news” app, which features
positive news about the administration
Named his former defense attorney, Todd Blanche, as the
acting attorney general after Pam Bondi’s departure
Week
ending 17 April 2026
Announced a Navy blockade of Iran’s ports after diplomatic
talks failed in Pakistan over the weekend
Attended a UFC fight in Miami the same evening Vance
announced the results of the peace talks
Shared — then deleted — an AI-generated image that appeared
to present himself as Jesus
Renewed a push to “expunge” his first impeachment after
Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard made “deep state” conspiracy
claims
Week
ending 23 April 2026
Claimed, without
evidence, that a successful ballot measure to redistrict Virginia’s
congressional seats was a “rigged election”
Lost another member of his Cabinet as Labor Secretary Lori
Chavez-DeRemer resigned amid allegations of misconduct
Ordered new federal research into the therapeutic uses of
psychedelics, crediting podcaster Joe Rogan with the idea
Entered negotiations with the Internal Revenue Service to
settle a $10 billion lawsuit he filed over the leak of his tax returns
......
On 28
April 2026 I asked AI Gemini “Has the USA actually declared war on Iran?”
The answer:
No, the United States has not formally declared war on
Iran.
While there is an active and large-scale military conflict
currently taking place (often referred to by the media as the "Iran
War"; the Administration prefers to describe it as a “Military Action”,
but often Trump lapses and refers to the conflict as a “War”), it is not an "official" war in a
constitutional sense.
Here is the breakdown of the current situation as of April
2026:
1. The Legal Distinction
Under the U.S. Constitution, only Congress has the power to
formally declare war. The U.S. has not issued a formal declaration of war
against any nation since World War II. Instead, recent military
actions—including the current strikes in Iran—are typically carried out under
executive authority as Commander-in-Chief or through specific congressional
authorizations that stop short of a formal declaration.
2. Current Conflict Status
• Military
Action: On February 28, 2026, the U.S. and Israel began significant airstrikes
against Iran, targeting military infrastructure and government sites (these undeclared
strikes actually started during active nuclear negotiations between the USA and
Iran).
• The
"Dual Blockade": The conflict has escalated into a naval standoff.
Iran has restricted access to the Strait of Hormuz, and the U.S. has responded
with a counter-blockade of Iranian ports.
• Ceasefire:
As of April 8, 2026, a temporary ceasefire mediated by Pakistan is in place.
President Trump recently extended this truce indefinitely to allow for ongoing
negotiations in Islamabad, though he has maintained that the military remains
"raring to go" if talks fail.
3. Summary of Official U.S. War History
For context, the U.S. has only ever formally declared war in
five conflicts:
• War of 1812
• Mexican-American
War
• Spanish-American
War
• World War I
• World War
II
Every conflict since then—including the Vietnam War, the
Iraq War, and the current 2026 hostilities—has been conducted without a formal
declaration.
If a conflict goes more than 60 days (will pass tomorrow, on 1 May 2026, for Iran war), Congress is supposed to validate it - let's see if that happens....
......
I'm reading this book recommended by a friend. It portrays life in a Bavarian Village from about 1920 to 1947, with the main focus on the transformations following the appointment of Hitler as Chancellor on 30 January 1933 and the success of the Nazi Party in the election of 5 March 1933, when they won 44% of the vote. They formed a coalition with the DNVP which gave them a majority of the Bundestag (Parliament).
The Nazi coalition quickly passed a number of Acts which enabled Hitler to totally dominate political and social life in Germany.
Hitler promised to "Make Germany Great Again" and gained a fanatical following. How quickly a strong, charismatic, ruthless, authoritarian leader was able to subvert the institutions which were the basis of German democracy must be a lesson for all democracies.
......
Autumn is here - milder temperatures. Cooler nights but the days are still mid-to-high 20sC, very comfortable without summer humidity. Today our minimum was 17C, our max 25C. We have started using a blanket at night.
Sunrise today was at 6.15am, sunset will be at 5.20pm.
We've had quite a bit of rain in the last 2 weeks, after a long dry spell. Welcome change.
We are dealing with Vera's medical issues - she is such a wonderful, strong person.
That's it for this post.
Stay safe and healthy, and keep smiling!
Vera & Alex Olah
Caloundra, Australia
Thursday 30 April 2026
Global
Iran war: The
USA and Israel bombed over 2,000 military and industrial sites in Iran. Spain,
France and Italy restrict air space for US Airforce attacking Iran. Iran blocked
the Strait of Hormuz, then the US blocked Iranian ports to stop their export
of oil. The two sides had met in Islamabad and agreed on a ceasefire, but the
Iranians said the US blockade negated the ceasefire. It was a stalemate and a
mess.
Soccer: The World
Cup will be held in North America 11 June to 19 July. Australia is in Group D
with Turkey, the USA and Paraguay. Socceroos first game is against Turkey on
14 June in Vancouver.
AI: the acclaimed
novel “Shy Girl” was 70% AI generated.
EU: introduced new
procedures for visitors: fingerprints plus photo.
China: Pres Xi Jin
Ping met with leader of the Taiwan Opposition (KMT) Cheng Li Wan in Beijing. A number of Chinese companies entered robots
in the Beijing Half Marathon – won by a robot in 50m26s (world record by a
human is 57m20s).
Hungary: After 16
years in office, Victor Orban’s Fidesz Party lost the election (only won 55
seats out of 199). New PM Peter Magyar’s Tisza Party will have a
super-majority in Parliament (138/199).
Pope Leo 14:
criticised warmongers, which got a strong response from Trump.
Canada: the
Liberal Party (Mark Carney) won 3 by-elections, and 7 other MPs defected to
them. They now have a majority in the House of Commons (174 of 343). The
Conservatives have 140 seats.
