Thursday, November 24, 2011

Eliminated ?Loser? reveals 123-pound loss

By Ree Hines

Ousted ?Biggest Loser? contestant Bonnie Griffin had her ups and downs in the weight loss competition, from constant complaining to her farewell redemption, but in the end, it?s the results that really count. As Griffin revealed during a Tuesday morning appearance on TODAY, she?s found success.

?I started at 254 (pounds), and on ?The Biggest Loser? ranch, I lost 73,? she said. ?Since last August, I?ve lost 123.?

That loss marks a life-changing gain for Griffin, who said she now feels ?like a new woman? thanks to some basics she learned on the show

?My biggest thing was to combine the nutrition and the exercise,? Griffin explained. ?I never exercised, probably since I was a teenager.?

Now she?s finding new ways to get that all-important exercise.

?I did a Buddy Walk,? the 63-year-old revealed. ?I have a (13-year-old grandson with Down syndrome), and he?s awesome. ? The Buddy Walk is all about awareness of Down syndrome.?

To see how Griffin's former fellow competitors are doing, tune in to "The Biggest Loser" Tuesday at 8 p.m. ET on NBC.

Are you surprised by Bonnie?s big success? Share your thoughts on our Facebook page.

?

Related content:

Source: http://theclicker.today.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2011/11/22/8953552-eliminated-loser-reveals-123-pound-loss

involuntary manslaughter stevens johnson syndrome verdict in michael jackson trial verdict in michael jackson trial brian urlacher matt forte dr conrad murray verdict

HP ProBook 4430s


Big businesses and corporate IT departments may be able to afford to spend a grand or two when purchasing a business laptop, but the latest offering from HP caters to the little guy; the small business with a correspondingly small budget. For the price of an entry-level consumer laptop, you can pick up the HP Probook 4430s ($620 street), a slim, portable business laptop that won't embarrass you in front of a client or leave you high and dry during a major project.

Design
The HP ProBook 4430s has an all-metal design that brings to mind the MacBook Pro, but deeper inspection shows a myriad of differences. Unlike the MacBook Pro, with its silver unibody and rounded corners, the 4430s has a design that's all right angles, and a two-tone look that shows off its two metal constructions. The lid and palm rest of the sport bare brushed aluminum, but the frame is made of light and tough magnesium alloy. The underside is magnesium alloy as well, but it's hidden behind a coat of black soft-touch rubberized paint, which provides a better grip and traction than bare metal.

While most of the laptop features metal construction, you'll find black plastic surrounding the 14-inch screen. The display offers 1,366-by-768 resolution, which is average for this size screen, but the SRS Premium Sound does provide better than average sound, whether listening to music or teleconferencing. Speaking of teleconferencing, an HD webcam sits just above the screen, ready for use with Skype or your preferred video conferencing tool. It's also commuter friendly, weighing only 4.75 pounds, nearly the same as the Dell Vostro 3350 ($741 direct, 4 stars), though it's a bit bigger, measuring 1.11 by 13 by 9.26-inches (HWD).

The 4430s has a chiclet-style keyboard, and its matte-black keys are actually rather stout. Where many laptops use low-profile keys for a light and effortless typing experience, the keys of the Probook feel sturdy under the finger tips, and no comfort in typing is lost. It's also spill resistant, so you can use it during a working lunch without experiencing beverage anxiety. Below the keyboard is a multitouch trackpad that lets you scroll, swipe, and zoom with two or three fingers. The trackpad is covered with a layer of chemically-strengthened glass, which feels superb beneath the fingers, as do the separate right and left mouse buttons.

Features
The 4430s has a full feature set, offering three USB 2.0 ports, one USB 3.0 port, VGA and HDMI outputs, Microphone and Headphone jacks, a multi-format card reader (SD, MMC, MS/Pro), and an ExpressCard slot on the left hand side of the laptop. You also get a full selection of networking options, with Gigabit Ethernet, 802.11n Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth 3.0. The only feature that was missing was WiMAX or another wireless 4G broadband solution, as on-the-go connectivity is a must have for many business users. In addition to the regular collection of ports and connectors, the ProBook also features HP's ProtectTools, a built-in security suite that includes everything from secure log-in with fingerprint or facial recognition to full disk encryption and BIOS-level password security.

