Monitors

The top diplomats from the United States and Russia clashed openly Tuesday about the role of international election monitors, adding to new strains in ties between the former Cold War rivals. Secretary of State Colin L. Powell and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei V. Lavrov differed sharply on the issue in remarks at a gathering here of the 55-nation Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe.

Minimed Inc., a Sylmar-based maker of high-tech products to treat diabetics, said Wednesday it has won Food and Drug Administration approval to sell its continuous blood-sugar monitor, giving it a foothold in the $3-billion market now dominated by giants Johnson & Johnson and Bayer. The device is designed to measure blood-glucose levels more precisely than the current finger-pricking method.

Threatened by a federal lawsuit over dangerous conditions at Los Angeles County's juvenile probation camps, county supervisors said Tuesday that they will hire a team of independent monitors to improve safety at the 19 facilities. "The county finally conceded it needed to address issues in the camps," Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky said. "The Department of Justice forced probation's hand."

Faced with a shareholder proposal that would link executive pay to fair labor practices, Mattel Inc. today will unveil an unusual monitoring plan under which outsiders such as community groups will inspect production sites to weed out any labor abuse. Although monitors at other companies report directly to the company--and their findings are not released--inspection reports for Mattel will be made public by an independent commission that will manage the monitoring program.

The campaign to succeed the late Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez is underway, and as with past campaigns in that country, passions are running high. Vice President Nicolas Maduro and opposition candidate Henrique Capriles exchange near-daily attacks, each accusing the other of everything from plotting murder to planning coups. But unlike in previous elections, the National Election Council has not invited international monitors to observe the April 14 vote. Instead, it has asked a handful of individuals and the Union of South American Nations to "accompany" the process - a far more limited role that does not provide them full and free access to polling places and does not allow them to make public statements questioning or criticizing the process.

BEIRUT — Large antigovernment demonstrations filled the streets of Syria on Friday despite reports of regime forces trying to prevent them from forming and, in other instances, shooting at protesters as an announced cease-fire continued to unravel. Activists said security forces fired bullets and tear gas at protesters in several areas across the country, ignoring the government's agreement to a peace plan that guarantees the right to demonstrate. Shelling also continued in Homs province, and at least 57 people were reported killed across the country.

BEIRUT - The United States and European Union slapped Syria with additional sanctions Monday, as international pressure and a United Nations-backed peace plan have failed to quell the violence in a 13-month uprising. Despite the presence of U.N. monitors in the country, President Bashar Assad's forces have continued to shell cities and shoot at protesters, killing dozens of people Monday, activists said. A day after a small team of observers visited the city of Hama, tanks shelled neighborhoods while security forces and snipers opened fire in other areas where there were protesters.

A Los Angeles County commission investigating jail abuse heard tearful testimony Monday from clergy and civilian monitors who worked in the lockups and said they witnessed deputies assaulting inmates and bullying witnesses to keep quiet. One jail monitor broke down as she recounted being intimidated by a deputy whom she said saw beat an unconscious inmate. A weeping jail chaplain described deputies calling him a rat after he reported another beating. In one case, a clergy member said he was told by gang member inmates that jailers had targeted them in retribution for the slaying of a deputy by members of their gang on the outside.

BEIRUT - Two days into a fragile truce, and the question many are asking is, when is a cease-fire no longer a cease-fire? On the second day of a United Nations-backed peace plan to end violence and unrest in Syria's 13-month uprising, mass protests returned to the streets and in some places were met with gunfire, killing at least eight people, according to activists. In other towns, soldiers and security forces stationed nearby allowed protesters to gather, but the very presence of armed government forces was a violation of the plan.