Blues legend B.B. King dies in Las Vegas at age 89

Blues legend B.B. King has died in Las Vegas at age 89, his lawyer says.

Attorney Brent Bryson tells The Associated Press that King died peacefully in his sleep at 9:40 p.m. PDT Thursday at his home in Las Vegas.

The one-time farmhand brought new fans to the blues and influenced a generation of musicians with his heartfelt vocals and soaring guitar on songs such as "The Thrill Is Gone."

King sold millions of records worldwide and was inducted into the Blues Foundation Hall of Fame and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

King played a Gibson guitar that he affectionately called Lucille and was not only the undisputed king of the blues but a mentor to scores of guitarists including Eric Clapton.

He was awarded his 15th Grammy in 2009 in the traditional blues album category for "One Kind Favor."

Death toll climbs to 96 in fresh Nepal quake

The death toll in a fresh powerful quake that hit Nepal on Tuesday has climbed to 96 and around 2563 others injured, Nepal Police said in its latest update on Thursday.

The 7.5- magnitude quake with an epicenter at Dolakha district, some 130 km east of the capital, suffered the maximum number of human loss as well as infrastructures damage.

Most of the cracked buildings, including houses, government offices and schools, have been badly destroyed by the latest quake.

More than 8,000 people were killed in a massive 7.9-magnitude quake on April 25 and some 17,000 were injured.

Nepal Army, Nepal Police and Armed Police Force along with rescue teams from different countries have been deployed for the rescue operation in such worst-hit districts as Kavre, Sindhupalchowk, Rasuwa and Nuwakot among others.

However, landslides triggered by the earthquake have obstructed roads and relief distribution in parts of the Himalayan country.

Obama meets two Saudi princes after King sent regrets

US President Barack Obama on Wednesday discussed US efforts to forge an international nuclear deal with Iran during talks with Saudi leaders and went out of his way to play down the absence of Saudi King Salman from a summit likely to be dominated by tensions over the topic.

Obama met with Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Nayef and Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman at the White House after King Salman pulled out of the visit.

"The United States and Saudi Arabia have an extraordinary friendship and relationship that dates back to (President) Franklin Roosevelt," Obama said at the start of the meeting. "We are continuing to build that relationship during a very challenging time," he said.

King Salman decided abruptly to skip the White House meeting and a summit of the Gulf Cooperation Council at the president's Camp David retreat in Maryland outside Washington on Thursday.

The White House has sought to counter perceptions that his absence was a snub that would undermine efforts to reassure the region Washington remains committed to its security in the face of Iran's power and influence.

Obama said he and the Saudi leaders would discuss how to build on a ceasefire in Yemen and work toward "an inclusive, legitimate government" in Saudi Arabia's impoverished neighbor, where a Saudi-led coalition has been bombing Iran-supported Houthi rebels.

He did not mention the Iran nuclear talks in his remarks to the media. White House spokeswoman Bernadette Meehan said the leaders discussed the "importance of a comprehensive agreement" between Iran and world powers "that verifiably ensures the exclusively peaceful nature of Iran's nuclear program," referring to efforts by the United States and five other world powers to reach an agreement on curbing Iran's atomic program.