The 4430s is equipped with a DVD +/- RW dual-layer optical drive, though configurations are also available with Blu-ray. A 320GB 7,200rpm hard drive offers enough storage for all your daily work, and is the same size and speed as the hard drive found in the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 ($1,399.99 direct, 3.5 stars). HP protects this hard drive with its 3D DriveGuard, which automatically slows or stops the spinning disk when the laptop is moved or dropped. They further protect the laptop with a one-year warranty covering parts and labor.

Performance
HP Probook 4430s The 4430s is available in a variety of configurations, with a wide selection of processors, graphics solutions, and drives to meet whatever your specific needs may be. Our review unit, however, was equipped with an Intel Core i3-2310M processor, a 2.1GHz dual-core CPU from Intel's second-generation line-up. With 4GB of RAM, this combination offers significant productive power while still fitting into the budget of a small-business. In our PCMark 7 benchmark, the 4430s scored 1,988 points, on par with the consumer focused Toshiba Satellite L745-S4210 ($639.99 list, 3.5 stars) (2,035) and indicating that the system is well equipped to handle any business task you throw at it. In our CineBench R11.5 processor speed test, the 4430s scored 2.02 points, but it fell behind the speeds of other portable business systems that were equipped with Core i5 and i7 processors. For example, the Lenovo X1 scored 2.25.

Despite relying on Intel's integrated graphics, the 4430s still produced respectable scores in our graphics benchmark tests. In 3DMark 06, the 4430s scored 3744 points at medium resolution settings and 3181 points at full 1366 by 768 resolution. These scores show a huge improvement over the integrated graphics found in previous Intel systems, like the Dell Latitude E5510 ($884 direct, 4 stars), which scored only 1,864 (medium) and 1,418 (native). Even if you don't plan on gaming with the Probook, the graphics capabilities are enough that you could, with the 4430s producing 13.78 frames per second in Crysis and 13.1 fps in Lost Planet 2 when running at medium resolution settings. While neither game is playable at this level, and neither would even run at native resolution, these scores indicate that gaming is not out of reach for lighter 3D games like Team Fortress 2. More importantly, the underlying capability is strong enough to handle the graphics load of most any business application.

If your work ever ventures into the realm of multimedia presentations, you'll be pleased to know that the 4430s handles those demands as well. It completed our Handbrake video encoding test in 2 minutes 23 seconds, besting consumer oriented laptops like the Toshiba Satellite L745-S4210 (3:10) and HP Pavilion dv6-6013cl ($649.99 list, 4.5 stars) (3:13), and even edging past the Dell 3350 (2:33). It also cranked through our Photoshop CS5 test in 5 minutes 37 seconds, beating the Toshiba L745-S4210 (6:35) and HP dv6-6013cl (5:48), but failing to match the Lenovo X1 (3:55) and the Dell 3350 (4:17). While this performance won't match anything used by professional graphic designers, you can rest easy knowing that you can still do multimedia work on the road with the 4430s.

The 4430s comes equipped with a 6-cell 47Wh battery. In our MobileMark 2007 battery-life test it lasted 3 hours 31 minutes. This actually beats out the Lenovo X1, which managed only 3:10 with its 40Wh battery, but other systems are better equipped for the road, like the Dell Vostro (9:37, 80Wh), which offers a battery twice as large and lasts three times as long.

For small businesses having to make do with a tight budget, the HP ProBook 4430s provides a competent, professional looking laptop that can meet the demands of a busy professional, whether in the office or on the road. While you'll still feel the compromise in a few areas, like the lack of mobile broadband or the 3:31 battery-life, overall the 4430s is a solid solution for small business and home-based professionals. Anyone who demands faster performance or a better feature set will probably be better off with the Editors' Choice Dell Vostro 3350.

BENCHMARK TEST RESULTS:

COMPARISON TABLE
Compare the HP ProBook 4430s with several other laptops side by side.

