so i'm a bit nervous, but also grateful. ♪ >> reporter: b.b. king died in his sleep, age 89. >> for more on that story -- the u.s. military finds a marine helicopter lost in nepal while helping the nation deal with a devastating earthquake. the last amtrak car is pulled from the scene of the crash in philadelphia. today one of the victims is laid to rest. ♪ and saying good-bye to a blues legend. we remember b.b. king. ♪

this is al jazeera america live from new york city. i'm randall pinkston in for tony harris. military officials say there are likely no survivors from the crash of a u.s. marine helicopter crash in nepal. the chopper disappeared on tuesday, located in rugged terrain in eastern nepal. >> our prayers remain with the families of our marines and two nepalese soldiers now that the wreckage of their helicopter has been found in a remote part of nepal. they went to that remote land to help people who suffered devastating losses in the terrible earthquake. they represented truth that guides our work around the world when our friends are in need

america helps. sometimes those in uniform get attention only when there's a battle but they do so much more than that looking out for folks who are vulnerable or having a tough time experienced a disaster and it can involve great risk and great sacrifice. >> the crash site is an elevation of some 11,000 feet. recovery efforts have been suspended because of bad weather. >> due to the extremely difficult terrain, below freezing temperatures and violent winds and thunderstorms, i made the decision to cease the recovery efforts for this evening. we cannot afford to put service members at any further risk. at first light we will resume the recovery mission. we will continue to mourn the loss.

>> we have more from faiz jamil in kathmandu. >> reporter: the remains of the u.s. marine helicopter was found about eight miles out of a village about 80 miles from kathmandu. now the nepali ground forces and air force found the remains earlier today, and there had been a long search on for the marine helicopter. at one point u.s. satellites were even used to try to locate it. and an indian army helicopter reported on the day it went missing that they heard chatter from the u.s. helicopter saying they were having some sort of fuel problem. to washington now where president obama spoke about fallen police officers at the national peace officers memorial service on capitol hill. he called for community respect

on both sides to help heal the divide. >> we cannot erase every darkness or danger from the duty you have chosen. we can offer you the support you need to be safer. we can make the communities you care about and protect safer as well. we can make sure that you have the resources that you need to do your job. we can do everything we -- we have to do to combat the poverty that plagues too many communities in which you have to serve. we can work harder as a nation to heal the rifts that still exist in some places between law enforcement and the people you risk your lives to protect. >> 131 officers died in the line of duty last year. in new york friends and family are gathering on long island today to pay their navy

shipman who died in the amtrak derailment. all of the coaches will be examined at an amtrak facility in delaware. duarte geraldino is live from philadelphia. the first funeral happened today? >> yes he is the youngest of the victims. he was a sophomore at the navalal academy and about 150 classmates came up to pay his respects. this loss is devastating to his family. he was their only child, randall. >> amtrak's ceo says the company is take full responsibility for the accident. any word on how amtrak is reaching out to families of the victims and the injured?

>> they have contact information. they are offering to pay transportation costs, temporary lodging, medical and funeral expenses. but for a lot of people that is not enough and we're expecting more lawsuits. >> we understand there has been a lawsuit that has been filed by an amtrak employee what can you tell us about that. >> he was just a passenger on the train headed to new york. he is asking for more than $150,000 in damages and potential lost wages, and his position is whether it was human error or mechanical error, amtrak is to blame. 578 track will not comment on this open case, but they do have a federal limit of liability of $200 million per crash, randall. >> we just saw a picture of the engineer who was at the controls when the train went off of the tracks. any word on when they will be

talking to that train engineer the ntsb? >> we have contacted the ntsb and their official position is not for a few days but sources tell us it could be as early as today. we are expecting to speak with the ntsb later today, and we'll be waiting for that update. also the other big issue, there is all of this talk about these baking systems. we understand some were in place but simply not working. >> duarte geraldino, thank you. tune in to our special report tonight at 8:30 eastern. . in another train crash, no criminal charges will be filed against the engineer for the crash in 2013. prosecutors said he was sleep deprived and dosed off just before the crash. the ntsb says undiagnosed sleep

apnea, and a drastic shift in his work schedule were to blame. in boston jurors are deliberating for a third day on how to punish the 21 year old who was convicted on all charges related to the 2013 attack. jurors are deciding whether to sentence him to death or life in prison. the defense argues he was under the influence of his older brother. the remembrances are rolling in for blues ledge engineer b.b. king. the 89 year old died at his home in las vegas where he was in hospice care. president obama put out a statement saying: ♪ >> from sharecropper to

superstar, in a career that spans seven decades, b.b. king staked his claim as the greatest blues guitarist of all time. he grew up poor in the segregated mississippi delta where he started working in the fielding picking cotton at the age of seven, but one day an uncle gave him a guitar and a preacher taught him to play. he found work as a radio d.j. when he was 20. but built a following singing and playing guitar. soon he has a record deal. and simply became bb. >> when i'm playing, i want you, you, you and you, to get my story, get my meaning. what i'm trying to talk about, and being a male that liked

