WORLD DIGEST || Woman who let girls starve to go free

Woman who let girls starve to go free

BRUSSELS

A woman who let two 8-year-old girls starve in a cellar and helped her pedophile husband carry out horrific abuse of other girls went from prison to a convent Tuesday, outraging Belgians who opposed the early release of one of the country’s most despised criminals.

The nation’s highest court approved Michelle Martin’s release after serving 16 years of a 30-year prison term for her role in the mid-1990s kidnappings, rapes and killings by her then- husband, Marc Dutroux.

Offer of recognition faces huge obstacle

AZAZ, Syria

In the foreign halls of power, the strategy is clear: Syria’s opposition should unite to present an alternative to Bashar Assad’s rule — a step France’s president says would lead to diplomatic recognition.

As a move toward unity, Syrian exiles from the main opposition Syrian National Council and other groups unveiled a blueprint Tuesday in the German capital of Berlin for transition to a democratic, transparent society free of religious and ethnic favoritism.

But rebels and civilians in the bomb-shattered Syrian town of Azaz near the Turkish border view such talk as hollow. They are deeply skeptical of all exiled leaders and believe what really matters is their fight on the ground to overthrow the regime.

Israeli court rules in activist’s death

HAIFA, Israel

An Israeli court on Tuesday cleared the military of wrongdoing in the death of a young American activist who was crushed by an Israeli bulldozer during a protest in the Gaza Strip nearly a decade ago, rejecting claims by her parents that the driver acted recklessly.

The verdict came after a seven-year legal battle waged by the family of Rachel Corrie, whose death remains a powerful symbol on both sides of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

For pro-Palestinian activists, Corrie has become a rallying cry and vivid image of what they say is Israel’s harsh repression of the Palestinians. In Israel, she is viewed as a tragic, manipulated figure who naively put herself into harm’s way in a fit of idealism.

Associated Press