More laptop reviews:
??? Asus Zenbook UX31-RSL8
??? HP ProBook 4430s
??? HP Pavilion dv7-6b55dx
??? Sony VAIO VPC-F237FX/B
??? Samsung Series 9 (NP900X3A-B01UB)
?? more

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ziffdavis/pcmag/~3/knNhj2Ql7BM/0,2817,2396788,00.asp

ron white ron white alcs alcs miguel cabrera pay it forward pay it forward

Wednesday, November 23, 2011

Gates testifies in $1B lawsuit against Microsoft

Microsoft co-founder and chairman Bill Gates leaves the Frank E. Moss federal courthouse in Salt Lake City, Monday, Nov. 21, 2011. Gates testified in a $1 billion anti-trust lawsuit brought by Novell Inc. (AP Photo/Jim Urquhart)

Microsoft co-founder and chairman Bill Gates leaves the Frank E. Moss federal courthouse in Salt Lake City, Monday, Nov. 21, 2011. Gates testified in a $1 billion anti-trust lawsuit brought by Novell Inc. (AP Photo/Jim Urquhart)

Microsoft founder Bill Gates arrives at the Frank E. Moss federal courthouse in Salt Lake City, Monday, Nov. 21, 2011. Gates was scheduled to testify in a one billion dollar antitrust lawsuit brought by Novell Inc. Gates, wearing a gray suit and a yellow tie, was the first witness to testify as Microsoft lawyers presented their case in the trial that's been ongoing in federal court in Salt Lake City for about a month.(AP Photo/Jim Urquhart)

John Pinette, left, and Microsoft founder Bill Gates arrives at the Frank E. Moss federal courthouse in Salt Lake City, Monday, Nov. 21, 2011. Microsoft's Windows 95 rollout presented the most challenges in the company's history, leading to several last-minute changes to technical features that would no longer support a rival software maker's word processor, Bill Gates testified Monday in a $1 billion antitrust lawsuit filed by the creator of WordPerfect. (AP Photo/Jim Urquhart)

(AP) ? Microsoft's Windows 95 rollout presented the most challenges in the company's history, leading to several last-minute changes to technical features that would no longer support a rival software maker's word processor, Bill Gates testified Monday in a $1 billion antitrust lawsuit filed by the former owner of WordPerfect.

"We worked super hard," the Microsoft co-founder said. "It was the most challenging, trying project we had ever done."

Gates was the first witness to testify Monday as Microsoft lawyers presented their case in the trial that's been ongoing in federal court in Salt Lake City for about a month. He is set to resume testimony Tuesday morning.

Utah-based Novell Inc. sued Microsoft Corp. in 2004, claiming the Redmond, Washington, company violated U.S. antitrust laws through its arrangements with other software makers when it launched Windows 95. Novell says it was later forced to sell WordPerfect for a $1.2 billion loss. Novell is now a wholly owned subsidiary of The Attachmate Group, the result of a merger that was completed earlier this year.

Gates said Novell just couldn't deliver a Windows 95 compatible WordPerfect program in time for its rollout, and its own Word program was actually better. He said that by 1994, Microsoft's Word writing program was ranked No. 1 in the market above WordPerfect.

Gates called it an "important win."

He testified later that Microsoft had to dump a technical feature that would have supported WordPerfect because he feared it would crash the operating system.

"We were making trade-offs," he said.

Novell argues that Gates ordered Microsoft engineers to reject WordPerfect as a Windows 95 word processing application because he feared it was too good.

WordPerfect once had nearly 50 percent of the market for computer writing programs, but its share quickly plummeted to less than 10 percent as Microsoft's own office programs took hold.

Microsoft lawyers say Novell's loss of market share was its own doing because the company didn't develop a Windows compatible WordPerfect program until months after the operating system's rollout.

Novell attorney Jeff Johnson has conceded that Microsoft was under no legal obligation to provide advance access to Windows 95 so Novell could prepare a compatible version. Microsoft, however, enticed Novell to work on a version, only to withdraw support months before Windows 95 hit the market, he said.

Microsoft lawyer David Tulchin said Gates decided against installing WordPerfect because it couldn't be made compatible in time for the rollout. He argued that Novell's missed opportunity was its own fault, and that Microsoft had no obligation to give a competitor a leg up.

"Novell never complained to Microsoft," Tulchin said during arguments Friday. "There's nothing in the evidence, no documents."

Johnson maintains Novell was tricked in violation of federal antitrust laws so Microsoft could monopolize the market.

"We got stabbed in the back," he said.

U.S. District Judge Frederick Motz on Monday denied a motion from Microsoft attorneys to dismiss the case as groundless.

