IS executioner 'Jihadi John' named as London tech worker

London (AFP) - "Jihadi John", the masked Islamic State group militant apparently responsible for beheading a series of Western hostages, was named on Thursday as Kuwaiti-born London computer programmer Mohammed Emwazi.

A Washington Post report citing friends, a leading think-tank researching foreign jihadists and a British security official quoted by the New York Times identified Emwazi as being the executioner.

The International Centre for the Study of Radicalisation at King's College in London said it believed the identity "to be accurate and correct".

"We're pretty confident that the right individual has been named," Shiraz Maher, a senior research fellow at the centre, told AFP.

He believed the leak had come from the United States and pointed out that "there are no further Americans being held hostage by Islamic State".

"I think the US chose to put this out," he said.

London's Metropolitan Police dismissed the reports as "speculation" and said it was "not going to confirm his identity" to protect human lives.

Cage, a civil rights group that was in contact with Emwazi for several years over his alleged harassment by British security services, said that while not 100 percent certain, they believed it was him.

"Jihadi John", nicknamed after Beatle John Lennon due to his British accent, is believed to be responsible for the murders of US journalists James Foley and Steven Sotloff, British aid workers David Haines and Alan Henning and American aid worker Abdul-Rahman Kassig.

He also appeared in a video with Japanese hostages Haruna Yukawa and Kenji Goto shortly before they were killed.

In the videos posted online, he appears dressed all in black with only his eyes exposed, brandishing a knife while launching tirades against the West.

Haines's daughter Bethany told ITV News that her family and those of other victims would "feel closure and relief once there's a bullet between his eyes."

- Stylish and polite -

Cage's research director Asim Qureishi described Emwazi as a "beautiful young man" who had been alienated by his treatment at the hands of the British security services.

Cage published correspondence with Emwazi in which he alleged that a British MI5 secret service agent named "Nick" tried to recruit him while interrogating him at Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport in 2009.

Emwazi said he was returning with two friends after they were expelled from Tanzania, accused of trying to join Islamist militants in Somalia but on a trip that he claimed was a safari holiday after finishing university.

"Why don't you work for us?" Emwazi quoted "Nick" as telling him. After refusing, he said the officer told him: "You're going to have a lot of trouble, you're going to be known, you're going to be followed."

After being refused entry to Kuwait three times, Cage said Emwazi left his London home in 2013 and that four months later, police told his family he had entered Syria.

The emails appear to point to growing radicalisation -- he finished one in 2010 saying: "May Allah get rid of the oppressors i.e. security agents".

- Ideology, not poverty -

Emwazi, said by Cage to be 26, was identified to the Post by friends and others familiar with the case, with one acquaintance telling the paper: "I have no doubt that Mohammed is Jihadi John".

The US National Security Council said in a statement that it would neither confirm nor deny the reports.

Emwazi is from a middle class family and earned a degree in computer programming.

Dozens of reporters gathered outside a modern property believed to belong to his family in the northwest London neighbourhood of Queen's Park.

Qureishi said the family did not believe the allegations against their son and were in a state of "absolute shock".

The University of Westminster said in a statement that it had a record of a Mohammed Emwazi leaving college six years ago and was setting up a pastoral team to provide advice and support to students.

"If these allegations are true, we are shocked and sickened by the news. Our thoughts are with the victims and their families," it said.

Emwazi is described as being quiet and polite with stylish dress sense. In one email to Cage, he complained about police going through his designer clothes.

The rights group claimed that Emwazi had "desperately wanted to use the system to change his situation but the system ultimately rejected him."

Maher said Emwazi's middle-class background belied the conventional wisdom "that terrorism is driven by people from socially deprived backgrounds".

He predicted that his apparent unmasking would deal a "psychological blow" to the IS group.

"They'll feel somewhat deflated that someone they wanted to preserve and protect as an asset has been outed in this way but it won't change anything day to day," Maher added.

British intelligence officers estimate that there are around 700 homegrown militants fighting for IS in Syria and Iraq.

