News Bulletin of 23 January 2026, 8am

Headline 1
New SA animated series shines light on Autism Awareness
Story 1
A new South African animated series, Unpacking George, aims to raise autism awareness in families and communities.
The series follows George, a local character who learns about autism through his friendship with an autistic best friend.
It was created by retired advertising designer Derek Logan and autism advocate Dr Emile Gouws, and will be released on social media by Special Knead Café.
The episodes explore everyday experiences of autism from an African perspective, helping viewers understand and connect with the challenges and joys of autistic people.
Story 1 category
Headline 2
Paarl Royals clash with Sunrisers Eastern Cape
Story 2
The Paarl Royals will face Sunrisers Eastern Cape at the Wanderers in Illovo this evening, with the winner taking on Pretoria Capitals in Sunday’s final in Cape Town.
This comes after The Paarl Royals beat the Joburg Super Kings by 36 runs in their Eliminator match in Centurion.
Speaking on the success of the league, Commissioner Graeme Smith say this has been an extra-ordinary season to date:
*sound*
Story 2 category
Headline 3
Japan sees tourism growth
Story 3
Japan has recorded its highest ever number of tourists.
The Japan National Tourism Organisation announced that 42.7 million people visited the country in 2025, beating the previous record set the year before.
This was driven by a weak yen, backlog of travel demand, more flights, and government promotion, with visitors from the US, Europe, and Australia making up for fewer Chinese tourists.
Story 3 category
Financial Indicators headline
Financial Indicators
Financial indicators
Your financial indicators for this hour:

The Rand is trading at 16.12 to the US Dollar, 0.00 to the British Pound, and 0.00 to the Euro.

Gold is trading at 4,794.14 dollars a fine ounce, Brent Crude Oil is at Error per barrel, and a Bitcoin will set you back 89,462.00.
Teaser / Tailpiece headline
Zootopia 2 overtakes Inside Out 2 as Hollywood's highest-earning animated film
Teaser / Tailpiece story
Zootropolia 2 is now Hollywood's highest-earning animated film, earning R22.6 billion globally, beating Inside Out 2's R21.9 billion.
The Walt Disney Animation Studios’ sequel, released in November 2025, set a record for the biggest opening weekend for an animated film in the US, earning R6.6 billion in 5-days, and became the fastest Hollywood animated movie to reach R13 billion worldwide.
The movie follows an unlikely duo as they track down a new resident, and has joined the ranks of blockbusters like Avengers: Endgame and Titanic, earning a spot in the top 10 highest-earning films in the world.
Disney co-chairman Alan Bergman thanked fans for their support.
Split analysis
Local: 68 words (32%), National: 86 words (40%), International: 60 words (28%)