Gates, a billionaire, began by testifying about Microsoft's history. He was just 19 when he helped found the company. Today, Microsoft is one of the world's largest software makers, with a market value of more than $210 billion.

"We thought everybody would have a personal computer on every desk and in every home," Gates said. "We wanted to be there and be the first."

___

Associated Press writer Jennifer Dobner contributed to this report.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/f70471f764144b2fab526d39972d37b3/Article_2011-11-21-Antitrust%20Lawsuit-Microsoft/id-650acff762434a9683dccabec51d0333

north dakota jobs referendum scarlett johansson glee project winner kris humphries remember the titans wale

Tuesday, November 22, 2011

Libya says Gadhafi son to be tried at home

In this image provided by the Zintan Media Center, Seif al-Islam Gadhafi, left, is guarded by a Libyan fighter as he is transported to Zintan, Libya, by a transport aircraft following his capture near the Niger border early Saturday Nov 19 2011. Moammar Gadhafi's son, the only wanted member of the ousted ruling family to remain at large _ was captured as he traveled with aides in a convoy in Libya's southern desert. (AP Photo / Zintan Media Center,HO) EDITORIAL USE ONLY LOGO MUST BE USED MANDATORY CREDIT

In this image provided by the Zintan Media Center, Seif al-Islam Gadhafi, left, is guarded by a Libyan fighter as he is transported to Zintan, Libya, by a transport aircraft following his capture near the Niger border early Saturday Nov 19 2011. Moammar Gadhafi's son, the only wanted member of the ousted ruling family to remain at large _ was captured as he traveled with aides in a convoy in Libya's southern desert. (AP Photo / Zintan Media Center,HO) EDITORIAL USE ONLY LOGO MUST BE USED MANDATORY CREDIT

FILE - In this Sunday, Aug. 21, 2011 file photo taken on a government-organized tour, Abdullah al-Senoussi, head of Libyan intelligence, speaks to the press as gunfire erupts all around the Rixos hotel in Tripoli, Libya. The Libyan information minister says Moammar Gadhafi's intelligence chief has been captured by revolutionary fighters in the south of the country. Mahmoud Shammam says that Abdullah al-Senoussi was captured alive on Sunday by a brigade from a southern region called Fazan.(AP Photo/Dario Lopez-Mills, File)

In this image provided by the Zintan Media Center that was taken Saturday, Nov. 19, 2011, revolutionary fighters and onlookers gather around the aircraft that transport Seif al-Islam Gadhafi to Zintan, Libya, following his capture near the Niger border. Moammar Gadhafi's son, the only wanted member of the ousted ruling family to remain at large _ was captured as he traveled with aides in a convoy in Libya's southern desert. (AP Photo / Zintan Media Center,HO) EDITORIAL USE ONLY LOGO MUST BE USED MANDATORY CREDIT

Eye glasses belonging to Seif al-Islam Gadhafi are seen after his capture in Zintan, Libya, Sunday, Nov. 20, 2011. The rebels who captured Moammar Gadhafi's son and one-time heir apparent say they will hold him until a court system is set up in Libya and are demanding that he be tried inside the country. Rebels from the western mountain town of Zintan captured Seif al-Islam Saturday in the southern Libyan desert, raising questions about whether they will turn him over to the new transitional government in Tripoli that took power after Gadhafi fell or to the International Criminal Court in the Netherlands, which wants to try him on charges of crimes against humanity.(AP Photo/Abdel Magid al-Fergany)

A stack of U.S. dollars found on Seif al-Islam Gadhafi after his capture are seen in Zintan, Libya, Sunday, Nov. 20, 2011. The rebels who captured Moammar Gadhafi's son and one-time heir apparent say they will hold him until a court system is set up in Libya and are demanding that he be tried inside the country. Rebels from the western mountain town of Zintan captured Seif al-Islam Saturday in the southern Libyan desert, raising questions about whether they will turn him over to the new transitional government in Tripoli that took power after Gadhafi fell or to the International Criminal Court in the Netherlands, which wants to try him on charges of crimes against humanity.(AP Photo/Abdel Magid al-Fergany)

(AP) ? Libya's new leaders said Sunday they will try Moammar Gadhafi's son at home and not hand him over to the International Criminal Court where he's charged with crimes against humanity. The government also announced the capture of the toppled regime's intelligence minister, who is also wanted by the court.

