Supreme Constitutional Court lays down the law on Smurf Islands: The Supreme Constitutional Court (SCC) has said lower courts have no say on any border demarcation agreements. The supremes set aside all verdicts issued by lower courts on the transfer of Tiran and Sanafir to Saudi Arabia pending their own ruling on whether the agreement is constitutional, Reuters reports. The SCC’s ruling refers to verdicts by the Supreme Administrative Court and the Court of Urgent Matters, according to Al Masry Al Youm. This comes a week after the House of Representatives approved the agreement, which is yet to be ratified by President Abdel Fattah El Sisi. Former State Council head Mohamed El Gamal tells Ahram Gate the agreement is a matter of sovereignty, which means even the SCC will see no grounds on which it could rule, leaving the House of Representatives having the final word. Once the House’s decision is published in the Official Gazette, the handover is effectively done, adds El Gamal.

…Meanwhile, there are apparently five international companies carrying out USD 750 mn worth of seismic studies in Egypt’s maritime limit under the demarcation agreement to identify potential oil and gas fields, said Oil Minister Tarek El Molla, according to Al Mal. The companies are due to present their reports by the end of the year. In confirming the studies, El Molla noted that it was Egypt’s border demarcation agreement with Cyprus that prompted the studies that led to the finding that the Zohr supergiant field fell in Egyptian waters.