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The Starting Point: Afghan bombings and bad business practices
2009-03-25
The Starting Point is a snapshot of the news stories that occurred overnight. Look for updates throughout the day on Yahoo! News and in the news box on Yahoo.com. Top stories overnight: A roadside bomb destroyed a van carrying civilians in eastern Afghanistan. Ten people were killed and another six wounded in the blast, The Associated Press reported. The incoming Israeli prime minister vowed to resume peace talks with the Palestinians and detailed plans to shore up the Palestinian economy. According to Reuters, Benjamin Netanyahu said the Israeli government aims to become a "partner for peace."
Finally, undeserving companies reportedly collected millions in federal contracts from a government program designed to help small businesses in poor neighborhoods, The AP reported. The Government Accountability Office report said the Small Business Administration repeatedly failed to verify paperwork and conduct audits in order to weed out the sham firms.
Most popular stories: Militants who kidnapped three Red Cross workers threatened to behead one of them by the end of the week if Philippine troops did not withdraw from the group's southern stronghold. The military rejected this demand. Readers also clicked on the latest story about Cleveland Browns wide receiver Donte Stallworth's deadly accident in Miami Beach. Police said the pedestrian Stallworth hit and killed with his Bentley on March 14 was not walking in the crosswalk. The football player also told officers he flashed his lights to try to warn the 59-year-old victim who was rushing to catch a bus. Click here to hear recordings of the post-accident 911 tapes.
Looking ahead: President Barack Obama will meet with the secretary-general of NATO at the White House today. Christopher Hill, Obama's nominee to be ambassador to Iraq, will testify before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. And seven-time Tour de France champion Lance Armstrong will undergo surgery to fix his broken collarbone.
Today in history: In 1911, a fire at the Triangle Shirtwaist Co. factory in New York City killed 146 workers.
Birthdays: Singer Katherine McPhee, 25. Auto racer Danica Patrick, 27. Actor Sean Faris, 27. Actor Lee Pace, 30. Basketball player Sheryl Swoopes, 38. Olympic bronze medal figure skater Debi Thomas, 42. Baseball player Tom Glavine, 43. Actress Sarah Jessica Parker, 44. Actress Lisa Gay Hamilton, 45. Author Kate DiCamillo, 45. Actress Marcia Cross, 47. Actor John Stockwell, 48. Actress Brenda Strong, 49. Musician Steve Norman (Spandau Ballet), 49. Sen. John Ensign (R-Nev.), 51. Actress Bonnie Bedelia, 61. Singer Elton John, 62. Actor Paul Michael Glaser, 66. Singer Aretha Franklin, 67. Singer Anita Bryant, 69. Author Gloria Steinem, 75. Astronaut Jim Lovell, 81. Modeling agency founder Eileen Ford, 87.
Reminder: The Starting Point Twitter feed is available @ystartingpoint. Sign up today! --Jade Walker is the overnight editor of Yahoo! News. While America sleeps...Jade keeps the rest of the world informed. **Yahoo! News bloggers compile the best news content from our providers and scour the Web for the most interesting news stories so you don't have to.
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