Egypt led the drop in Mideast stocks

FRANCE 24 spoke to Ramy Shaath, an Egytian-Palestinian activist who spent two and half years in jail in Egypt on accusations of aiding a terrorist group. He was a member of several secular political groups and a co-founder of the pro-Palestinian BDS movement. Shaath, who was never formally charged, described the conditions of his arrest, detention and finally his release from jail on January 8. He claimed "arbitrary detentions and arrests" increasingly account for "the majority" of inmates in Egyptian jails under President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi. He also said he understood that he was expected to keep silent following his release and had already received threats.

Egypt came back from a Sofiane Boufal penalty to claim a 2-1 victory over Morocco in their quarter final match on Sunday. Mohamed Salah equalised for the Pharao's before setting up Trézéguet in extra time to knock out the Atlas Lions. In the other game, Senegal's Sadio Mané returned to set up Famara Diedhiou for their opener only for Equatorial Guinea to respond through Jannick Buyla. But Cheikhou Kouyaté & Ismaïla Sarr made sure of the 3-1 win for the Lions of Teranga.

Twenty-six people died on Wednesday (February 2) after lightning struck a high-tension power cable on the outskirts of the Congolese capital Kinshasa, causing it to snap and fall on houses and a market, the authorities said. The victims included 24 women and two men, and another two people were seriously injured, Prime Minister Jean-Michel Sama Lukonde told reporters during a visit to the market.

ECOWAS leaders hold an emergency summit in Ghana after a series of coups on the continent. Also, Mali's cotton sector is hit hard by ECOWAS measures after its military coup. In Nigeria, an explosion on an oil vessel off the coast sparks fears of environmental damage; the fate of 10 crew members is also still unclear. And Egypt beat Cameroon on penalties to reach the Africa Cup of Nations final.

Egypt will be aiming to win a record-extending eighth Cup of Nations title when they face Senegal in Sunday's final.

Sadio Mane scored the winning spot-kick as Senegal claimed a first ever Africa Cup of Nations title with a 4-2 penalty shootout victory over seven-time winners Egypt following a 0-0 draw in the decider in Yaounde on Sunday.

The Lions of Teranga reign supreme! Senegal have put a new name on the AFCON trophy after beating Egypt 4-2 on penalties. It was a final of the goalkeepers as Senegal's Edouard Mendy and Egypt's Mohamed Abou Gabal, aka Gabaski, made some stunning saves to keep out the opposition. Gabal in particular thwarted a 5th minute Sadio Mané penalty. But after no team could be separated after 120 minutes, Mané made amends from the penalty spot to send his team into delirium. Jean-Emile Jammine is joined by Sports Editor Simon Harding, Sports Reporter James Vasina and Eurosport's Ruben Slagter for this special edition.

Fears that a Russian invasion of Ukraine could be imminent have sent jitters across global stock markets. In Europe, Paris's CAC 40 and Germany's DAX both fell more than 3 percent at midday. Russia's main stock market also saw a sharp decline, adding to last week's sell-off. Plus, after two years grappling with changes to their careers, a growing number of people in France are turning to the real estate sector to start a completely new job.

The three leaders discussed food security in Cairo as the Russian invasion of Ukraine sparks concerns about economic stability. Israel is also seeking to strengthen its alliances against Iran.

On Wednesday, fire gutted shops situated under the Apongbon section of the Eko Bridge in Lagos. Now, victims of the inferno are calling on the government to offer any form of assistance to help ease the feeling of hopelessness.

Find these stories and much more when you grab a copy of The Guardian on Wednesday.

Africa's rapidly developing cannabis industry could soon supply the entire world. Uganda is already cultivating medical cannabis for the German pharmaceutical market.