Iraq Kidnappers released four Egyptian engineers who had been abducted in the Iraqi capital 24 hours earlier, as a new internet statement raised hope Italian reporter Giuliani Sgrena could also soon be freed. Mideast The Israeli and Palestinian leaders will announce a ceasefire at their landmark summit in Egypt on Tuesday, aiming to end four years of violence and stoking hopes of a historic breakthrough in the peace process. Vatican Doctors believe Pope John Paul II is not well enough to leave hospital and have advised that he prolong his stay at least until the end of the week, despite an improvement in his general condition, the Vatican announced. Thailand Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra savoured his crushing election victory as critics voiced fears that the kingdom could effectively become a one-party state. Nepal Nepal's new government headed by the king has offered to hold unconditional talks with Maoist rebels to end an insurgency that has claimed more than 11,000 lives, state media said. Togo Togo's new President Faure Gnassingbe was sworn in to succeed his late father, west African strongman Gnassingbe Eyadema, in a move that sparked widespread criticism and produced a crackdown on dissent in the guise of national mourning. Britain Prime Minister Tony Blair's government proposed a raft of tough measures to make it harder for unskilled foreigners to seek work or shelter in Britain, including English tests and finger-printing. Spain Spain launched a major drive to grant legal status to an estimated half a million illegal immigrants already working in the country, but critics say the most vulnerable will not benefit from the scheme. Afghanistan NATO-led troops said it might take several weeks to recover all the bodies from the wreckage of an Afghan jet carrying 104 people, as search teams found the first human remains at the crash site. Russia Russian President Vladimir Putin sharply rebuked the government for moving too slowly to raise pay for military personnel, a highly-publicized reprimand that came as parliament prepared for a no-confidence vote in the government later this week. US A 2.5 trillion-dollar 2006 budget proposed by President George W. Bush would cut scores of domestic programs while boosting defense spending, with a projected deficit of 390 billion dollars. Cuba The land of legendary cigars imposed new anti-smoking laws aimed at protecting Cuba's non-smokers in a country where more than half of the adult population lights up.