ladies usually my story had something to do with ladies. >> his famous lady was his favorite guitar. >> that's lucille. that's my girl. the only one that didn't argue with me. >> he recorded over 50 albums while still hitting the stage more than 200 times each year. a pace he kept up well into his 80s. >> i like to do what i'm doing, and would do it for nothing if somebody would pay my bills but they are paying me for something i like to do anyway. >> reporter: king's later years were a whirlwind of accolades for a life well loved, the world over. >> my neighbor and friend from mississippi, b.b. king please come up. >> reporter: he shared his beloved lucille with the pope. he won the presidential medal of freedom and of course he played for a king of sweden.

>> you might notice i'm a bit nervous. i have never met a king before. >> reporter: in the end he influenced generations of musicians, one had this reaction to king's death. >> i just wanted to express my sadness, and to say thank you to my dear friend b.b. king. i want to thank him for all of the inspiration and encouragement he gave me as a the years. >> reporter: he believes this world as a member of both the blues and rock and role hall of fame. he leaves this world with a legacy of unforgettable music. john henry smith al jazeera. like b.b. king i was born in the mississippi delta. he never forgot his roots running to our home state year after year for a blues festival named for him and numerous

charitable causes. i last saw him two years at. he made all of us proud. he was 89 years old. we'll be right back.

a former top aid to osama bin laden will spend the rest of his life in prison. a court sentenced him for his role in the 1998 embassy bombings in tanzania and kenya. 224 people died in those attacks. he was arrested in london and extradited to the u.s. in 2012. isil fighters have pulled off a major attack in iraq seizing control of a government compound in ramadi in the anbar province not far from baghdad. zana hoda has more. >> reporter: the symbol of government authority in ramadi is now under the control of

islamic state of iraq and the levant. it has long been a city that has been fought over. it was also the iraqi government's main strong hold in anbar province. but isil fighters launched an all-out assault on friday taking over the compound. they managed to penetrate using suicide bombers. government forces and their local sunni allies were not able to stop isil's advance. many were killed. it is a strategic blow to the authorities who have been losing ground in other areas of the province. the assault was part of a large-scale attack on government forces on multiple fronts in the province. late thursday isil used 22 suicide bombers to target the barracks of security forces in the town of garma. al jazeera america considered anbar strategic.

it has controlled most of anbar province before this latest assault. now it controls most of the capitol of the sunni heartland. people of ramadi were caught in the fighting and the fear is isil will punish those who cooperated with authorities. council officials are blaming the central government in baghdad for isil's huge gains. sunni tribes have been warning that isil would make gains if military reinforcements and weapons weren't sent to ramadi. but the government won't give them the weapons because they are suspicious of their loyalties. and the regular forces are too weak to fight alone. >> for months we have been complaining and telling the security ministries and prime minister there each part of [ inaudible ] working along with its own leadership there's no coordination. there's no strengthen with the

tribal members either by weapon or by even planning or training but yet there is no solution. >> reporter: after suffering military setbacks in other provinces. isil can now claim a victory just weeks after the government declared a military campaign to recapture anbar. zana hoda, al jazeera, baghdad. the head of the united nations cultural agency is sounding the alarm about isil fighters getting closer to the ancient city of palmyra in syria. >> our position is clear that heritage sites should not be used for military purposes but of course the news are alarming. i appealed yesterday to all parties concerned to protect palmyra and leave it outside of their military activity. >> it's famous for its 2,000 year old ruins. local activists say syrian par

planes were attacking isil positions on the edge of palmyra. syria has called on the international community to protect the ruins. a humanitarian situation in many rebel-controlled areas in syria appear to be worsening. government air strikes killed at least 39 civilians on thursday. our correspondent reports. >> reporter: for many syrian children this is the only way to find something to eat. some parents help them rummage through the garbage not far from 2k078 mass cuss. this woman says she struggles every day to feed her children. >> translator: what can we do? we don't have fuel neither electricity, even food. we don't have it. >> reporter: but that's not what you see on syria state tv where it looks like everything is under control. in this segment happy children are seen preparing for exams,

there is no mention of the war that has killed 200,000 people and continues to add to the 12 million who desperately need humanitarian assistance. activists say the conditions resemble those in [ inaudible ]. in 2013 the people agreed to a truce in exchange for food aid. but rebels say it has made the regime the only source of food and the soldiers control everything. >> translator: praise and thanks be to god. we pray to god every single minute to send us food to feed our little children anything, even bread. >> reporter: in geneva there is another round of talks in which the u.n. envoy is trying to bring all sides to the table. but many groups are noted a tending and insist that president bashar al-assad cannot be part of any solution and the syrian opposition in exile is not happy over the inclusion of