My Bo-obs Are Too Big For My Clothe To Cover, It's Not My Fault — Actress Yvonne Jegede [PICTURED]

You have a penchant for revealing some parts of your body, may be your bobbis. Why?fff

"Well, it depends on the clothes. I have big bobbis, so, if the clothes are not big enough to cover my bobbis you would not blame me for that. I am not the person who made my clothes. I just put the clothes on," she said.

Amber Rose Fires Back at Kanye West on Twitter

Kanye West had to know this was coming.

After he ran his mouth about ex-girlfriend Amber Rose in a candid radio interview on Friday morning, she's fired back using the weapon of choice these days: Twitter.

In case you missed it, here's what Kanye had to say about Amber, whom he dated on and off for two years before ending their relationship in 2010. "It's very hard for a woman to wanna be with someone that's with Amber Rose," said Mr. Kim Kardashian. "I had to take 30 showers before I got with Kim." He also claimed that his one-time love is only famous because his wife wouldn't date him when he first crushed on her. "[Rose is] just soaking in the moment. If Kim had dated me when I wanted, there would be no Amber Rose." Ouch.

Rose's response was pretty much what you'd expect from the woman who's publicly dissed Kim as a "homewrecker" and has claimed an underage Kylie Jenner was dating 25-year-old rapper Tyga last week. And, let's not forget, speculated that Kardashian family friend O.J. Simpson is actually the biological father of Khloé Kardashian in their Twitter feud this week.

She finished up with, "Ppl make mistakes in life trust me I have. But when u bully other ppl and ur not perfect its so f--ked. I own up to every piece of my life."

Yeezus. Will these two ever stop hating on each other? More importanly, how can Rose possibly keep up with all her Kardashian feuds at this point?

WHO Approves Breakthrough 15-Minute Ebola Test

GENEVA, Feb 20 (Reuters) - The World Health Organization has approved the first rapid test for Ebola in a potential breakthrough for ending an epidemic that has killed almost 10,000 people in West Africa, it said on Friday.

The test, developed by U.S. firm Corgenix Medical Corp , is less accurate than the standard test but is easy to perform, does not require electricity, and can give results within 15 minutes, WHO spokesman Tarik Jasarevic said.

"It's a first rapid test. It's definitely a breakthrough," he said.

The standard laboratory test has a turnaround time of 12-24 hours. While the Corgenix test is not failsafe, it could quickly identify patients who need quarantine and make it much easier to verify rapidly any new outbreaks.

Procurement and roll-out of the test kits will not begin immediately because the company is still working out costing and needs a week or two more to finish administrative procedures with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Jasarevic said.

The health charity Medecins Sans Frontieres, which has been at the forefront of the fight against Ebola, had expressed an interest, he said.

The so-called ReEBOV Antigen Rapid Test involves putting a drop of blood on a small paper strip and waiting 15 minutes for a reaction in a test tube. It is able to correctly identify about 92 percent of Ebola infected patients and 85 percent of those not infected with the virus, the WHO said.

Knowing that margin of error is a major help, said Robyn Meurant, from the WHO's department of essential medicines and health products.

"The big fear has been that the market gets flooded with tests of unknown quality, or unknown performance, and with Ebola you need to know what are the limitations. A false negative has enormous implications. So does a false positive," she said.

"So this is not a perfect test but... for a rapid test, (it is) not too bad at all."

It would be especially useful if a cluster of suspected cases flared up, she said.

"If you had five patients with suspected symptoms and you went ahead and tested them and they were all positive you'd have a high degree of confidence that you've got Ebola."

Because of the margin of error, the Corgenix test would then need to be followed up by the standard laboratory test.

The WHO is still assessing four or five other rapid test candidates, but Meurant said it was not possible to say when the next approval might be.

Boxing: Floyd Mayweather will fight Manny Pacquiao on May 2

LAS VEGAS – After years of frustration and disappointment, following many starts and stops, perhaps the most talked about boxing match in history is finally a reality.

Floyd Mayweather Jr. announced Friday that he's agreed to fight Manny Pacquiao in a welterweight bout May 2 at the MGM Grand Garden in Las Vegas. It's a bout the public has been calling for since late 2009 and pits the two finest boxers of their generation in a historic event.

