Quickies

– The Palestinian Centre for Human Rights reports on a new kind of x-ray machine being used on the Rafah crossing point in Gaza. Aside from serious health concerns, civil liberties campaigners in the USA and the UK have condemned the machines as a “voyeurs charter”. Civilians can be photographed naked by the Israeli authorities. Up-to-date news from Rafah can be found here.

– Despite American hostility, a “UN-appointed commission has strongly recommended the referral of the “heinous” crimes in Darfur to the International Criminal Court (ICC).”

– The Russians are bringing hate to Australia. Or so says Sydney’s Murdoch tabloid, the Daily Telegraph. This would be funny and completely irrelevant, except Rupert’s newly appointed editor, David Pemberthy, is clearly trying to beat-up issues furiously. As he said last week, “The bottom line is you’ve got to sell more papers. At the end of the day, that’s what it’s all about.” And here I thought fear-mongering should matter little in journalism.

– Adel Abdel Mahdi is the new Iraqi Vice-President. He’s a favourite in Washington, Paris and London because he’s a strong believer in privatising Iraq’s oil reserves and implementing the Bush administration’s agenda of economic reforms.