* Netanyahu urged to take tough stance during US visit Minister Shalom tells Likud convention PM’s trip to Washington crucial because ‘US is our greatest ally,’ but adds that ruling party ‘waved the flag of settlement, in case anyone has forgotten.’

* Khamenei cold to Obama overture Iran’s supreme leader accuses US of plotting to overthrow clerical regime.

* Academic Paper in China Sets Off Alarms in U.S. It came as a surprise this month to Wang Jianwei, a graduate engineering student in Liaoning, China, that he had been described as a potential cyberwarrior before the United States Congress.

* Obama Punished Israel by Diverting Anti-Iran Bunker Bombs Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu’s visit to the United States this week will include a demand that U.S. President Barack Obama release previously-promised bunker-busting bombs.

* Greek leader warns Berlin that EU at risk if no aid Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou implicitly criticised Germany on Saturday for opposing efforts to help his country out of its fiscal crisis, warning they risked destabilising the EU.

* EU capitals defend Ashton’s powers in diplomatic corps EU capitals are calling for more money and clearer powers for the head of the bloc’s diplomatic corps, as foreign ministers meet in Brussels on Monday (22 March) to review plans for the new institution.

* Analysis: Is there a shift in US military thinking? Defense officials worried that Petraeus’s comments are harbinger of weakened ties

* Haaretz fiddled with Obama poll Pollster says paper used figures misleadingly to make Obama look good.

* Iraq election commission rejects calls for vote recount Iraq’s election commission has rejected calls from the president and prime minister for a recount of votes cast in the general election on 7 March.

* State: Passover Sacrifice Would Provoke Muslims State attorneys asked for the Supreme Court to forbid Jews to bring sacrifices on the Temple Mount.