"I am very happy that Floyd Mayweather and I can give the fans the fight they have wanted for so many years," said Pacquiao, who signed the contract for the bout Thursday. "They have waited long enough and they deserve it. It is an honor to be part of this historic event. I dedicate this fight to all the fans who willed this fight to happen and, as always, to bring glory to the Philippines and my fellow Filipinos around the world."

The bout is expected to set numerous records, including purse size, live paid gate and pay-per-view sales. The cost of the pay-per-view has yet to be determined and won't be until there are deals with the distributors.

Formal details on the agreement have yet to be announced, but it's expected that Mayweather will have a 60-40 split advantage on revenues, with Mayweather making at least $120 million and Pacquiao $80 million.

"Floyd should enjoy being the A-side while he can," Freddie Roach, Pacquiao's trainer, said. "Because on May 2, Manny is going to put him on his backside."

The two nearly came to terms around the Christmas holidays in 2009, a month after Pacquiao stopped Miguel Cotto at the MGM Grand. It fell apart, though, when Pacquiao and promoter Bob Arum balked at Mayweather's demand for drug testing run by the United States Anti-Doping Agency during training camp.

There were numerous attempts over the last five years to reignite the talks. In 2011, then-HBO Sports president Ross Greenburg tried to act as a mediator between Mayweather adviser Al Haymon and Arum, but that didn't come to fruition.

In 2012, Mayweather, who was in Las Vegas, called Pacquiao, who was at his home in the Philippines, and offered him a guaranteed $40 million but with no pay-per-view upside. Pacquiao declined that offer.

Mayweather jumped from HBO, which had him under an exclusive television contract for much of his career, to Showtime in 2013, which seemed to be the death knell for the fight.

Mayweather has fought four of the six fights on his record-breaking Showtime contract and didn't have an opponent out there who would have made the kind of show that would resonate with the public the way a Pacquiao fight would.

Pacquiao remains under an exclusive television deal with HBO, so that further complicated the attempts to match the fighters. Only once previously, in 2002 when Lennox Lewis (HBO) and Mike Tyson (Showtime) fought, have the two premium cable giants gotten together to do a pay-per-view.

This most recent talks began in November and were started by CBS Corp. CEO Leslie Moonves, a longtime acquaintance of Arum's. Roach actually got them together by speaking to a friend of his who owns a Southern California pizza restaurant that Moonves frequents.

Moonves and Arum were joined in the talks by HBO CEO Richard Plepler. And while there were many false alarms along the way, they were able to get the deal done.

Arum told Yahoo Sports on Jan. 13 that Pacquiao had agreed to terms for the bout and that all that was required was for Mayweather to agree.

But because Mayweather, the pound-for-pound king and the sport's biggest pay-per-view attraction, had the upper hand and was dictating the terms, there was a lot of skepticism and back and forth. Several times, Mayweather went to social media to announce that no deal had been reached.

Mayweather and Pacquiao spoke face-to-face for the first time during these negotiations Jan. 27 at American Airlines Arena in Miami at a Heat-Milwaukee Bucks game. Pacquiao had served as a judge at the Miss Universe pageant in Miami two nights earlier, but because of bad weather on the East Coast, his flight to Los Angeles had been canceled.

As a result, he went to the game to see the Heat because he’s friends with Miami coach Erik Spoelstra. Mayweather, who owns a home in Miami, also attended the game and walked over to speak to Pacquiao at halftime. Later, Mayweather went to Pacquiao's hotel room and they had further discussions.

That led to intense speculation of an announcement, but it took several more weeks before the deal could be consummated.

Roach told Yahoo Sports in January that he'd already gotten bleary-eyed from watching film of Mayweather and coming up with a plan.

"It's a huge challenge for Manny, no question, but I think it's a fight that he can win," Roach told Yahoo Sports.

The intrigue in the bout comes about because they are not only widely regarded as the two best pound-for-pound fighters in the world but their styles are vastly different.

