BBC News with Zoe Diamond

The governor of Texas Rick Perry has ruled himself out of the race to become the Republican Party's candidate in the US presidential election. At a news conference, Mr Perry said there was no

viable

path forward for him and he was abandoning his campaign. Here's our Washington correspondent Jonny Dymond.

"As a Texan, I've never

shied away from

a fight," said Governor Perry, "but I know when it's time to make a strategic retreat." The governor of a big booming state was expected to do well in the race for the Republican nomination, but on the national stage, he failed to shine with weak organisation and poor public performances. One moment in a televised debate will go down in campaign history.

"It's three agencies of government when I get there that are gone: Commerce, Education and the...what's the third one there? Let's see."

Governor Perry

endorsed

Newt Gingrich, the former speaker of the House of Representatives, a boost for the leading conservative in the Republican race.

Officials of the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas say the president of the Palestinian parliament, Aziz Duwaik, has been

detained

at an Israeli checkpoint. Mr Duwaik, a member of Hamas, was travelling between the West Bank city of Ramallah and Jerusalem when he was held.

Hamas controls the Gaza Strip. On Wednesday, Israeli aircraft attacked targets in Gaza, and troops hit targets near the border fence between Gaza and Israel.