7 Tuesday news bites: Duchess Kate becomes a role model for ...

Morning team Mamamia. World events are coming to a head as we speak so we’ve put together the news bites that will help you get your head around it all. This morning’s bites are brought to you by Rick.

1. The fight to liberate Tripoli, and with it Libya, seems to have ended … but still no sign of Gaddafi

Libyan rebels claimed to have liberated the Libyan capital Tripoli as NATO continued its air support campaign this week. The whereabouts of the dictator they’ve come to oust, Muammar Gaddafi, are not known. He’s been in power for 42 years and now he’s assumed to be in hiding. South Africa denied having sent a plane to take the ‘tyrant’ (as described by USA President Obama) to safety. Government forces were handing themselves in and surrendering to ensure their own safety, days after relatives had fled the capital. For a full update on what’s happening – and what happened to lead to this – read our updated guide here.

2. Australia loses 29th soldier in Afghanistan

Tributes flowed last night as the news broke that a soldier whose tour only began in June had been killed by a roadside bomb near the Australian base of Tarin Kowt. It’s Australia’s 29th fatality in the region since the war began. A second soldier was wounded by the same bomb but is understood to be recovering.

3. About 400 protestors drive to Parliament House in ‘Convoy of No Confidence’.

Itwas a show of unhappiness with the carbon tax and the Federal Government as hundreds of truck drivers and their supporters drove to Parliament House and honked. The event defined the day in parliament as both sides angrily told the house which carbon pollution reduction policy was worse. The most bizarre part of the event was when broadcaster Alan Jones blamed the smaller turnout on the fact the Australian Federal Police ‘blocked thousands’ from even entering the territory in the first place, which the AFP later denied as categorically untrue.

4. Prosecutors agree to drop sexual assault charges against Dominique Strauss-Kahn

The New York prosecution team said the case ‘could not be proved further’ and prepared to end it, a decision which DSK’s lawyers said made him ‘grateful’. The legal team of the hotel maid who made the sexual assault allegations said the turn of events ‘denied the right of a woman to get justice in a rape case’. Mr Strauss-Kahn is the former head of the International Monetary Fund.

5. Duchess Kate becomes a role model … for some pro-Anorexia websites

Some dangerous United States websites that promote extreme weight loss are using the newly married Duchess as a benchmark for success, crowing about how much weight she has lost since her ‘chubby’ days. Victoria Beckham has also been included as a fine example on the ‘pro ana’ sites. The Butterfly Foundation in Australia has a support line if you know somebody affected by poor body image or eating disorders.

6. Kate Winslet rescues Richard Branson’s 90-year-old mum from island house fire

Yeah, that’s correct. She was staying with her boyfriend on the exclusive Necker Island owned by Branson when a tropical storm passed through and lightning struck the main home, sending it up in flames. Winslet carried Branson’s elderly mum to safety as the main house burned to the ground. Branson said he lost thousands of photos in the fire. The holiday island can be hired for $52,000 a night.

7. Man wanted for assault found hiding in wombat hole.

This one’s for the WTF files. Police spent days searching for the man with police dogs eventually tracking the man to the wombat hole in the far east Gippsland Region. It remains unclear how long the man spent down there.