Mayweather is the brilliant tactician and one of the finest defensive fighters in the sport’s history. He has an innate sense of timing and can see punches coming that others can’t.

Pacquiao, a left-hander, is a powerhouse offensive fighter who has the speed and quickness to deal with Mayweather.

Former world champion Timothy Bradley, who has gone 1-1 in two bouts with the Filipino congressman and cultural icon, told Yahoo Sports last year that Pacquiao is an extraordinarily hard puncher.

"He hits hard, man," Bradley said. "It's a whole different level. You feel it when he hits you."

The result is the kind of boxer vs. slugger match that has long intrigued boxing fans.

And five years after it first was talked about, it's finally a reality, and the endless debates over who would win will be settled in the ring.

Kanye West Slams Ex Amber Rose: "I Had to Take 30 Showers Before I Got With Kim"

Your move, Amber Rose. After days of Twitter feuding between the model and Khloe Kardashian, Rose's ex and Khloe's brother-in-law Kanye West appeared on Power 105.1's The Breakfast Club, where he made it very clear whose side he's on.

Asked about his former girlfriend's recent disses against his wife, Kim Kardashian, and the rest of her family, the "Only One" rapper replied, "She's just soakin' in the moment. If Kim had dated me when I first wanted to be with her, there wouldn't be an Amber Rose." 

Driving his point home even further, he added, "It's very hard for a woman to want to be with someone that's with Amber Rose...I had to take 30 showers before I got with Kim."

West's slams are the just latest in the ongoing battle between Rose and the Kardashian family. Earlier this week, Wiz Khalifa's ex got into it with Khloe on Twitter, after the Keeping Up With the Kardashians star took issue with Rose's comments about Kylie Jenner, 17, and her relationship with Tyga, 25. 

Khloe mocked Rose's stripper past and then scolded her for talking about the Kardashians in interviews, to which the model responded with several tweets and memes blasting the famous reality TV family. She even insinuated in one message that O.J. Simpson was Khloe's real father. Other posts featured West, and made jokes about his wife having a sex tape.

Rose and the rapper dated from 2008 to 2010. Two years after their split, he coupled up with Kardashian, with whom he has a daughter, North.

Nigeria military says kills 300 Boko Haram militants in counter offensive

MAROUA, Cameroon/MAIDUGURI, Nigeria (Reuters) - Nigerian forces have killed more than 300 Boko Haram fighters during an operation to recapture 11 towns and villages since the start of the week, the military said on Wednesday, as regional neighbours also pounded the militants.

"Weapons and equipment were also captured and some destroyed," defence spokesman Major-General Chris Olukolade said in a statement. "However, two soldiers lost their lives while 10 others were wounded," he added.

It was not possible to independently verify the military's statement. Nigerian forces have in past been accused of overstating enemy casualties while greatly understating their own and those of civilians caught in the crossfire. 

Cameroonian forces supported by Chad's air force carried out air strikes and used heavy artillery against Boko Haram in the village of Gourgouroon, on the Nigeria-Cameroon border, Cameroon army spokesman Colonel Didier Badjeck said.

Boko Haram's relentless attacks on military and civilians have killed thousands since the group launched its violent campaign for a breakaway Islamic state in mid-2009, threatening the stability of Africa's biggest economy and top oil producer as well as that of the entire region.

Boko Haram was cited as a reason for postponing by six weeks a Nigerian presidential election that had been due to take place this past Saturday. In a video on Tuesday, Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau appeared in a video monitored by the U.S.-based SITE Intelligence Group in which he threatened to disrupt the upcoming vote.

But in the past two weeks the tide has appeared to turn against them, as neighbours Chad, Cameroon and Niger, all of whom are plagued by Boko Haram insurgents, have weighed in.

VICTORIES

Nigerian soldiers recaptured the strategic town of Monguno, on the shores of Lake Chad where the four countries meet, from Boko Haram on Monday. More than 5,000 people fled the town after the insurgents seized it last month.