In one of several emerging complications, however, the former rebel faction that captured Seif al-Islam Gadhafi a day earlier is refusing to deliver him to national authorities in Tripoli, raising concern over whether he will get a proper trial and demonstrating the interim leaders' weak hold over their fractured nation.

In the capital, Information Minister Mahmoud Shammam said ex-Intelligence Minister Abdullah al-Senoussi was captured alive on Sunday by revolutionary fighters from a southern region called Fazan, not far from where Gadhafi's son was seized on Saturday while trying to flee to neighboring Niger.

Fighters tracking al-Senoussi for two days caught up with him at his sister's house in Deerat al-Shati, about 40 miles (70 kilometers) south of the desert city of Sebha, said fighter Abdullah al-Sughayer. There were few other immediate details on his capture, and it was not clear whether his captors would also resist turning him over to Tripoli.

Though they are wanted by the International Criminal Court in The Hague, Netherlands, Libya will likely seek to try both men at home.

Speaking earlier in the day, before al-Senoussi's capture, the information minister said Seif al-Islam, the ousted Libyan leader's one-time heir apparent, must be tried in Libya even though the country's new leaders have yet to establish a court system.

"It is only fair for the Libyan people that he is tried here. ... Seif al-Islam committed crimes against the Libyan people," Shammam told The Associated Press.

"The ICC is just a secondary court, and the people of Libya will not allow Seif al-Islam to be tried outside," Shammam said.

The ICC indicted the two men along with Gadhafi in June for unleashing a campaign of murder and torture to suppress the uprising against the Gadhafi regime that broke out in mid-February.

Al-Senoussi, Gadhafi's brother-in-law, was also one of six Libyans convicted in absentia and sentenced to life in prison in France for the 1989 bombing of a French passenger over Niger that killed all 170 people on board.

ICC spokesman Fadi El Abdallah said Sunday that Libya would have to convincingly lay out its arguments in what is called a "challenge of admissibility" if it wanted to try the two men at home instead of sending them to The Hague court.

"The issue is that there is already a case before the (ICC) court," he said. "Now Libya has a legal obligation under international law to present a challenge to say: 'We have this suspect and he will be dealt with under our national laws.'"

"... They will need to show that they have a serious, genuine legal system capable of functioning fairly in this case," he said.

Seif al-Islam, who was once the face of reform in Libya and who led his father's drive to emerge from pariah status over the last decade, was captured by fighters from the small western mountain town of Zintan who had tracked him to the desert in the south of the country.

He was then flown to Zintan, 85 miles (150 kilometers) southwest of Tripoli, where he remains in a secret location.

On Sunday, the fighters holding Seif al-Islam posted a video on YouTube of him saying an injury to his hand was the result of a NATO airstrike a month ago that struck his convoy in Wadi Zamzam, about 90 miles (140 kilometers) southeast of Tripoli. He said 26 people were killed in the strike.

Photos of him with three fingers of his right hand in bandages had raised questions about whether he was mistreated by his captors.

"The agreement is that I receive medical treatment here in Zintan because there is a medical team and they have the necessary anesthesia for an operation," he said.

In the video, he appeared in good health and was dressed in brown robes and a turban in the style of ethnic Tuaregs.

He seemed confident, even referring to those holding him prisoner as "brothers and family."

"There is no problem. We are talking and dialoguing and we have much to talk about," he said.

The faction of rebel fighters from the western mountains formed one of the key forces against Gadhafi's regime during the six-month civil war.

Even after Gadhafi's fall in August and after his capture and killing in October, Libya's numerous and sometime competing rebel factions have refused to disarm, raising fears of new violence and instability.

"We have priority over Seif al-Islam ? we caught him, and we were the forefront leaders in this revolution," said Tahir al-Turki, head of the small town's local council, explaining why he would not be sent to the capital.

"He will be safer with us in Zintan. We don't know who will take him or deal with him in Tripoli," he said.

That position shows how powerful regional factions backed by bands of armed fighters are able to act autonomously, even on issues of the highest national interest.

Shammam, the information minister, played down suggestions that a power struggle was brewing over the high-value prisoner or that the position of local officials was undermining the authority of the national leadership.

