Breakfast Edition: 25 November 2015

US & FRANCE STAND TOGETHER: France and the United States pledged Tuesday to step up the fight against the Islamic State group, urging Russia to throw its weight behind global efforts to resolve the four-year Syrian conflict. President Francois Hollande met his US counterpart Barack Obama at the White House as Turkey's downing of a Russian warplane dealt a severe blow to efforts to coordinate the fight against IS. Speaking 11 days after jihadists killed 130 people in the French capital, Hollande urged an "implacable" joint response to crush the group in Syria and Iraq. At a joint press conference, Obama pledged America's full solidarity in the wake of the November 13 carnage, switching into Hollande's language to tell him, "We are all French."

GRAPHIC POLICE DASH-CAM VIDEO RELEASED: Chicago's mayor appealed for calm as officials released a "chilling" video of the police shooting of a black teen, hours after the white officer was charged with murder. The graphic video is the latest in a string of police shootings caught on camera that have sparked mass -- and sometimes violent -- protests and engulfed the United States in a debate over racism and the use of deadly force by police.

PARLIAMENTARY SITTING TO CONTINUE DESPITE STRIKE: Nehawu members, working at Parliament have vowed to continue their strike for performance bonuses today. Yesterday all sittings were postponed, after workers occupied the national assembly. Speaker, Baleka Mbete gave the assurance that this would not be allowed to happen again today. 

STATE OF SOUTH AFRICA, ACCORDING TO MADONSELA: Public Protector, Thuli Madonsela believes standards of democracy and governance are declining in Africa, with a resurgence of war and terror. Madonsela was speaking in Jo'burg last night, at the launch of the book: "African Accountability: What works and what doesn't" in which she wrote the foreword.  Silindelo Masikane was at the launch. 

THE LATEST FROM COSATU CONFERENCE: Day two of the 12th Cosatu National Congress in Midrand, spent a lot of time on the succession debate with the South African Democratic Teachers' Union, urging Cosatu delegates to endorse ANC deputy president, Cyril Ramaphosa, as the next president of the ANC. In the political report Cosatu said it was irritated by the continued ill-discipline that manifested in "premature succession" debates for the 2017 ANC national conference, where new party leaders will be elected". Also at the conference yesterday, the SACP-leader and Higher Education Minister, Blade Nzimande addressed the tripartite alliance's response to the student funding crisis. 

NEW TUT EXAM SCHEDULE: Meanwhile, the Tshwane University of Technology yesterday released a January exam schedule for its Soshanguve north and South campus students after the exam was postponed due to protests on the campus over the weekend.

ARE YOU PLANNING YOUR CHRISTMAS SHOPPING? It's almost here! No, not Christmas but Black Friday - the shopping day invented by the people who want to sell you more stuff. That's according to a very honest commercial for Black Friday that was posted on YouTube.

FINANCIAL INDICATORS:

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