Olukolade said troops had seized five types of armoured fighting vehicles, an anti-aircraft gun, 50 cases of bombs, eight different types of machine guns, some 50 cases of ammunition and 300 motorcycles the rebels use to launch attacks.

Chadian troops cleared Boko Haram out of Nigeria's Gamburu earlier this month. Niger soldiers shot dead a suicide bomber suspected of belonging to Islamist militant group Boko Haram on Monday after he tried to detonate an explosive belt near a military post in the southern Niger town of Bagara. 

Violence in the northeast has hurt the re-election prospects of President Goodluck Jonathan, accused of doing too little to protect civilians from the militants, although recent victories could swing public opinion in his favour. 

The growing cooperation between Nigeria's neighbours is also attracting donor support to fight the Islamists, with the U.S. army providing equipment and intelligence to allies.

Presidents from the 10-nation Economic Community of Central African States (CEEAC) pledged on Monday to create an emergency fund of 50 billion CFA francs ($87 million) to the fight.

NOLLYWOOD : Actor Intentionally Infects Wife With HIV

The Nollywood actor also revealed how he deliberately infected his wife with the deadly disease. Pulse reports that the actor, now a born-again Christian, who is based in Ghana, talked in an interview about how he went to Zambia for six months in April 2011 without his wife and two kids, to take part in plays teaching about HIV and AIDS. While there he enjoyed life, sleeping with about 80 women. 

“Life in Zambia was heaven on earth because we could enjoy life, moving in all places but I was missing my family. During that time I had quite a number of sexual activities and I slept with different women. When I came back home I never took care of the family. I started drinking life a fish and became an irresponsible husband leaving the entire burden to my wife,” he said.
The veteran actor also revealed that while knowing he could well be HIV positive, he infected his wife .

“I got tested while I was in Zambia after one of my girlfriends advised me about her pregnancy. She had gone for pregnancy tests and during that time she was tested for HIV and the results was shocking, she was positive. She forced me to get tested but I could not come to terms with the results. After I got tested I came back to Zimbabwe and I kept quiet about the issue. I never told my wife about the issue. I infected her but I regret. I later on received some counseling and it went well,” he explained

“During my peak of popularity I had sex with approximately 80 women, within Harare and Zambia. In 2002 it was so amazing to be on TV. I abused the fame. To make matters worse I lacked counseling and I failed to handle it properly, leaving me in this mud. I am now a born again Christian with UFIC under the guidance of Prophet Emmanuel Makandiwa.” he said.

WORLD: Leaders agree to Russia & Ukraine ceasefire

A deal to end the fighting Eastern Ukraine has been agreed at a summit in Belarus.

The leaders of Russia, Ukraine, Germany and France announced that a ceasefire would begin on 15 February.

The deal, announced after 17 hours of talks, also involves a withdrawal of heavy weapons from the front line. The leaders said Ukraine's pro-Russian rebels had signed it.

Thousands of people have been killed in the fighting in eastern Ukraine.

French President Francois Hollande said he and German Chancellor Angela Merkel would ask their European Union partners to support the agreement at a summit later in the day.

The deal includes:

• Ceasefire to begin on 15 Feb
• Heavy weapons to be pulled out
• All prisoners to be released
• Mr Poroshenko said Ukraine would establish control of international border by the end of the year

HEALTH : New Ebola cases rise again

GENEVA - The number of new cases of Ebola has risen in all of West Africa's worst-hit countries for the second week in a row, the World Health Organization (WHO) says.

This is the second weekly increase in confirmed cases in 2015, ending a series of encouraging declines.

The WHO said on Wednesday that Sierra Leone had registered 76 of the 144 new cases, Guinea 65 and Liberia three.

More than 9,000 people have died from Ebola since December 2013.

The WHO said that the increase highlights the "considerable challenges" that must still be overcome to end the outbreak.

"Despite improvements in case finding and management, burial practices, and community engagement, the decline in case incidence has stalled," the UN health agency said in a statement.

In another development, US President Barack Obama has said he will withdraw nearly all US troops helping to combat the disease in Liberia.

