So what precisely was the point of having a trial and passing sentence on Hamdan in the first place?

An American military jury sentenced Osama bin Laden’s former driver Salim Hamdan to five years and six months in prison tonight for supporting terrorism, far less than the minimum 30 years prosecutors had requested.

Taking into account some of the time Hamdan has already spent in detention, his sentence will run out in five months, although the Pentagon has indicated that it has no immediate plans to release him.

Here.

The Israeli national trade union centre Histadrut and the Palestinian General Federation of Trade Unions (PGFTU), both of which are affiliated to the ITUC, have reached a landmark agreement to protect the rights of Palestinian workers employed by Israeli employers, and to base future relations on negotiations, dialogue and joint initiatives to advance “fraternity and coexistence between the two peoples.” The current agreement draws on the terms of an initial 1995 agreement, which it had not been possible to fully implement in the intervening years.

The agreement follows on from that what was blogged on here back in October 07.