Kanye West to buy right-wing platform Parler

Ye, formerly known as Kanye West, has agreed to buy the self-styled "uncancellable" social-media platform Parler, the company has announced.

Last week, the star's Twitter and Instagram accounts were locked, after he posted anti-Semitic messages.

Parler has surged in popularity among US conservatives as the more mainstream platforms crack down on misinformation.

Ye "will never have to fear being removed from social media again", chief executive George Farmer posted.

The announcement, on PR Newswire, says: "Under the terms of their agreement in principle, the parties intend to enter into a definitive purchase agreement and expect to close during the fourth quarter of 2022."

The deal will include "ongoing technical support" from the company, it adds.

BBC News has asked Parler for more information about the "agreement in principle".

Ye - who changed his name in 2021 - wrote: "In a world where conservative opinions are considered to be controversial, we have to make sure we have the right to freely express ourselves."

He responded to his suspension by re-joining Twitter and tweeting he would go "death con three on Jewish people", earning him a second disbarment.

Parler, founded in 2018, says it has 15 million registered users.

Google and Apple's app stores and Amazon's web-hosting service suspended the platform after users posted videos and pictures of themselves breaking into the US Capitol building on 6 January.

But it was reinstated to the app stores after changes in leadership and its moderation policy.