He said the national leadership had no objection to keeping Seif al-Islam in Zintan until a trial can be organized, but that the small town was not capable of organizing and holding the trial itself.

"If you catch a criminal in Texas, you're not going to bring him to Washington, are you?" Shammam told the AP.

Authorities in the National Transitional Council would also likely face challenges in organizing a trial.

Libya, under the elder Gadhafi's 42-year rule, had intentionally weak state institutions and a government that barely existed. Gadhafi, who held no title, had ultimate authority and did not want the development of any other power centers that might challenge him.

As a result, a capable court system, like other state bodies, must be built from scratch.

The International Criminal Court prosecutor Luis Moreno Ocampo told the AP Saturday that he will travel to Libya on Monday for talks with the NTC on where the trial will take place.

Ocampo said that while national governments have the first right to try their own citizens for war crimes, his primary goal was to ensure Seif al-Islam has a fair trial.

International human rights groups have called for Seif al-Islam to be quickly sent to the court in The Hague, Netherlands, citing the apparent killings in custody of his father and brother Muatassim on Oct. 20 as "particular cause for concern."

Meanwhile, new details emerged about Seif al-Islam's capture in which fighters swarmed a two-car convoy in the south of the country that some officials said was on its way to neighboring Niger. The car carrying him got stuck in the sand while trying to escape.

Al-Ajami al-Etery, who led the operation, said Seif al-Islam tried to hide his features by throwing sand on his face when he stepped out of his car.

"He said his name was Abdel-Salam and he pretended to be a shepherd, but we found him out and arrested him," he told the AP.

___

Al-Shalchi reported from Cairo. Associated Press writer Toby Sterling in Amsterdam contributed to this report.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2011-11-20-ML-Libya/id-2f2d90c0619049a08e76fbb59b69ad54

zip code finder zip code finder blackhawks tigers tigers rangers nlcs

Monday, November 21, 2011

Justin Bieber Goes Under the Mistletoe at American Music Awards


It hasn't exactly been a relaxing pre-holiday season for Justin Bieber. And the drama isn't even over for this young singer.

But Bieber isn't letting the controversy get him down, or change his plans. The guy just wants to spend Christmas under the mistletoe with you. With you. Baby, with you.

Watch below as Justin keeps his American Music Awards performance simple (and sexy!). There's no dancing, no crazy special effects. It's just this iconic artist, dressed in white, singing to his screaming fans. Okay, and maybe to Selena Gomez, as well. Enjoy now:

Source: http://www.thehollywoodgossip.com/2011/11/justin-bieber-goes-under-the-mistletoe-at-american-music-awards/

bob sanders evan longoria janeane garofalo janeane garofalo braves braves harrys law

UK's Hague: Syria to face more pressure (Reuters)

LONDON (Reuters) ? British Foreign Secretary William Hague said on Monday the international community would do as much as it could to turn up the heat on Syria after President Bashar al-Assad said he would not bow to pressure to crack down on protesters.

"We will increase the pressure on the Assad regime. I discussed this with the Secretary of the Arab League yesterday and I believe they will wish to do so at their further meeting tomorrow," he told BBC Radio in an interview.

"The behavior of that regime is appalling and unacceptable and of course we will do what we can to support democracy in Syria in the future."

Hague will meet representatives of various Syrian opposition groups in London later on Monday in an intensification of contacts with opponents of Assad.

"We're not at the point of a formal recognition of them ... partly because there are differing groups; there isn't a single national council as there was in Libya ... and the international community has not yet reached that point."

Hague said the international community had "done a lot" already to ratchet up the pressure on Assad, including imposing sanctions and stopping all of Syria's crude oil exports from entering European Union waters, representing a quarter of the regime's revenues.

"We are working this week on a further round of sanctions which I hope we can agree next week," Hague added.

(Reporting by Stefano Ambrogi; Editing by Steve Addison)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/europe/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20111121/wl_nm/us_britain_syria_hague

sandusky barbados raiders chargers latin grammys latin grammys ogopogo walmart black friday

Sunday, November 20, 2011

Gaddafi's son captured by Zintan fighters (Reuters)

TRIPOLI (Reuters) ? Muammar Gaddafi's son and once heir apparent Saif al-Islam has been captured in the southern Libyan desert by fighters who vowed to hold him in their mountain town of Zintan until there was an administration to hand him over to.

