WORLD IN BRIEF : NICARAGUA : Sandinistas’ Strike Gains Momentum

A nationwide strike by Sandinista workers grew louder and more physical as pipe-wielding peasants and chanting students joined workers demanding a voice in the country’s economic policies. Union leaders estimated more than 85,000 people stayed away from work on the strike’s fifth day, but the government insisted the figure was much lower. The strike, called to protest President Violeta Barrios de Chamorro’s market-oriented economic polices, has spread to state-run banks and most of the government bureaucracy. Students, bus drivers and farm workers are also taking part in the walkout.