Yemen A Yemeni court sentenced to death two Al-Qaeda militants over the October 2000 bombing of the US Navy destroyer Cole which claimed the lives of 17 US sailors. Another four defendents were given jail sentences ranging from five to 10 years. Italy Italians celebrated the release of two female aid workers who had been held hostage in Iraq with the country's two leading newspapers expressing the relief felt nationwide with the headline "They're Home" alongside pictures of the two smiling women. Britain British Prime Minister Tony Blair has defended his decision to join the US-led invasion of Iraq, disagreeing with UN chief Kofi Annan's assessment that the war was illegal. US Rebel violence in Iraq affects nearly every major population center and is more widespread than Iraqi government officials describe, according to a study by a private security company with access to US military intelligence and its own informants in Iraq, The New York Times said. Mideast A 13-year-old Palestinian boy was killed by Israeli fire when stone-throwing youths clashed with troops near the Jewish settlement of Netzarim in the Gaza Strip, medics said. Haiti Health care workers and rescuers from around the world struggled to meet the needs of survivors of the devastating floods unleashed by Tropical Storm Jeanne, feared to have killed over 2,000 people in this northern Haitian city. Thailand Tests to discover if a bird flu outbreak within a Thai family threatened a wider global pandemic continued as authorities here prepared to step up measures against the disease's spread. Britain Red-hot world oil prices simmered just above 50 dollars after a pledge by Saudi Arabia to lift output brought only fleeting respite to a market gripped by supply fears, analysts said. US Democratic White House hopeful John Kerry trailed behind US President George W. Bush in the latest polls, raising the stakes for their first debate two days before that face-to-face confrontation.