Libya's transitional government has announced the country's formal liberation before a jubilant crowd in Benghazi. Tens of thousands of people packed Freedom Square to hear that announcement. A new government is expected to be formed within a month and elections will be held within eight months.

 

Voting has started in Tunisia in the first free elections of the Arab Spring. Tunisians are electing a constituent assembly which will draft a new constitution and then appoint an interim president who will choose a new government. The Islamist party Ennahda is expected to win most of the votes. The uprisings that have swept the Arab world began in Tunisia 10 months ago.

 

The Queen and Prince Philip are heading to Brisbane this morning for a whirlwind four-hour tour of the city. The royal couple will start their visit with a cruise along the Brisbane River. They’ll then meet emergency personnel and victims of Queensland’s cyclone and floods.

 

And the first-class action to arise from Victoria's Black Saturday bushfires has now been settled. Electricity distributor Powercor has agreed to pay Horsham residents and businesses up to $40 million. Faulty power lines owned by the company were found to have caused the fire.