Hundreds of tourists are stuck on the Yemeni island of Socotra after flights were halted over clashes on the mainland, two officials and a travel agency told AFP Monday.

The island's deputy governor for culture and tourism, Yahya bin Afrar, told AFP: "We have more than 400 foreign tourists... their flights have been suspended." Another local government official gave a similar figure.

The European Union said Monday that member states had made "progress" towards approving the bloc's trade deal with the South American bloc Mercosur and that it hoped to sign the agreement "soon".

Diplomats have said the EU aims for a signature on January 12. European Commission chief spokeswoman Paula Pinho did not confirm the date but insisted the EU was on the "right track" to get the deal over the line in the near future.

EU chief Ursula von der Leyen will visit Syria later this week on a first trip to the country since the fall of Bashar al-Assad, a spokeswoman said Monday.

Von der Leyen will head to Syria as part of a tour of the Middle East that will also see her visit Jordan and Lebanon, spokeswoman Paula Pinho said.

Israeli authorities have told the Supreme Court that a ban on international media access to Gaza should remain in place, arguing it is necessary for security reasons, according to a government submission filed by the public prosecutor.

"Even at this time, entry of journalists into the Gaza Strip without escort, as requested in the petition, should not be permitted," said the government submission, a copy of which was obtained by AFP. "This is for security reasons, based on the position of the defence establishment, which maintains that a security risk associated with such entry still exists."

Turkey's annual inflation slowed in December to 30.9 percent, a fourth straight month of declines and well below the 44.4 percent posted in the same month of 2024, official figures showed Monday.

Vietnam said on Monday its economy grew 8.0 percent last year, thanks to gains in services, construction and exports and despite fresh U.S. tariffs taking effect.

"GDP in 2025 is projected to grow significantly at an estimated rate of 8.02 percent compared to the previous year," the General Statistics Office said in a statement.

A strike in south Lebanon has killed two people, with Israel saying it had struck a Hezbollah operative, the latest raids as Beirut seeks to disarm the Iran-backed group.

Despite a year-old ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah, Israel carries out regular strikes on Lebanon, usually saying it is targeting Hezbollah sites and operatives, and has maintained troops in five areas it deems "strategic".

Venezuela's interim president Delcy Rodriguez has called for a "balanced and respectful" relationship with the United States, a day after American forces attacked Caracas and captured leftist leader Nicolas Maduro.

"We consider it a priority to move toward a balanced and respectful relationship between the U.S. and Venezuela," Rodriguez, Maduro's vice president, wrote on Telegram.

Russia's overnight strikes on Kyiv province killed two people, Ukrainian authorities said Monday after a countrywide air alert was issued.

One person was killed in the capital, according to Tymur Tkachenko, the head of the city's military administration.

Iran accused Israel on Monday of trying to undermine its national unity after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu expressed support for protests in the Islamic republic.

"The Zionist regime (Israel) is determined to exploit the slightest opportunity to sow division and undermine our national unity, and we must remain vigilant," foreign ministry spokesman Esmail Baqaei said at a weekly press conference, before accusing Israeli and US leaders of "incitement to violence".