The last breath Nelson Mandela drew was his own, free of any life support, in the presence of his closest family members, a media report says, as South Africans of all races and religions unite in an outpouring of prayer and song for the anti-apartheid icon.
ELSEWHERE:
KIEV - Pro-EU Ukrainian protesters have toppled a statue of the Soviet Union's founder Vladimir Lenin in Kiev after hundreds of thousands massed for a new protest in an increasingly tense stand-off with President Viktor Yanukovych's government.
WELLINGTON - One in six New Zealand kids are living in poverty, going without items such as fruit and vegetables, shoes and access to doctors, a new report has found.
TEHRAN - UN nuclear experts have inspected Iran's Arak heavy water plant for the first time since summer 2011, amid international concern that the half-built site may have a military purpose.
BEIJING - China has announced a ban on the serving of shark fin and bird's nest soup at official banquets, as part of a sweeping government crackdown on corruption and excessive spending.
NEW YORK - Indonesian-born wine dealer Rudy Kurniawan is set to go on trial in New York with prosecutors accusing him of masterminding a wildly lucrative fraud which saw ordinary bottles passed off as expensive vintages.
BANGKOK - Thai opposition MPs have resigned en masse from parliament, deepening the kingdom's political crisis as anti-government protesters vowed a final showdown despite an election offer from the embattled prime minister.