Baldacci’s novel “Absolute Power” was adapted for the big screen in 1997 by director Clint Eastwood.

King did have kind words for Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling, calling her non-Potter debut, The Casual Vacancy, "fabulous."

The U.S. and its Western allies accuse Iran of seeking to develop a nuclear weapon. But Iran insists its nuclear programme is purely peaceful.

More than 100,000 people have died in the conflict, according to the UN, and millions have fled the country or been made homeless.

The earthquake struck Pakistan's thinly populated province of Baluchistan on September 24 and was felt across South Asia.