WORLD IN BRIEF : NICARAGUA : OAS Raises Doubts About Fair Election

The Organization of American States said that intimidation and violence raise doubts about the chances of a fair election in Nicaragua next month. The OAS report said the source of some of the violence is unknown, although some cases can be traced to opponents of the Nicaraguan government, vaguely referred to as “armed groups of irregulars.” But the U.S. State Department pinned the blame on the government, saying the report shows a “striking pattern of Sandinista intimidation, harassment of the opposition and violence.”