Russia Judges began reading their verdict in the trial of Yukos oil magnate Mikhail Khodorkovsky and defense lawyers renewed assertions that the case was a Kremlin vendetta that would result in guilty verdicts on charges of fraud and tax evasion. Uzbekistan Tension simmered in eastern Uzbekistan amid heightened security and fears of more violence, days after a military crackdown that witnesses say killed hundreds of people in the autocratic ex-Soviet state in Central Asia. US The US Defense Department charged that a Newsweek magazine report of alleged desecration of the Koran at a US detention camp -- which sparked deadly riots in Afghanistan -- was "irresponsible" and "demonstrably false." Iraq Firebrand Shiite cleric Moqtada Sadr urged restraint and a leading Sunni organisation called for an investigation after the discovery of nearly 50 mutilated bodies revived fears of a sectarian flare-up in Iraq. NKorea North Korea held senior-level negotiations with South Korea for the first time in nearly a year, igniting hopes for a resumption of six-party talks to end a nuclear standoff. US Almost one third of the oil allocations granted under the United Nations' 1996 to 2003 Iraqi Oil-for-Food program went to Russian parties or individuals, according to a US Senate report to be released Monday detailing alleged misuse of the program. Kuwait Kuwaiti women were granted the right to vote and stand in elections in an amendment to the conservative Gulf emirate's election law passed by parliament. Iran Iran warned that an emergency meeting next week with the foreign ministers of Britain, France and Germany may have little chance of resolving mounting tensions over its nuclear programme. Bangladesh Bangladesh authorities said they feared at least 100 people had drowned after a ferry capsized in a remote southern area as relatives gathered to wait for news of missing passengers. Fbl US tycoon Malcolm Glazer said he had raised his stake in Manchester United to 75.7 percent, potentially allowing him to delist the world's richest football club from the London Stock Exchange.