iran. activists rised the flags of the revolution during a visit by state media. this child was asked what happened to his school. he told the pro-government presenter about his school was destroyedgy the shells fired by assad forces. as all warring sides insist on being right, the fighting goes on and more neighborhoods continue to be turned into priels of rubble. now to burundi where the u.s. embassy is closed today. the department of state asking all non-emergency staff to leave the country because of violence after an attempted coup. some army leaders are reportedly in custody now that the president is back in the country. >> reporter: president pierre nkurunziza is back here in the capitol and it seems now decisive that the attempted coup has failed. soldiers loyal to the president and police around key locations

and out on the streets, some people have tried protesting people protesting in recent weeks against pierre nkurunziza's bid for a third presidential term in june's elections. but they were quickly met by gunfire from police and had to run away. activists say they will resume on monday but many activists themselves are now running into hiding fleeing the country or trying to hide in foreign embassies embassies, they say they are fearing for their lives. the government says those arrested in connection with the coo will face justice and will get fair trials. nearly 300 migrants were rescued aid off of the coast of libya, taken by a german warship to a port in sicily. italian officials say in the last 48 hours almost 3600 migrants have been rescued from

overcrowded boats. many migrants are also trying to get from myanmar to thailand or malaysia most are members of a persecuted sect the rohingyas, but they are being turned away. >> reporter: this is not a rescue. the thai royal navy found this boat off of the coast. it is filled with around 380 men, women, and children from western myanmar and bangladesh. the people on board say the traffickers and the captain escaped and they ran out of rice and water about ten days ago. they say 12 people died during the trip. >> translator: the people are starving and suffering from diarrhea. we don't have food or clean water, nothing to keep us alive. two more people over there are dying from starvation yesterday one man jumped off of the boat and drowned because he went crazy. at least ten people have jumped

ship. one died while some of the others made it to nearby fishing boats. >> translator: i don't have anything left. they killed my mother and relatives. the people in the village said they were going to malaysia so i made the decision to follow them. >> reporter: a few fishing boats pulls up to provide water and a sack of rice and it was a thai fisherman that apparently reported the boat to the navy. the navy was also trying to trace a phone signal coming from a passenger. >> really what should be done is thinking first and foremost about how lives can be saved, don't think yet about what you are going to do with these people. save the lives first give them medical care proper treatment, and then you can take the next step. >> reporter: many said they wanted to go to malaysia where their family members are. the thai navy say it sent the

night fixing the boat engine and then let everyone go. there may be as many as 8,000 migrant theres these seas but with every government in the region denying them permission to land they are just going nowhere slowly. >> reporter: now to another humanitarian crisis, the united nations says hundreds of thousands of people in yemen are in desperate need of aid. the ceasefire is holding for now, and humanitarian agencies are rushing to deliver food medicine, and fuel. but the international community is hoping to find a more durable solution. >> reporter: international aid agencies are frustrated and concerned because they haven't been able to get to the areas inside yemen because of the safety considerations. they would like to see the ceasefire extended for a longer period to be able to travel to areas across yemen and assess the needs of the population the

united nations envoy has described the situation, the humanitarian situation in yemen as catastrophic, and he said he would like to see the parties respect the ceasefire. now the saudis have accused the houthis of violating the ceasefire, saying their patience runs thin for the time being. the houthis are hitting back saying the saudi-lead coalition has also -- has violated the ceasefire. the international community is hoping to convince the saudis and the different yemeni factions to extend the ceasefire to pave the way for political talks but also to address the worsening humanitarian situation in the country. >> hashem ahelbarra in riyadh. the minnesota orchestra makes history tonight performing at a venue that for decades was off limits to american musicians. ♪

cuban officials will travel to the u.s. next week for another round on talks on reestablishing diplomatic ties. u.s. officials and the cuban

counterparts will sit down in washington to discuss reopening embassies which have been closed for 50 years. raul castro says he expects an exchange of ambassadors once cuba is taken off the list of state sponsorers of terrorism. the first u.s. orchestra will play in havana. >> reporter: the minnesota orchestra will be playing here in havana. the first of two performs will take place tonight. the musicians are also spending time coaching and playing with students. >> translator: we learn about their way of interpreting music, their open-mindedness about it about their principles everything. >> reporter: the visit is

historic on several months. it's the first visits to cuba in more than 80 years, and the first orchestra to perform since president obama took steps to normalize relationship early this year. >> i think music is a great and powerful element an essential element of our life and when someone is trying to build something new between two countries what could be better than music? >> reporter: the first will feature an all beethoven repertoire. coming up tonight, we'll have much more on the orchestra's historic journey to cuba. >> you can see more from usher tonight starting at 7:00 eastern. thanks for joining us. that's it for now. i'm randall pinkston in for tony harris. the news continues next live

from london. check out aljazeera.com. >> this is al jazeera. >> hello i'm mary ann namazi. this is al jazeera coming up in the next 60 minutes. fearsfierce fighting in ramadi. kept at sea a boat stranded off thailand with no country willing to take them in. the president of burundi returns to the capital after