Meghan and Kate have not spoken in four years, and a near-miss in London has fuelled reports of tension. Meghan had lunch with activist Malala Yousafzai at Claridge's hotel while Kate was travelling on the London Underground nearby, according to Woman's Day. A royal insider says the lunch irked Kate, who has dined at Claridge's with Prince William. Another source claims Meghan sees Kate's Tube ride with Princess Charlotte as a calculated move linked to security concerns for Meghan's children. Other reports say Kate is furious over Harry and Meghan's walkabout in Nottingham.
The ABC has announced its 2027 content line-up, with a strong focus on workplace dramas and crime series. Kitty Flanagan returns to the lead role in the fourth season of the office comedy Fisk, which she wrote with her sister Penny Flanagan. Hugo Weaving stars in The Great White as a disgraced barrister who takes on a dangerous dog case. Rebecca Gibney fronts the rural crime drama Rural Crime Unit, alongside Morgana O'Reilly and Philip Lynch. Other returning shows include You Can't Ask That, Race Around the World and Hard Quiz, which begins its 12th season.
The ABC has announced its full slate of shows for 2027 at an event in Sydney. The lineup includes new scripted series such as Fortitude Valley, Rural Crime Unit and Pilli Sisters P.I. Several returning favourites are also confirmed, among them Gruen, The Weekly and That Blackfella Show. Documentaries include Silenced, Mark of a Murderer and Pray Harder. ABC Managing Director Hugh Marks said the broadcaster aims to expand its offering in coming years.
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Joan McCall worked for 48 years in the kitchen of Star of the Sea, a Catholic aged care home in Wallaroo. She started as a kitchen hand after leaving school and later cooked all meals for residents as the home grew from 20 to 70 beds. She retired a few months ago to care for her husband, who has dementia. Colleague Gaylia Johns said the home now uses a trishaw to take residents around town and keeps a memory tree honouring past residents.
Two young sisters, Min Luo and Fei Shan, have been playing piano for people with dementia after noticing a family friend with the condition calm down during their music. They now perform at aged care facilities, including an afternoon concert at Korongee Dementia Village in Hobart's northern suburbs. Resident Nick Dickens said the music eased his stress and brought back memories. Associate Professor Alison Canty said musical memory is often resilient to dementia and that music can release dopamine, improving mood and reducing stress. The sisters plan a concert to raise money for dementia research.
Doctors in Saudi Arabia say they have successfully separated 13-month-old Fijian conjoined twins, Dicecea and Jesepeli Kikau, after an operation lasting almost 13 hours. The girls were born joined at the lower abdomen and pelvis and shared a liver, bowel, urinary tract and anal canal, though each had her own heart and lungs. Doctors began reconstruction after the separation. The mother said she felt nervous but calmer as she watched by video link. The operation was free under the hospital's Saudi Conjoined Twins Program, the family having reportedly been asked for large upfront payments elsewhere.
Four sisters are selling 30 Dorchester St in South Brisbane, a property their family has owned for about 40 years. Known as The Dorchester, the 627 square metre home has a large upstairs residence and two self-contained two-bedroom flats downstairs. Selling agent Sarah Hackett said the flats could bring in an estimated $1200 a week in combined rent. The property has seven bedrooms, four bathrooms and four carparks, and is within walking distance of South Bank and the Mater Hospital. Offers close at 4pm on Wednesday, November 4.
Charles Darwin University has committed $300,000 from a $1 million bequest to two medical scholarships for First Nations students. The bequest was left by sisters Alison Jackson and Nancy Kingsland for remote health programs. The remaining $700,000 will support other First Nations programs. This year's scholarship recipient, Heather Cubillo-Mulholland, said the support lets her study without financial stress. University leaders said donor generosity creates opportunities that would not otherwise exist for students.
Sisters Shirley and Yeimy Gordillo Santamaría have opened Dulce Día, a dessert shop at 188 Queensberry Street in Carlton, serving Colombian treats. The idea grew after 20 Australians returned from a family wedding in Colombia asking where to find the desserts they had tasted there. The sisters say the shop brings back memories of their childhood in Colombia. Spanish is spoken throughout the shop, giving Colombian and other Latino customers a sense of belonging. Every order includes a card chosen from more than 34 messages, which the sisters hope will leave customers feeling happier.
Sisters Tracey Laverick and Margaret Wand have both been treated for breast cancer, supporting each other through illness and grief. Tracey, 58, was diagnosed in June 2024 with aggressive triple-negative breast cancer. Early this year, Margaret, 60, was diagnosed with an early form of the disease after a routine mammogram. Their husband and brother-in-law, Mark, died in February. The sisters held a Pink Bloom Party last year that raised $4800 for research and clinical trials, and aim to raise $10,000 this year.
