Nov 18 (Reuters) - The following are the top stories in the Wall Street Journal. Reuters has not verified these stories and does not vouch for their accuracy.

* The U.S. military's top commanders, amid a shrinking Pentagon budget, have agreed to a plan that would curb the growth of pay and benefits for housing, education and health.()

* The Obama administration's overtures to Iran are straining the U.S. alliance with Israel in ways not seen in decades, compounding concerns about the White House's ability to manage the Middle East's proliferating security crises. ()

* The dearth of borrowers illustrates the reality behind Japan's economic-policy experiment: It is easier to increase the money supply than to get people to put the cash to work. ()

* The asset-management industry is pushing back against a powerful, yet little known Treasury Department office that is laying the groundwork for tougher federal regulation of mutual funds and other asset managers. ()

* Boeing formally launched its 777X jetliner with record orders, as jet-buying commitments at the Dubai Airshow for Boeing and rival Airbus highlighted the growing ambition of Persian Gulf airlines. ()

* The committees that control consolidated data feeds for Nasdaq OMX Group and NYSE Euronext are nearing agreement on a plan to back up their data streams, according to people familiar with the matter. ()

* More than 15 percent of the factories in Wal-Mart Stores Inc's initial round of safety inspections in Bangladesh failed their audits and had to make improvements to keep doing business with the giant retailer. ()

* Suntech Power Holdings Co, mired in more than $2.3 billion in debt, would pay back about 30 percent of what it owes to Chinese creditors in a deal that would also keep its solar-equipment factories humming under new management. ()

* Bloomberg LP's news division will lay off about 50 people or about 2 percent of its newsroom, according to people familiar with the company's plans, the latest financial news and data provider to make job reductions. ()