Briefly
Pakistan: Captured bin Laden aide wounded, defiant, medics say
Despite three gunshot wounds, a top Osama bin Laden lieutenant remained composed and defiant when he was taken into U.S. custody last week, medical staff who treated him said Saturday.
Abu Zubaydah was shot in the stomach and leg during a joint U.S.-Pakistani raid March 28 on a hide-out in the southern city of Faisalabad, doctors said by telephone on condition of anonymity.
Abu Zubaydah is the highest ranking al-Qaida figure in U.S. custody. With bin Laden and his deputy, Ayman al-Zawahri, in hiding, the 31-year-old Saudi-born Palestinian had taken over effective control of the organization, Afghan sources said.
New Hampshire: Coach poisons himself after sex-crime conviction
A high school basketball coach who was convicted of sexually assaulting a boy at an athletic camp apparently ingested cyanide Thursday in court moments after hearing the verdict.
Lowell Hall, 34, of Quincy, Mass., lay foaming at the mouth and writhing on the courtroom floor before he lapsed into unconsciousness.
Hall, a special education teacher, was taken from Merrimack County Superior Court to a hospital and later airlifted to another facility in Massachusetts.
His lawyer, Mark Sisti, told the Concord Monitor on Friday that he believed his client was recovering.
Michigan: Kmart says court wants chain’s auto centers open
A bankruptcy court on Saturday issued a temporary restraining order requiring Penske Auto Centers to continue operating service centers at Kmart Corp. locations in 44 states, the discount retailer said.
The order was issued the same day Penske Auto Centers LLC had planned to close 563 centers at Kmart locations.
U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Susan Pierson Sonderby’s order prohibits Penske from taking any action to close or liquidate the centers.
Penske Corp., founded by former race car driver Roger Penske, purchased the centers from Kmart in 1995. Telephone calls to Penske were not immediately returned Saturday.
Troy-based Kmart filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on Jan. 22. Last month, it announced it would close more than 280 stores.
Pakistan: Leader’s call for referendum criticized at home, abroad
A plan by Pakistan’s military ruler to use a referendum to stay in power drew fire Saturday from opponents at home and international partners abroad. A U.S. official suggested Pakistani courts should decide if the referendum is constitutional.
Gen. Pervez Musharraf, a key U.S. ally in anti-terrorism efforts, announced the vote Friday and was due to launch his referendum campaign  effectively his election bid  on Tuesday in Lahore. Musharraf seized power in October 1999.
The referendum would sidestep the constitution, which stipulates that the president must be elected by both houses of parliament.