VOA NEWS

August 14, 2016

From Washington, this is VOA news. I'm David Byrd reporting. Fighters affiliated with the Syrian Democratic Forces were celebrating Saturday on the streets of Manbij one day after seizing the northern Syrian town from the Islamic State group.



Footage broadcast by Kurdistan 24 TV shows scores of residents celebrating in the streets hours after SDF fighters captured the town.

???Abdel-Rahman Joma al-Salem is an SDF fighter. He said, "We cleaned Manbij from the mercenaries of Daesh and now we are clearing away the mines that were planted in the houses and the streets so people can come back."

Manbij is important because it lies on a key supply route between the Turkish border and the city of Raqqa, which is the de facto capital of the Islamic State group's self-proclaimed caliphate.



At least 10 children were killed when the Saudi-backed coalition bombed a school in the Houthi-held city of Sa'dah in northern Yemen. Dozens of others were reported wounded Saturday.

The aid group, Doctors Without Borders, condemned the attack, saying that all 10 dead and 28 injured were children between 8 and 15 years old.

The raids have resumed after the breakdown of international talks between Houthi rebels and the internationally recognized government of President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi.

The United Nations suspended peace talks in the country last week.

Rights groups and U.N. agencies say that more than 9,000 people have died in the conflict.

Also Saturday, Houthi rebels gathered members of parliament in Sana'a for the first time in two years in an attempt to assert their dominance over the internationally recognized government.



This is VOA news.



Track and field's world governing body says it has banned the only remaining Russian in Olympic competition from Rio de Janeiro's track and field events.

The IWAF said that the governing body revoked the eligibility for long jumper Daria Klishina based on new information it received last week.

The former European indoor champion was previously the only one of 68 Russians allowed to compete in the sport amid a massive doping scandal.

The IWAF had accepted her application because she is based in the United States. The rest of the Russian team was banned over allegations of a widespread state-sponsored doping program.

Klishina has appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport. A decision is expected either Sunday or Monday before the long jump competition begins on Tuesday.



Six people were injured when a man started a fire and stabbed passengers aboard a train in Switzerland Saturday afternoon. One of the injured was only six years old.

The assailant is a 27-year-old Swiss man who reportedly poured a flammable liquid into the train car before setting it on fire. He was also injured in the attack and has been transported to a local hospital along with the six victims being treated for burn and stab wounds.



Here in the United States, Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards says flooding has reached record levels in some part of his state following days of torrential rain.

At a news conference Saturday, Bel Edwards warned that official still don't know how bad the flooding will get. He warned residents not to rely on past experience when deciding on a course of action.

"... asking everyone to simply evacuate if you are supposed to do that, if you have been advised to do that. Stay off the road if you don't have to. And if you are gonna be on the road, be extremely cautious."

Edwards said that more than 1,000 people have been rescued so far from homes and cars and some from clinging to trees. He added that about 1,000 pets have also been rescued.



The man who brought to life the RoboDroid R2-D2 in the original Star Wars, actor Kenny Baker, has died after a long illness. He was 81.

Baker, who stood one meter 12 centimeters tall, was inside the mechanical costume for Star Wars, the Empire Strikes Back, the Return of the Jedai and three prequel films.

He was known for his own screen partnership with Anthony Daniels, who played the lanky gold and protocol droid C-3PO. The two have become some of the series most beloved characters.



I'm David Byrd in Washington.

That's the latest world news from VOA.