The Starting Point: From Madonna's adoption bid to the Unabomber

The Starting Point: From Madonna's adoption bid to the Unabomber

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: President Barack Obama traveled to France last night to urge NATO allies to come on board with his new strategy for Afghanistan. According to The Associated Press, European governments are currently unwilling to deploy significant new ground forces, but are amenable to increasing humanitarian and development assistance to the beleaguered government in Kabul.

North Korea finalized preparations for a controversial rocket launch slated to take place on Saturday, Reuters reported. The communist nation said the rocket will carry a satellite into space. South Korea and Japan believe the launch is actually a long-range missile test. At the G-20 summit in London, Obama and South Korean President Lee Myung-bak issued a statement that promised a "stern, united response" if North Korea goes ahead wtih the launch.Finally, Madonna may not adopt a second child from Malawi, a judge ruled today. The pop star's efforts to adopt a 4-year-old orphan were reportedly rejected because she was not a resident of the African nation. That requirement was waived in 2006 when she adopted her son David. Madonna plans to appeal the ruling to the Malawi Supreme Court.

Popular stories overnight: Last night, an American aircraft attacked a group of men believed to be members of a Sunni paramilitary group, The AP reported. The U.S. military said the gunmen were observed planting a roadside bomb near Taji, which is the site of a large U.S. air base about 12 miles north of Baghdad. One of the militants died in the attack; two others were captured and handed over to Iraqi police.Readers were also interested in this AP story about a CDC study that found traces of perchlorate, a chemical used in rocket fuel, in samples of powdered baby formula. The report shed little light on how dangerous the chemical was to infants, but scientists have said that significant amounts could affect thyroid function.

Looking ahead: The Iowa Supreme Court is expected to issue a ruling today on whether the state's gay marriage ban violated the constitutional rights of gay and lesbian couples.

Today in history: Theodore "Ted" Kaczynski was arrested in 1996. Known in the press as the Unabomber, Kaczynski carried out a series of mail bombings that made him the target of a massive FBI investigation. He was eventually sentenced to life in prison with no possibility of parole.

Birthdays: Actress Amanda Bynes, 23. Actress Jennie Garth, 37. Musician James MacDonough (Megadeth), 39. Singer Sebastian Bach (Skid Row), 41. Actor-Comedian Eddie Murphy, 48. Actor David Hyde Pierce, 50. Actor Alec Baldwin, 51. Musician Mick Mars (Motley Crue), 53. NATO secretary-general Jaap de Hoop Scheffer, 61. Singer Tony Orlando, 65. Singer Wayne Newton, 67. Actress Marsha Mason, 67. Actor Eric Braedon, 68. Primatologist Jane Goodall, 75. Former German Chancellor Helmut Kohl, 79.


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