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 story overnight: The number of U.S. households on the verge of foreclosure soared nearly 15 percent in the first half of the year, affecting more than 1.5 million homes, The Associated Press reported. Although the Obama administration launched a $50 billion plan in March to give the lending industry incentives to modify mortgages and lower payments, a new report from RealtyTrac showed that over 336,000 households, or 1 in every 380 homes, received at least one foreclosure-related notice in June. Nevada, Arizona, Florida, California and Utah suffered the highest rates of foreclosure.
In other news: A Taliban commander in Afghanistan claims that a missing U.S. soldier is being held unharmed by insurgents, Reuters reported. Mawlavi Sangin accused the U.S. military of harassing and arresting Afghans in the southeastern provinces, and threatened to kill the soldier if these actions did not cease. The U.S. military said the soldier has been missing since late June and was presumed captured.Gunmen shot and killed a U.N. employee and a bodyguard today during a failed kidnap attempt at a Pakistan refugee camp, The AP reported. The assailants allegedly tried to abduct the U.N. worker, then opened fire when he resisted. The slain worker was identified as Zill-e-Usman, a 59-year-old Pakistani who was in charge of the U.N.'s relief efforts at the Kacha Garhi camp near Peshawar. Another guard and a local U.N. worker were also wounded in the attack.Finally, a former surgical technician who is suspected of exposing nearly 6,000 patients to hepatitis C in Colorado may also have infected 2,800 more patients in New York. Kristen Diane Parker, 26, is accused of injecting herself with painkillers meant for patients, then filling the used syringes with saline solution, even though she knew she was infected. According to The AP, patients who had surgery at Northern Westchester Hospital in Mount Kisco between Oct. 8, 2007 and Feb. 28, 2008 are being urged by the health department to get tested for the blood-borne disease. At the time of this writing, 10 cases of Hep C have been linked to Denver's Rose Medical Center, where Parker worked until April.Most-read stories overnight: A New York City teenager plead guilty to charges of animal cruelty and attempted burglary on Wednesday, The AP reported. Authorities said Cheyenne Cherry, 17, and a 14-year-old accomplice ransacked a Bronx apartment on May 6, then placed a kitten inside an oven where it roasted to death. Cherry, who admitted her role in the incident, will serve a year in jail.Readers were also interested in this accident story out of Michigan. A gas tanker carrying approximately 13,000 gallons of fuel exploded on I-75 north of Detroit last night. The blast, which sent flames hundreds of feet into the air, caused an overpass to collapse onto the interstate below. At the time of this writing, no evacuations or warnings have been issued for nearby residents. Click here to view pictures from the scene.Looking ahead: President Barack Obama will address the NAACP tonight and celebrate the organization's 100th birthday. More women are scheduled to testify today and accuse evangelist Tony Alamo of taking them as underage brides. A verdict is expected in the case of a Chinese-born engineer accused of passing trade secrets on the U.S. space program to China. And, nominations for the 61st Primetime Emmy Awards will be announced this morning. The show, with Neil Patrick Harris as host, is scheduled to air on Sept. 20 from the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles.Poll: Twtpoll is undergoing maintenance so there will be no poll today.Today in history: Forty years ago, Apollo 11 blasted off from Cape Kennedy on the first manned mission to the moon.Birthdays: Actor Mark Indelicato, 15. Actress AnnaLynne McCord, 22. Musician Ed Kowalczyk, 38. Actor Corey Feldman, 38. Actress Rain Pryor, 40. Football Hall of Famer Barry Sanders, 41. Actor/comedian Will Ferrell, 42. Actress Phoebe Cates, 46. Former NFL kicker Gary Anderson, 50. Dancer Michael Flatley, 51. Playwright Tony Kushner, 53. Musician Stewart Copeland (The Police), 57. Singer/actor Ruben Blades, 61. Violinist Pinchas Zukerman, 61. Tennis Hall of Famer Margaret Smith Court, 67. Former U.S. Attorney General Dick Thornburgh, 77. Note: Want to receive The Starting Point in your e-mail box? Subscribe to our new mailing list by sending a blank e-mail to ystartingpoint-subscribe@yahoogroups.com.
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--Jade Walker is the overnight editor of Yahoo! News. News doesn't stop when the lights go out, and neither does Jade.
**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.
