Middle East & North Africa

(Reuters) --- Syria will hold a presidential election on May 26 that is virtually certain to return President Bashar al-Assad for a third term - an event that Washington and the opposition say is a farce designed to cement his autocratic rule.

Assad's family and his Baath party have ruled Syria for five decades with the help of the security forces and the army, where his Alawite minority dominate.

This year is the 10th anniversary of a bloody crackdown on pro-democracy protesters which triggered a civil war that has left much of Syria in ruins.

18 Apr 2021; MEMO: Senior Saudi and Iranian officials have held direct talks in a bid to repair their relations, four years after they cut off diplomatic ties, the Financial Times reported on Sunday, citing officials briefed on the discussions, Reuters has reported.

(Reuters) --- Iran has started the process of enriching uranium to 60% fissile purity at an above-ground nuclear plant at Natanz, the U.N. nuclear watchdog said on Saturday, confirming earlier statements by Iranian officials.

The move has complicated talks aimed at reviving Iran's nuclear deal with major powers as it is a big step towards producing weapons-grade uranium.

Iran had previously only reached 20% purity, and that was already a breach of the deal, which says Iran can only enrich to 3.67%.

18 Apr 2021; MEMO: The Islamic Resistance Movement Hamas has called on the Palestinian people to march towards Al-Aqsa Mosque and stay in its squares during the blessed month of Ramadan, protect it from the ongoing Israeli aggressions, and confront its vandalism.

SANAA, April 17 (Xinhua) -- Yemen's Houthi militia said they fired an explosive-laden drone on Saturday toward King Khalid Air Base in the Saudi southwestern city of Khamis Mushait.

"The hit was accurate," Houthi military spokesman Yehya Sarea said in a statement reported by the rebel group's al-Masirah TV.

Saudi Arabia has made no comment on the alleged attack.

18 Apr 2021; MEMO: There are no scheduled meetings between Pakistani and Indian foreign ministers during their visits to the United Arab Emirates (UAE), officials from both countries confirmed on Saturday, Anadolu Agency reported.

Pakistan's Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi arrived in Abu Dhabi for a three-day visit on Saturday and his Indian counterpart, S. Jaishankar, will visit the Gulf state on Sunday.

TEHRAN, April 18 (Xinhua) -- A 5.9-magnitude quake shook the Iranian coast of the Gulf near the city of Bandar Genaveh, at 0641 GMT on Sunday, according to the Iranian Seismological Center.

The epicenter was monitored at 29.76 degrees north latitude and 50.72 degrees east longitude, with a depth of 10 km, the center said on its official website.

18 Apr 2021; MEMO: Iran criticized the US on Friday for imposing new sanctions on Russia, describing the move as a "false step", Anadolu Agency reports.

Tehran firmly rejects fresh sanctions on Moscow by Washington, Foreign Ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh said in a statement.

It said Washington's addiction to sanctions against other countries based on groundless allegations has turned into an institutional approach and a change in government did not alter the approach.

18 Apr 2021; MEMO: The Turkish Coast Guard Command announced on Saturday that it rescued 41 asylum seekers in the Aegean Sea who were pushed back into Turkish territorial waters with one set on fire by the Greek Coast Guard, Anadolu Agency reported.

The command said on its website that coast guard teams were dispatched to rescue asylum seekers early Saturday off the Cesme district in Izmir province.

An asylum seeker with a burn on his leg was handed to Emergency Medical Personnel.

TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — Iran named a suspect Saturday in the attack on its Natanz nuclear facility that damaged centrifuges there, saying he had fled the country “hours before” the sabotage happened.

While the extent of the damage from the April 11 sabotage remains unclear, it comes as Iran tries to negotiate with world powers over allowing the U.S. to re-enter its tattered nuclear deal and lift the economic sanctions it faces.