The fighters claimed his capture as gunfire and car horns expressed jubilation across Libya at the seizure of the British-educated 39-year-old who a year ago seemed set for a dynastic succession to rule the oil-producing African desert state.

Saif al-Islam and three armed companions were taken without a fight overnight, officials said, and he was not injured -- unlike his father, who was killed a month ago on Sunday after being captured in his home town.

"We have arrested Saif al-Islam Gaddafi in (the) Obari area," Justice Minister Mohammed al-Alagy told Reuters, adding that the younger Gaddafi, wanted for crimes against humanity by the International Criminal Court at The Hague, was not injured.

A photograph of Saif al-Islam showed him lying on what appeared to be a reclining sofa with his fingers wrapped in bandages and his legs covered with a thick, brown blanket. The wounds were apparently sustained earlier.

The Zintan fighters, who make up one of the powerful militia factions holding ultimate power in a country still without a government, said they planned to keep him in Zintan, until they could hand him over to the authorities.

Prime minister-designate Abdurrahim El-Keib is scheduled to form a government by Tuesday, and the fate of Saif al-Islam, whom Libyans want to try at home before, possibly, handing him over to The ICC, will be an early test of its authority.

Muammar Gaddafi's beating, abuse and ultimate death in the custody of former rebel fighters was an embarrassment to the previous transitional government. Officials in Tripoli said they were determined to handle his son's case with more order.

A fighter from the anti-Gaddafi force, the Khaled bin al-Waleed Brigade, which said it seized him in the wilderness near the oil town of Obari told Free Libya television: "We got a tip he had been staying there for the last month.

"THEY COULDN'T GET AWAY"

"They couldn't get away because we had a good plan," Wisam Dughaly added, saying Saif al-Islam had been using a 4x4 vehicle: "He was not hurt and will be taken safely for trial so Libyans will be able to prosecute him and get back their money.

"We will take him to Zintan for safekeeping to keep him alive until a government is formed and then we will hand him over as soon as possible," Dughaly said.

He added that Saif al-Islam, once seen as a reformer who engineered his father's rapprochement with the West but who is now wanted at The Hague for war crimes against the rebels, appeared to have been hiding out in the desert since fleeing the tribal bastion of Bani Walid, near Tripoli, in October.

Justice Minister Alagy said he was in touch with the ICC over how to deal with Gaddafi, either at home or The Hague.

He told Al Jazeera: "We Libyans do not oppose the presence of international monitors to monitor the trial procedures that will take place for the symbols of the former regime."

Other Libyan officials have said a trial in Libya should first address killings, repression and wholesale theft of public funds over the four decades of the elder Gaddafi's personal rule. After that, the ICC might try him accusing him of giving orders to kill unarmed demonstrators after February's revolt.

There was no word of the other official wanted by the ICC, former intelligence chief Abdullah al-Senussi.

Bashir Thaelba, a Zintan commander told reporters in Tripoli: "The rebels of Zintan announce that Saif al-Islam Gaddafi has been arrested along with three of his aides today," Thaelba said in remarks carried on Libyan television.

"We hope at this historical moment that the future of Libya will be bright."

The ICC's Office said on Saturday it had received confirmation of the arrest of Saif al-Islam, from Libya's Ministry of Justice.

"We are coordinating with the Libyan Ministry of Justice to ensure that any solution with regards to the arrest of Saif al-Islam is in accordance with the law," ICC prosecution office spokeswoman Florence Olara said.

In June the ICC issued arrest warrants for Muammar Gaddafi, Saif al-Islam and Libyan intelligence chief Abdullah al-Senussi on charges of crimes against humanity after the U.N. Security Council referred the Libyan crisis to the court in February.

The ICC said last month that Saif al-Islam was in contact via intermediaries about possibly surrendering, but that it also had information that mercenaries were trying to take him to a friendly African nation where he could evade arrest.

(Reporting by Alastair Macdonald and Gilbert Kreijger, editing by Peter Millership)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/africa/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20111119/wl_nm/us_libya

tom brokaw maria shriver andy irons ethan zohn jeremy mayfield occupy oakland general strike occupy oakland general strike