Lawyer Khaled Ali celebrates after the Supreme Administrative Court said two islands could not be transferred to Saudi Arabia, Jan. 16, 2017. (Amr Nabil/AP)A top Egyptian court on Monday overruled a government plan to transfer sovereignty of two Red Sea islands to Saudi Arabia, in a rare judicial challenge to the country’s authoritarian president, Abdel-Fattah al-Sissi. The verdict, by Egypt’s Supreme Administrative Court, rejected a government appeal of an earlier court ruling, and was “final,” according to Khaled Ali, one of the lawyers who challenged the transfer of the islands. Celebrations erupted outside the court on Monday, where protesters chanted against Sissi, according to the Egyptian novelist Ahdaf Soueif, who attended the hearing and posted updates on Twitter. Read more:Egypt hands Saudi Arabia two islands, outraging EgyptiansOutraged Egyptians protest deal that gave islands to Saudi ArabiaToday’s coverage from Post correspondents around the worldLike Washington Post World on Facebook and stay updated on foreign news

Source: Washington Post January 16, 2017 11:05 UTC