Snapshots

Cabinet maker: Somali Prime Minister Omar Abdirashid Sharmarke addresses journalists in Mogadishu, capital of Somalia, on Jan 12, the day he announced a 60-member cabinet, which retains his key allies. Faisal Isse / Xinhua

Training to win: Chinese footballer Zhang Xizhe of the German Bundesliga team Wolfsburg trains in Cape Town on Jan 12. The team played Ajax Cape Town in the Friendship Cup two days later, winning 4-1. Willem Van De Merve / Xinhua

Quick exit: The Prime Minister of Madagascar, Roger Kolo, who has resigned. Agence France-Presse reported that his government's resignation on Jan 12 followed criticism of his handling of recurring power outages. Mika Rajaonarison / Xinhua

Twinkle, twinkle: Stars blanket the sky of the mountainous Nyanga region in eastern Zimbabwe on Jan 10. Nyanga, the highest point in Zimbabwe and with little human activity, is one of the best places to view a starry night in southern Africa. Xu Lingui / Xinhua

On parade: Actors perform in a minstrel carnival parade in Cape Town on Jan 10. Thousands of musicians, singers, dancers and tailors dressed in brightly colored outfits paraded through the city. Gao Yuan / Xinhua

Solemn meeting: Kenya's Deputy President William Ruto, right, greets the country's former prime minister Raila Odinga in Nairobi on Jan 7. Odinga's son Fidel, 41, was found dead in his residence in the capital three days earlier. Authorities have not established the cause of the death. Odinga had been seen as a potential political successor to his father. Fred Mutune / Xinhua

Presidential rally: Supporters of the ruling Peoples' Democratic Party candidate Goodluck Jonathan in Tafawa Balewa Square, Lagos, on Jan 8, when the official campaign began for Nigeria's presidential election next month. Jiang Xintong / Xinhua