AFGHANISTAN

Afghan and foreign forces clashed with Taliban militants in southern Afghanistan, leaving 25 suspected insurgents and two policemen dead, officials said.

The battles killed 20 suspected Taliban in the Dihrawud district of Oruzgan province and five in nearby Naish district.

Two police died in the Dihrawud clash.

In southern Kandahar province, meanwhile, a roadside bomb hit a patrol vehicle, killing four policemen, and militants opened fire on two newlywed couples in an SUV, killing them.

GEORGIA

President lifts emergency decree

The government lifted a nine-day state of emergency and President Mikheil Saakashvili appointed a new prime minister, banker Lado Gurgenidze.

Saakashvili promised not to impede opposition parties in the run-up to a Jan. 5 presidential vote. Western allies have been pressing him to lift the restrictions on media and demonstrations since a violent crackdown on protesters last week.

GERMANY

Train drivers end 62-hour strike

Train drivers returned to work today, ending the country's biggest rail strike, but the union threatened more strikes next week if it didn't get a new offer.

The 62-hour strike over pay hit freight and commuter services and raised fears about the effect on Europe's biggest economy. Some companies were forced to cancel shifts because of parts shortages, and shipping containers piled up in Hamburg, Germany's largest port.

The dispute between the GDL train drivers union and rail operator Deutsche Bahn started in March. The two sides are not talking, and the company has said it won't make a new offer.

COLOMBIA

Marines seize homemade sub

Marines seized a makeshift submarine capable of smuggling 12 tons of cocaine through the Pacific to Central America, making it one of the largest such craft found, authorities said. The nearly completed fiberglass submarine, found in a rural area in south Narino province, had space for four crew members.

From Times Wire Reports