On November 13, EU leaders gathered in Dublin for a summit the outside world had been watching closely, devoted substantially to artificial intelligence (AI).But by afternoon, the agenda had changed.

RIYADH, Nov. 15 (Xinhua) -- The Saudi-led coalition in Yemen said Sunday that it had intercepted and destroyed two ballistic missiles and three drones targeting Riyadh and the kingdom's Eastern Province.According to statements posted by the coalition's spokesperson on the social media platform X, its air defenses intercepted and destroyed two ballistic missiles launched by the Houthi group toward Riyadh.Residents in the Saudi capital heard explosions early Sunday, while mobile phone applications issued alerts.In three separate statements, the coalition said it had intercepted and destroyed three drones over the kingdom's Eastern Province.The coalition provided no further details about the targeted locations or whether the attacks had caused any casualties or material damage.

GAZA, Nov. 15 (Xinhua) - Al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas), confirmed on Sunday the killing of one of its senior commanders in an Israeli airstrike in the southern Gaza Strip.In a statement, the Brigades mourned Samir Mahmoud Abu Younis, 53, a member of its General Military Council and commander of the Rafah Brigade, saying he was killed overnight between Saturday and Sunday in what it described as an assassination.According to the statement, Abu Younis, a member of the first generation of the Al-Qassam Brigades, joined the group in 1991. He had previously been imprisoned in Israeli jails.The statement said Abu Younis had played a key role in planning and overseeing the Oct. 7 attack.Meanwhile, the Israeli army said in a press statement, Overnight Saturday, the IDF and ISA struck in the southern Gaza Strip and eliminated the terrorist Samir Mahmoud Hassan Abu Younis, commander of the Rafah Brigade in Hamas' military wing.The army added that Abu Younis directed the brigade's terrorists to advance and carry out terror attacks against Israeli civilians and IDF troops. Additionally, he worked to restore the force buildup of the brigade and the Hamas terrorist organization, which suffered severe damage throughout the war.Palestinian local and medical sources had earlier said that Abu Younis was killed in an airstrike targeting a tent in the al-Mawasi area, west of Khan Younis.

TEHRAN, Nov. 15 (Xinhua) -- Iran's Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC) said on Sunday that its aerospace force had targeted U.S. air defense radar station in Bahrain in a drone attack in the preceding hours.The attack, carried out with six drones against the radar system at the Al-Riffa helicopter base, marked the second phase of the decisive and crushing retaliatory response to the U.S. Army's flagrant aggression against Iran, the IRGC said in a statement posted on its official news outlet Sepah News.It added that the United States, which has faced complete failure in its plan to smuggle oil in the Strait of Hormuz under the guise of escorting ships, is now attempting to divert global public attention through small and misguided actions from the reality that the strait is closed.Any aggression by the U.S. enemy will be met with a harsher and more crushing response, the IRGC added.Also on Sunday, the IRGC Navy said that two violating oil tankers attempting to cross the Strait of Hormuz through an unauthorized route had exploded and caught fire after hitting naval mines.The oil tankers had turned off their navigation and automatic identification systems and attempted to transit the waterway stealthily, the navy said in a statement.Two other tankers that intended to cross the strait surreptitiously changed course and returned to the Persian Gulf waters after receiving warnings from the IRGC Navy's maritime traffic control in the Strait of Hormuz.Iran tightened its control over the strait on Feb. 28, barring safe passage of vessels belonging to or affiliated with Israel and the United States following their joint strikes on Iranian territory.

SANAA, Nov. 15 (Xinhua) -- Yemen's Houthi fighters seized key military positions in the southern province of Lahj early Sunday, advancing closer to the port city of Aden as government forces supported by the Saudi-led coalition struggled to contain their offensive, two military sources told Xinhua.The Houthis seized the strategic Kharaz military base and several surrounding mountain positions in Lahj's Al-Madaribah wa Al-Arah district, near the Bab al-Mandab Strait and the Gulf of Aden, following fierce clashes that forced government troops to retreat, the sources said on condition of anonymity.One military source on the ground described the loss of Kharaz as a major battlefield setback, saying the base had served as a crucial defensive line protecting the western approaches to Aden, the temporary seat of Yemen's internationally recognized government, and routes leading to the strategic Bab al-Mandab Strait.The Houthis are moving closer to Aden as government forces continue to lose ground, the source said, adding that retreating troops were building new fortifications along the city's western approaches to prevent further advances.The second military source attributed the setbacks partly to the poor performance of the Giants Brigades, a powerful military formation previously established by the port city of Aden. He said the force had suffered unexpectedly rapid defeats, reflecting a sharp decline in its combat effectiveness under the current Saudi-led military arrangements.He also cited divisions within the anti-Houthi camp, particularly tensions between Saudi Arabia and the Southern Transitional Council, an influential southern separatist group with substantial military strength that has largely stayed out of the latest offensive. Weakening the southern forces will only give the Houthis more room to advance, he warned.The reported gains highlight growing challenges facing the Saudi-led coalition's renewed offensive to secure Bab al-Mandab, a vital maritime chok...

YANGON, Nov. 15 (Xinhua) -- China's experience in poverty reduction, rural development, industrialization and technological advancement offers useful lessons for developing countries, a Myanmar expert has said.Naing Swe Oo, a senior advisory board member of the Myanmar Institute of Strategic and International Studies, told Xinhua during an interview on Saturday that China's rapid development over the past decades demonstrates how developing countries can draw on its experience and adapt relevant lessons to their own national contexts.He highlighted China's work in poverty alleviation, rural job creation, the development of model villages and towns, and the building of industrial and high‑tech hubs. These endeavours serve as examples for developing countries seeking to lift living standards and bolster their economies.On trade, he noted that a key lesson for Myanmar is to move past exports of raw materials and semi‑finished goods, develop higher value‑added products, and secure a stronger position within global supply chains.Naing Swe Oo also underscored the importance of human resource development, noting that Myanmar should pursue more scholarship opportunities at Chinese universities to cultivate skilled talent and boost its technological capabilities.

Iran's First Vice President Mohammad-Reza Aref has ordered the mobilization of all medical and emergency resources to treat those injured after a bus overturned in Ilam province, killing 12 people and injuring 16, Iran's official news agency IRNA reported on Sunday.