Only 100 of the 2,800 troops would remain in West Africa at the end of April, according to the Associated Press news agency,

Mr Obama said on Wednesday that the withdrawal marked a transition in the fight against the disease in Liberia but did not mean that the mission was over.

"Our focus now is getting to zero," he said.

NIGERIA : Goodluck Jonathan’s campaign billboard burnt in Abuja over election postponement

The incident was said to have taken place following earlier rumours that the Independent National Electoral Commission had postponed the February 14, 2015 Presidential election.

The billboard is located on the ever-busy Suleija-Kaduna Expressway at the Federal Housing junction, beside the office of the National Emergency Management Agency in Kubwa.

On it was boldly written, “On February 14, vote Goodluck, vote PDP, The Goodluck Thumb.”

It was learnt that the arsonist drove to the billboard, parked his car, brought out a tyre and set it on fire.

But the arsonist, according to officials of NEMA, who pleaded anonymity, came back in the night and on seeing that the fire didn’t do much damage poured petrol on another tyre and set it ablaze.

It was not however clear who was responsible and what prompted it.

But a taxi driver within the vicinity, who simply identified himself as Yahaya, said, “The incident happened following earlier rumours that the February 14 presidential election has been postponed.”

Our source saw ashes of the burnt billboard during a visit to the site on Sunday.

Some youths had recently pelted the convoy of President Goodluck Jonathan in Katsina and Bauchi states and burnt his campaign vehicles in Jos.

The Nigeria Posterity Project had expressed concern over the use of stones and destruction of campaign posters belonging to Jonathan by some northern youths.

According to the organization, northern leaders should tone down their utterances and allow free campaigns by all candidates in all parts of the country.

The National Coordinator of the NPP, Mr. Louis Ebodaghe, had said, “The burning of President Jonathan’s campaign vehicles in parts of the North and the pulling down of his posters in parts of the North can only be likened to Nazi Germany where, for the fear of Hitler, everybody must fly the Nazi flag even against their conscience. This cannot be tolerated in modern day Nigeria and should not be encouraged.”

Meanwhile, the All Progressives Congress in Cross River has disclosed plans to embark on a One- Million Youth March in the state to reiterate support for the party’s presidential candidate, Maj.Gen. Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), despite the poll shift.

The party condemned the postponement of the general elections earlier scheduled for February 14 and 28, saying it was obvious that the leadership of the PDP was afraid of impending defeat at the polls.

Speaking on behalf of the party after a crucial meeting on Sunday, the state APC Youth Leader, Mr. Effiom Otu, said the youth wing of the party would organise a one-million youth march in solidarity with the APC presidential candidate and other APC candidates to garner support for the party ahead of the elections.

Otu also said the youths had endorsed a door-to-door campaign for the party, adding that the objective was to educate and sensitise the electorate in order for them to be convinced.

He said the campaign would ensure that all the 2,283 polling units in the state were aggressively covered in the exercise.

Otu said, “We will organise a one-million youth march in the state capital soon in solidarity with our presidential candidate, Maj. Gen. Muhammadu Buhari (retd.) and other candidates to garner more support for the party ahead of the elections.

“We (the youths) have endorsed a door-to-door campaign for the party in the state. The objective is to ensure that those who hold suspicious view about the person and capacity of the party candidates for the election are educated and sensitised to jettison their held conviction.”

He castigated the Presidency for using insecurity as a reason for the polls shift, explaining that there was no strength in the argument advanced for the postponement.

Otu said, “The Presidency was caught in another web of cajoling by feigning insecurity as the reason for the postponement because it could not convincingly pull through the issue of PVCs collection as initial reason for the shift.

GRAMMY AWARDS: Birdman Denied Entry To Nicki Minaj’s Pre-Grammy Party

According to TMZ, Birdman and his huge entourage were turned away from Nicki Minaj’s Pre-Grammy party in West Hollywood early Sunday morning. Apparently, Birdman and his crew showed up to the party at 1:45 am to be turned away with an explanation that the club was about to close.  It could be as simple as that, but you would think that Nicki would make a way for the CEO of Cash Money Records, the parent company of her mentor Lil’ Wayne’s label, Young Money. Maybe Birdman was just too tardy for the party, or maybe Nicki is making it known who she is siding with in the beef Birdman is currently experiencing with Lil’ Wayne who wants to cut all ties with him and is rumored to be suing him for the advance of the delayed Carter V album.

