International news

Bangladesh clashes

Two supporters of the opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) have been shot dead in clashes with activists from the ruling party, the Hasina Awami League, and at least 15 people have been injured in the northern town of Natore. As violence continued, the leader of the BNP, Khaleda Zia, has been confined to her Dhaka office by police, but she has urged her supporters to take to the streets as part of a campaign to force Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to hold fresh multi-party elections.

2 killed in bombing of Greek oil tanker in Libyan port

The Libyan air force has attacked a Greek operated oil tanker in the militant controlled port of Derna, killing two of the crew and injuring another two, AFP reports. Aegean Shipping, which runs the tanker, said that no oil has leaked out and the company is as assessing the damage. A Libyan military spokesman said the tanker was “suspicious” and had been hit because it had not been inspected before entering the port. The Libyan military carried out several attacks on Derna last year in an attempt to weaken the Islamic militants, who have controlled it for the past two years.

Two Saudi guards killed in attack on Iraq border

Saudi Arabia’s Interior Ministry reports that two of its guards have been killed in a shootout and suicide attack on the kingdom’s frontier with Iraq. One of those killed was a senior officer, ministry spokesman Major General Mansour Turki told Reuters. An assault of the kind is rare, as the border is heavily defended by a series of raised earth barriers and fences. In the past, it was usually targeted from a distance.

All Indonesian pilots to attend pre-flight weather briefings – ministry

Indonesian pilots will be obliged to come for a briefing with an airline flight operating officer (FOO) before departure, the country’s Transportation Ministry has ruled. “By doing so, pilots will receive a complete picture about their respective flights from FOOs, including how to make emergency decisions with regard to possible weather challenges,” Transportation Minister Ignasius Jonan said Sunday, The Jakarta Post reported. Flight operation officers will also be make assessments of pilots’ health, officials say. Bad weather is believed to have been the "triggering factor" that resulted in the crash of AirAsia Flight 8501 with 162 people on board a week ago.

​Russia beats Sweden to reach world junior hockey finals

Team Russia has reached the finals of the 2015 World Junior Hockey Championship in Canada. Russia's players under 20 years of age defeated their Swedish rivals 4:1 in the semifinals of the World Cup. Russia will play Canada in the final scheduled for January 5 after it defeated Slovakia 5:1.