Former South African President FW de Klerk dies at 85

FW de Klerk, the former president of South Africa and the last white man to lead the country, has died at the age of 85.

Mr de Klerk, who was also a key figure in the nation's transition to democracy, had been diagnosed with cancer this year, a spokesman said.

Mr de Klerk was head of state between September 1989 and May 1994.

In 1990 he announced he was releasing anti-apartheid leader Nelson Mandela, leading to multi-party polls in 1994.

This breaking news story is being updated and more details will be published shortly. Please refresh the page for the fullest version.

You can receive Breaking News on a smartphone or tablet via the BBC News App. You can also follow @BBCBreaking on Twitter to get the latest alerts.