* Blair denies ‘covert’ deal with Bush to invade Iraq Tony Blair has denied striking a “covert” deal with George Bush to invade Iraq at a private meeting in 2002 at the US president’s ranch.

* Israel Signals Tougher Line on West Bank Protests For more than a year, this village has been a focus of weekly protests against the Israeli security barrier.

* Hamas military commander ‘assassinated in Dubai’ A senior Hamas military commander has been assassinated by Israel in Dubai, the Palestinian Islamist group claims.

* Israel set to launch new spy satellite In an effort to beef up intelligence gathering in the face of Iran’s pursuit of nuclear power, will send a new spy satellite into space in the coming months.

* Obama: Israel’s Right hinders peace Israel’s rightist camp and Hamas are hindering the renewal of the Israeli-Palestinian peace process, US President Barack Obama says.

* ‘Bin Laden’ blames US for global warming A new message said to be from al-Qaeda leader Osama Bin Laden has blamed global warming on the US and other big industrial nations.

* Russia tests stealth fighter jet built by Sukhoi A new stealth fighter has made its maiden flight in Russia’s far east.

* Pentagon to detail new ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’ steps The Pentagon will unveil steps next week that the military will take to lay the ground for a repeal of its “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy, which permits gays to serve in uniform as long they hide their sexual orientation.

* India vs. China: Which Economy Is Better After Recession? In the inevitable comparisons that economists and businesspeople make between Asia’s two rising giants, China and India, China nearly always comes out on top.

* Right plans east J’lem counter-protest “We won’t be deterred from residing in any part of Jerusalem,” organizers say.