6/27/06 World News: Palestinian Militants Claim to have Kidnapped West Bank Settler

Israel-Palestinians: A Palestinian militant group involved in the abduction of an Israeli soldier in Gaza now says it has also kidnapped a Jewish settler in the West Bank. The Popular Resistance Committee made the claim late Monday, but did not provide any evidence. Israeli radio quoted relatives of the settler as saying the man did not return home Monday night, and that a search is under way for him. Israeli troops with tanks and armored vehicles have been massing along the border with the Gaza Strip since the soldier's abduction.

Iraq: Another group of Iraqi prisoners has been freed under a national reconciliation plan Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki announced earlier this month. About 450 detainees were released today (Tuesday) from the U.S.-run Abu Ghraib prison west of Baghdad and other detention centers across the country. Several hundred detainees were freed earlier.

NoKor Missile: South Korean Foreign Minister Ban Ki-moon has met with his Chinese counterpart for talks on North Korea's suspected preparations to test fire a long-range missile. Ban's meeting today (Tuesday) in Beijing with Chinese Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing follows the release of satellite images that appear to show North Korea fueling a long-range missile.

Vietnam Politics: Vietnam's parliament has approved a new prime minister and president as part of a planned leadership change by the ruling Communist Party. Nguyen Tan Dung was elected today (Tuesday) to the post of prime minister by the one-party national assembly. The prime minister is the second most powerful figure in Vietnam, after the general secretary of the Communist Party.

Listen to our World News for details and other stories.