Germany: With 4
games still to play Bayern Munich Football Club was declared national
champion (13th time). They scored 109 goals in the season and
conceded 29 goals.
Japan: Changed its
export policy to allow export of military equipment.
Marathon running:
Kenyan Sabastain Sawe (30) won the London Marathon in 1h59m30s – the first person
to break 2 hours!!! Remarkably the second place-getter, Ethiopia’s Yomif
Kejelcha, finished in 1h59m40s. Ethiopian Tigst Assefa was the first woman with
2h15m41s. They were all wearing Adidas Adizero Adios Pro Evo 3 running shoes.
USA
In a post on Truth Social on
Easter Sunday, Trump said “open the fucking Strait you bastards, or all
hell will hit you”. The following day he threatened to “end a
civilization” if the Iranians didn’t accept his peace terms. Then the USA
and Iran agreed to a 2 week cease fire; JD Vance led the US team to the peace negotiations in Islamabad; but no
agreement reached, and Trump then announced a blockade of Iranian ports to
stop their oil exports and make them suffer financially. Later Trump extended
the ceasefire indefinitely “so that Iran could get their side
organised”.
Israel attacked parts of Lebanon
– thousands killed, buildings destroyed. Ceasefire talks were successful,
later extended for another 3 weeks.
An Israeli missile killed
Iranian Intelligence Chief Majid Khadim.
Rory McIlroy won his second
Championship at the Augusta Course.
Trump posted on Truth Social,
then deleted, a Christ-like image of himself.
Pres Trump asked Congress to
approve a defence budget of $1.5 T for next year (an increase of 42%).
Trump removed Attorney General
Pam Bondi; she was replaced by her deputy Todd Blanche. US Labor Secretary
Lori Chavez DeRemer (58) is also leaving.
Trump unveiled plans for a giant
gold-accented ‘Victory Arch’ in Washington DC.
Melania Trump denied a close
association with Jeffrey Epstein.
The national average price of
petrol in the USA passed $4 per gallon; diesel $5.40 pg.
Artemis 2 blast off on a 9 day
voyage to circle the moon. First time since 1972 humans will travel outside
earth’s orbit. Four astronauts: Reid Wiseman (Commander); Victor Glover
(Pilot); Christine Koch (Specialist), and Canadian Jeremy Hansen.
Anthropic’s powerful new AI
program “Mythos” released amid warnings.
Democrats in the Senate called
for limitations on Trump’s actions in the war with Iran. Motion failed 52 –
47.
Average tax refunds are expected
to rise by about $345 as a result of tax cuts in the One Big Beautiful Bill.
The Govt started processing refunds
of the “Liberation Day” tariffs which were declared invalid by the US Supreme
Court – to about 300,000 American importers.
In Shreveport Louisiana Shamar
Ellis shot 7 of his own children and another child.
FBI Director Kash Patel filed a
$250M lawsuit against The Atlantic for alleged defamation.
Apple CEO Tim Cook announced his
successor, John Ternus (51) VP of Hardware (expected to occur in September
2026).
The Dept of Justice dropped its
probe into head of Federal Reserve Jerome Powell for alleged huge budget over runs
in renovating the Fed HQ (a Republican Senator warned that he would not vote for
Trump’s nominee if Powell was still being persecuted). In his last meeting as Chairman, the Fed held interest rates at 3.5%. Powell will be replaced by Kevin Warsh, but he will stay on the Fed's Board.
Cole Tomas Allan (31) was
charged with attempting to assassinate President Trump when he tried to storm
the White House Correspondents Dinner.
King Charles and Queen Camilla undertook
a 4 day State Visit to the USA.
Australia
“Sovereign Citizen” Dezi Freeman
was found after evading police for almost 7 months (he killed 2 policemen and
wounded another) – he was shot & killed during the arrest.
The Federal Govt reduced fuel
excise by 26.3 cents a litre (50%), as prices rose following the USA / Israel
attacks on Iran. Will cost the budget A$2.6B over 3 months.
Victoria’s ban on smart phones
in schoolrooms (introduced 2020) extended to include smart watches and head
phones.
The Federal Govt will restrict
(but not ban) advertising on gambling.
Former SAS Corporal and VC
awardee Ben Roberts-Smith was arrested for alleged war crimes in Afghanistan
(killed 2 civilians and ordered the deaths of 3 others).
PM Albanese visited Singapore,
Brunei and Malaysia to discuss oil supply to Australia.
A court ruled that Gina Rinehart
must share the iron ore royalties with the family of her father’s business
partner.
Qantas and Virgin announced cuts
to some domestic routes, caused by the steep rise in aviation fuel costs.
Sprinter Gout Gout (18) ran 200m
in 19.67 seconds.
The NSW Court of Appeals is
examining the legality of the Govt’s ban on slogans such as “from the river
to the sea” and “globalise the intifada”.
Australia and Mitsubishi Heavy
Industries signed a contract for 3 new frigates (another 7 will be built in
Perth).
Major fire at the Viva Energy
oil refinery at Geelong – will impact production of petrol.
The Govt announced major
changes/cuts to the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS), which is now
costing about A$50B a year. Eligibility of patients and providers will be
tightened. Recipients will be reduced from the current 760K to 600K over 4
years.
Duke & Duchess of Sussex
Harry & Meghan made a private visit to Australia for 4 days.
The Nazi coalition quickly passed a number of Acts which enabled Hitler to totally dominate political and social life in Germany.
Hitler promised to "Make Germany Great Again" and gained a fanatical following. How quickly a strong, charismatic, ruthless, authoritarian leader was able to subvert the institutions which were the basis of German democracy must be a lesson for all democracies.
