Egypt’s el-Sissi ratifies disputed Saudi islands pact

CAIRO— Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi ratified a disputed 2016 agreement under which his country would transfer control of two Red Sea islands to Saudi Arabia.

The ratification followed the June 14 approval of the agreement by parliament, despite court rulings to annul the transfer.

Critics say the islands were transferred in exchange for billions of dollars of Saudi aid. The government insists it would never cede Egyptian territory to anyone.

Meanwhile, in Saudi Arabia, a suicide bomber blew himself up near the Grand Mosque in Mecca as police disrupted a plot to target the holiest site in Islam just as the fasting month of Ramadan ends, security forces said.

The blast wounded six foreigners and five members of security forces, according to the Interior Ministry’s statement.