The World Today – July 7

The leaders of the world’s richest industrialized countries confront their African counterparts at the G8 summit in Japan. At issue is a U.S.-led intitative to turn up the heat on Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe by increasing international sanctions.

Podcast: The World Today – Cyclone aftermath

Military rulers in Burma still reluctant to receive aid for cyclone victims.

Myanmar aid cease as UN food deliveries impounded by regime
“We’re going to have to shut down our very small airlift operation until we get guarantees from the authorities,” reported a furious World Food Programme regional director Tony Banbury.

Podcast: New information that Syria was developing nuclear reactor

The World Today
• Fall-out from the release in Washington of pictures and other information U.S. Intelligence officials say prove Syria was developing a nuclear reactor in order to produce atomic weapons
• Israel apparently informed Washington about its intention to bomb the Syrian facility before it did so.
•International Atomic Energy Agency is outraged that the U.S.
apparently approved the Israeli raid on Syria.

U.N.: Darfur death toll 300,000

As many as 300,000 people may have died in the five-year conflict in Darfur, a dramatic increase over earlier estimates of 200,000, a top U.N. official said on Tuesday.