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The Egyptian authorities have suspended football league matches indefinitely after at least 22 fans were killed in clashes with police at a Cairo stadium.

People were crushed in a stampede after police fired tear gas at supporters of Zamalek who were trying to gain entry to a match against city rivals ENPPI.

The fans blamed police for forcing them through a narrow, fenced-in passageway.

President Abdul Fattah al-Sisi has expressed « great sorrow » over the deaths and promised an investigation.

The Egyptian Premier League was last suspended in February 2012 after 74 fans were killed in a riot at a match in Port Said.

The league resumed the following year, but supporters were banned from attending matches until last December. Since then, limited numbers have been allowed into stadiums.

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A Somali member of parliament has been shot dead in Mogadishu by Islamist militants from the al-Shabab movement, officials say.

Abdullahi Qayad Barre was killed near the presidential palace when gunmen opened fire on his car.

A spokesman for al-Shabab said the group had carried out the attack, and would target other MPs.

Barre’s death came amid tight security as lawmakers gathered to vote on whether to approve a new cabinet.

It is the latest in a string of assassinations of politicians in the war-torn country. At least five MPs were murdered last year, but Barre is the first to have been killed in 2015.

Al-Shabab described Barre as a « legitimate target », calling MPs « despotic infidels » who would continue to be targeted.

Al-Shabab, which is affiliated to al-Qaeda, was pushed out of Mogadishu, Somalia’s capital, by African peacekeeping forces in 2011.

But the group has waged a series of gun and grenade attacks to try to overthrow the government and impose its strict version of Sharia law.

The latest violence is an apparent attempt to discredit claims by the authorities and African Union troops that they are winning against al-Shabab.

Somalia’s parliament is also the scene of political infighting, prompting repeated warnings by international donors that the power struggles are stalling progress.

South Korea’s former spy chief has been sentenced to three years in jail for trying to influence the results of the 2012 presidential election.

Won Sei-hoon, who headed the National Intelligence Service (NIS) until 2013, was found guilty of violating election laws.

He was convicted of directing NIS agents to conduct an online smear campaign against the rivals of current President, Park Guen-hye.

Won was immediately taken into custody.

Under South Korean law, NIS agents are required to remain politically neutral.

Won ordered NIS agents to post messages and tweets online in support of Ms Park, who went on to narrowly win the election in 2012.

Some of the messages also ridiculed her rivals, saying they were « servants » of North Korea.

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Cyprus has denied Russian media reports that it is ready to lease two military bases to Russia.

« There is no question of Russian air or naval military bases on the soil of Cyprus, » said Foreign Minister Ioannis Kasoulides.

Earlier, Russian government newspaper Rossiiskaya Gazeta said Cyprus President Nicos Anastasiades would make the offer on an official visit to Moscow on 25 February.

Cyprus is in the EU but not in Nato.

The leasing deal would concern an air base near Paphos and a naval base at Limassol, according to Rossiiskaya Gazeta. Russia can already use the bases temporarily.

But Mr Kasoulides dismissed the leasing claim, saying « there has never been any request from Russia about this », the Cyprus News Agency CNA reported.

He said President Anastasiades was referring to « the renewal of a military co-operation agreement with Russia consisting of maintenance of military equipment sold to Cyprus years ago, as well as the purchase of spare parts according to existing contracts ».

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The prime minister this morning chaired a meeting of senior officials to discuss the impact on the UK of possible Greek exit from the eurozone – and to take steps to ensure British banks and companies would not be excessively damaged.

Attended by the head of the Treasury, Nick Macpherson, the Treasury’s director of financial stability, Lowrie Kahn, and the Bank of England’s international director Phil Evans, David Cameron asked for information on the impact on Greece and the rest of the eurozone of Greece leaving the eurozone.

The chancellor did not attend, because he is on his way to the G20 meeting in Istanbul – though he has been kept in the loop on discussions.

There was agreement that the probability of Greece adopting a new currency had increased, as per my column of this morning. However those attending still believe that some kind of compromise between Athens and other eurozone governments can be reached to keep Greece in the euro.

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