Iraq Insurgents unleashed suicide bombers against Iraq's embattled police, killing at least 23, as the majority Shiite alliance headed for a major victory in Iraq's historic election. Mideast The United States plunged back into the Middle East peace process as Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice named a pointman to help maintain security on the ground and announced visits by the Israeli and Palestinian leaders to the White House. 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 Foreigners will find it harder to seek work or shelter in Britain under proposals to be unveiled by the government, as Prime Minister Tony Blair focuses on the vote-winning issue of immigration. 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.