Three US women who were kidnapped in the West Bank today have been freed, say Palestinian security officials.

The rival Fatah and Hamas movements have agreed on a candidate for prime minister of their emerging coalition government, turning to a US-educated professor to end months of infighting and help lift a painful international aid boycott.

The rival Fatah and Hamas movements today agreed on a candidate for prime minister of their emerging coalition government in Palestine, turning to a US-educated professor to end months of infighting and help lift a painful international aid boycott.