News Bulletin of 14 January 2026, 2pm

A foster home in Sundowner, Gauteng, is helping children with physical disabilities and special needs to thrive. Bella’s Blessings, founded by Lauren Matthewson Woolard, provides long term care, therapy, schooling, and medical support for children who need it most.
Staff say one child who arrived with a difficult medical prognosis is now walking, talking, and making steady progress.
Matthewson Woolard says donations and volunteer support have been crucial in keeping Bella’s Blessings operating, ensuring the children continue to receive the care and support they need to thrive.

Rising South African sprinter Karabo Letebele will take his athletics and academic career to the United States, joining the University of Arkansas on a four-year scholarship.
The 19-year-old chose Arkansas over other top programs, including USC, Arizona, UCLA and Oregon.
Last year, Letebele made headlines when he beat African record holder Ferdinand Omanyala at Athletics South Africa’s Grand Prix.
He says he is excited to follow in the footsteps of collegiate sprinter Jordan Anthony

Conservationists on Australia’s Kangaroo Island have built fencing to protect native species from feral cats, leading to a nearly 100 percent increase in the Kangaroo Island dunnart, a small vulnerable marsupial.
Native birds, including western whipbirds and Bassian thrushes, have also returned to the fenced area.
The fencing was installed after a 2020 wildfire that left habitats vulnerable, and officials say the results highlight how targeted conservation measures can protect species and support ecosystem recovery.