Thousands turn out to opposition-organised protests in South Africa to express deepening frustration over the country's power crisis. Also, in a rare trial of a former president, ex-Mauritanian leader Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz appears in court on corruption charges.

Police are searching for two gunmen who opened fire on guests at a birthday party in Gqeberha. There has been a growing number of mass shootings in South Africa in recent years.

More bodies were recovered overnight, and rescue operations are still ongoing. Most of the victims were police officers.

South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa was forced this week to cancel a trip to Davos by an escalating energy crisis that is inflicting rolling blackouts on the continent’s most developed economy.

Rescuers worked into the night in Turkey and Syria following Monday's devastating earthquake. But cold weather means time is short for possible survivors. More than 9,000 people have been killed. DW has the latest.

Freezing conditions have deepened the misery for survivors of the devastating earthquake that hit Turkey and Syria earlier this week.

Rescues provide a glimmer of hope among Turkey and Syrian quake ruins as toll tops 21,000.

The government will remove regulatory hurdles to invest in new electricity infrastructure. Loadshedding has almost brought South Africa's economic growth to a standstill.

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has declared a national "state of disaster" over the country's rolling power shortages. Energy provider Eskom says its ageing coal-fired power plants cannot keep up with demand and it's been imposing scheduled cuts. The blackouts are weighing on business activity and South Africa's economic growth.

Pretoria's Western allies are upset by South Africa hosting upcoming joint naval exercises with Russia and China. Historical ties between Moscow and the ruling ANC may explain President Ramaphosa's stance.

South Africa has begun military exercises with both China and Russia as part of a routine army drill. The joint training has drawn immense criticism from the West, coming nearly one year on from the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

A weekly news show produced with photos, videos and personal accounts from the FRANCE 24 Observers around the world - all checked by our staff here in Paris.