World News Roundup: Venezuela navy confronts Exxon oil ship in Guyana border dispute; Sudanese police fire tear gas at protesting soccer fans

Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

Turkey bolsters military on Syrian border as U.S. readies pull-out

Turkey began reinforcing its positions on both sides of its border with Syria on Sunday, a Reuters witness said, as Ankara and Washington agreed to coordinate a U.S. withdrawal from Syria. The heightened military activity comes two days after President Tayyip Erdogan said Turkey would postpone a planned military operation on Kurdish YPG militia east of the Euphrates river in northern Syria following the U.S. decision to pull out.

Britain's Birmingham airport resumes services after air traffic fault

Birmingham airport in Britain has resumed services after suspending operations earlier due to an air traffic control fault, the airport said on Sunday. "Following the earlier air traffic control technical fault, Birmingham Airport has now resolved the issue and operations have now resumed", the airport said in a statement.

Venezuela navy confronts Exxon oil ship in Guyana border dispute

Venezuela's navy "intercepted" a ship exploring for oil on behalf of Exxon Mobil Corp in Guyanese waters over the weekend, Guyana's foreign ministry said in a statement, while neighboring Venezuela said the incident occurred within its territory. The latest incident in a century-old border dispute comes after a series of offshore oil discoveries have given Guyana the potential to become one of Latin America's largest producers. In OPEC member Venezuela, by contrast, crude output has tumbled to the lowest levels in nearly 70 years amid an economic crisis.

Sudanese police fire tear gas at protesting soccer fans

Sudanese police fired tear gas after hundreds of protesters spilling out of a soccer match marched down a major road leading toward the center of the capital, Khartoum, late on Sunday, demonstrating against President Omar al-Bashir's rule, a Reuters witness said. Amid a heavy police presence, the protesters gathered in Omdurman, just across the River Nile from central Khartoum, and chanted, "The people want the fall of the regime" and "Freedom! Freedom!".

Lebanese protest over economy and politics, briefly closing some roads

Several hundred people protested in Beirut on Sunday over the state of Lebanon's economy and politics with some demonstrators briefly blocking several main roads in the capital. The majority of the protesters gathered near the government headquarters where some wore yellow vests echoing France's "yellow vest" protests of recent weeks. Demands included free medical care, lower food prices and tax cuts.

Moroccan suspects in killing of Scandinavian women were acting alone, official says

Moroccan authorities believe four suspects in the killing of two Scandinavian women in the Atlas Mountains were acting on their own initiative, even though they had just pledged allegiance to Islamic State, an official said on Sunday. Boubker Sabik, spokesman for the Moroccan security and domestic intelligence services, also said the arrest of nine more people in the case had foiled a terror plot.

Advance U.N. truce monitors arrive in Yemen's Hodeidah

A U.N. advance team arrived in Yemen's port city of Hodeidah on Sunday to start monitoring a ceasefire and withdrawal of forces agreed by the Iranian-aligned Houthi group and Saudi-backed government forces, the United Nations said. The warring parties in Yemen's nearly four-year war reached the deal at U.N.-sponsored peace talks in Sweden earlier this month. The truce began on Tuesday but skirmishes continued on the outskirts of the city.

UK police release two people arrested in Gatwick drone investigation

British police on Sunday released without charge two people arrested in an inquiry into the illegal use of drones at London's Gatwick Airport that crippled operations for three days last week. Sussex Police arrested a 47-year-old man and a 54-year-old woman from the local area late on Friday after drones were flown onto the airfield between Wednesday and Friday, forcing about 1,000 flights to be diverted or canceled and affecting 140,000 passengers.

Japan emperor draws huge birthday crowd before abdication next year

More than 82,000 well-wishers paid their respects to Emperor Akihito who turned 85 on Sunday, his last birthday celebration at Tokyo's Imperial Palace before stepping down next year. The birthday of the emperor, whose position is ceremonial with no political power, is traditionally marked by a national holiday and an address at the palace, which opens to the public on the day.

Tsunami kills at least 222 in Indonesia after Krakatau eruption

A tsunami killed at least 222 people and injured hundreds on the Indonesian islands of Java and Sumatra following an underwater landslide believed to have been caused by the erupting Anak Krakatau volcano, officials said on Sunday. Hundreds of homes and other buildings were heavily damaged when the tsunami struck, almost without warning, along the rim of the Sunda Strait late on Saturday, Sutopo Purwo Nugroho, spokesman for the disaster mitigation agency, said.

(With inputs from Reuters)