In other news, Grammy weekend is shaping up to be pretty crazy. TMZ also reports that someone was shot to death outside of Hollywood’s Supper Club where Snoop Dogg, Schoolboy Q and Wiz Khalifa were partying inside. The rappers had nothing to do with the shooting, but police report two men were involved in an altercation which resulted in one man being shot in the head and rushed to the hospital where he died. Cops have a suspect in custody and say it looks like the men may have been gang-affiliated.

We hope these Grammy festivities can turn down just a tad so these celebs can win some awards, party safely and go home.

Cairo, Egypt: 25 people killed in Egyptian soccer match riot (PHOTOS)

A pickup truck bursts into flames as a riot breaks out outside of a soccer match between Egyptian Premier League clubs Zamalek and ENPPI at Air Defense Stadium in a suburb east of Cairo, Egypt, Sunday, Feb. 8, 2015.

 
CAIRO (AP) — A riot broke out Sunday night outside of a major soccer game in Egypt, with a stampede and fighting between police and fans killing at least 25 people, authorities said.

The riot, only three years after similar violence killed 74 people, began ahead of a match between Egyptian Premier League clubs Zamalek and ENPPI at Air Defense Stadium east of Cairo. Such attacks in the past have sparked days of violent protests pitting the country's hard-core fans against police officers in a nation already on edge after years of revolt and turmoil.

Two security officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the violence killed at least 25 people.

Egypt's public prosecutor issued a statement ordering an investigation. After convening an emergency meeting to discuss the violence, the Cabinet announced that it was postponing upcoming soccer matches until further notice, Egypt's state television said.

What caused the violence wasn't immediately clear. Security officials said Zamalek fans tried to force their way into the match without tickets, sparking clashes. Fans have only recently been allowed back at matches and the Interior Ministry planned to let only 10,000 fans into the stadium, which has a capacity of about 30,000, the officials said.

Zamalek fans, known as "White Knights," posted on their group's official Facebook page that the violence began because authorities only opened one narrow, barbed-wire door to let them in. They said that sparked pushing and shoving that later saw police officers fire tear gas and birdshot.

Fans of Egypt's Zamalek soccer team flock in droves outside the Air Defense Stadium to watch a match between Egyptian Premier League clubs Zamalek and ENPPI in a suburb east of Cairo, Egypt, Sunday, Feb. 8, 2015.

The Zamalek fan group later posted pictures on Facebook it claimed were of dead fans, including the names of 22 people it said had been killed. The AP could not immediately verify the images.

Egypt's hard-core soccer fans, known as Ultras, frequently clash with police inside and outside of stadiums. They are deeply politicized and many participated in the country's 2011 uprising that forced out President Hosni Mubarak. Many consider them as one of the most organized movements in Egypt after the Islamist Muslim Brotherhood, which the government later outlawed as a terrorist organization following the 2013 military overthrow of Islamist President Mohammed Morsi.

The violence comes as police face increasing scrutiny following the shooting death of a female protester in Cairo and the arrest of protesters under a law heavily restricting demonstrations. President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi has pledged to bring stability to Egypt amid bombings and attacks by Islamic militants, but also has said Egypt's emergency situation meant that some violations of human rights were inevitable, if regrettable.

Soccer fans hold lit flares at the stand as they watch a match between Egyptian Premier League clubs Zamalek and ENPPI at Air Defense Stadium in a suburb east of Cairo, Egypt, Sunday, Feb. 8, 2015

The deadliest riot in Egypt soccer history came during a 2012 match when Port Said's Al-Masry team hosted Cairo's Al-Ahly. That riot, at the time the deadliest worldwide since 1996, killed 74 people, mostly Al-Ahly fans.

