Former US Navy Intelligence officer and convicted Israeli spy Jonathan Pollard has been cleared to travel to Israel despite his life-imprisonment sentence back in 1986 amid welcoming statement by top Israeli officials.

The United States formally withdrew on November 22 from the Open Skies Treaty, an 18-year-old arms control and verification agreement that Washington repeatedly accused Moscow of violating.

Sudan boycotted talks on Saturday between Nile Valley countries over Ethiopia’s controversial mega-dam, calling on the African Union to play a greater role in pushing forward the negotiations that have stalled for years. It was the first time that Sudan refused to attend talks with Ethiopia and its northern neighbor …