Two police officers later received 15-year prison sentences for gross negligence and failure to stop the Port Said killings, a rare incident of security officials being held responsible for deaths in the country. Seven other officers were acquitted, angering soccer fans who wanted more police officers to be held accountable for the incident and other episodes of violence.

In response, angry fans burned down the headquarters of Egypt's Football Association, also protesting its decision to resume matches before bringing those behind that 2012 riot to justice. They've also protested and fought officers outside of the country's Interior Ministry, which oversees police in the country.

TERRIBLE: Newly-Married Couple Stabbed Themselves To Death, Abandoning Their Son (PHOTOS)

The 18-month old baby boy pictured with his deceased parents, Mr and Mrs Michael Tabacchi both died from stab wounds and were pronounced dead at Englewood Hospital and Medical Centeron Saturday, Februar 7, 2015. (Photo Credit: Facebook)

Residents woke up on Saturday, February 7, 2015 to be greeted with the shocking death of a newly-married couple who were stabbed to death from what the police referred to as ‘murder-suicide’ in their house at about11 p.m. on Friday, February 6, 2015.

The couple, Michael Tabacchi, 27, and Denise Pars Tabacchi, 41, were discovered dead in their home on High Street in ClosterNew Jersey couple have been found stabbed to death in their own home.

The deceased couple’s 18-month old son was found unharmed at the residence and is now being cared for by relatives.

The mystery surrounding the death of the duo is yet to be unraveled as different speculations crop up from people and investigators recovered a knife from the scene.

A police officer holds a roll of barrier tape outside the house in Closter, New Jersey. where a couple, Mr and Mrs Michael Tabacchi was found dead in a possible murder-suicide. (Photo Credit: Facebook)

 Some believe the couple must have stabbed themselves to death whereas others were trying to figure out which of the duo was responsible for the tragic death.

It was alleged that the man had initially sent a message to his parents inviting them to their house and on arrival, he was discovered dead together with his wife.

The parents raised and alarm which attracted the neighbours before the attention of the police was called to the scene, who arrived with an ambulance according to ABC 7.

They were rushed to Englewood Hospital and Medical Center nearby where they were confirmed dead by paramedics.

One of their neigbours Myles Evans said, ‘It’s shocking, yeah of course, I mean it’s especially heartbreaking because they looked like a young couple, and they have a baby – it’s terrible.’

The abandoned 18-month old baby boy and his deceased daddy, Mr Michael Tabacchi who was found dead with his wife on Saturday, February7, 2015 in his house in New Jersey. (Photo Credit: Facebook)

The Facebook page of the deceased man disclosed that they have been married for just nine months and neighbors say they couple moved into their home less than a year ago.

The Medical Examiners are left with the task of unravelling the mystery surrounding their death to determine who possibly who killed who.

INEC: Nigeria postpone February14 Presidential elections

The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, which oversees Nigeria's elections have postponed the  February 14 and 28 presidential and legislative elections for six weeks to give a new multinational force time to battle Boko Haram, and secure North East Nigeria.

According to reports presented by INEC to the Council of States meeting on Thursday, millions could be disenfranchised if the voting went ahead while the Islamic extremists hold a large swath of the northeast and commit mayhem that has driven 1.5 million people from their homes.

A major offensive with warplanes and ground troops from Chad, Cameroon and Nigeria already has forced the insurgents from a dozen towns and villages in the past 10 days. More severe military strikes by more countries are planned.

Officials in President Goodluck Jonathan's administration, political parties, presidential candidates, as well as civil society groups have been agitating for postponement, which is opposed by an opposition coalition fielding his chief rival, former military dictator Muhammadu Buhari.

Supporters of both sides are threatening violence if their candidate does not win. Already, hordes of southerners living in the North are moving back to their states of origin. Majority of them are Igbos from the five South East states. It will be recalled that southerners in the north were the biggest casualties during the electoral violence that followed Jonathan's victory over Buhari, back in 2011.

A postponement also will give INEC enough time over 30 million voter cards, which are still not given to voters, seven days to elections. The commission had said the non-delivery of cards to nearly half of the 68.8 million registered voters was not a good reason to delay the vote.