The Starting Point: Detainee abuse in Iraq & an abduction hoax

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 Taliban in Pakistan claimed responsibility for yesterday's deadly attack in Lahore, The Associated Press reported. About 30 people died and more than 300 others were wounded when gunmen set off a car bomb and lobbed grenades at police and intelligence agency offices. Hakimullah Mehsud, a deputy to Pakistani Taliban chief Baitullah Mehsud, told The AP that the suicide attack "was in response to the Swat operation where innocent people have been killed." A little-known group calling itself the Taliban Movement in Punjab also claimed responsibility for the attack.

In other news: A strong earthquake off the coast of Honduras briefly sparked a tsunami watch this morning. According to The AP, the 7.1 magnitude trembler collapsed shacks in Honduras and Belize, and was felt as far away as Guatemala City. At the time of this writing, no one was killed or injured in the quake.

A military helicopter crashed at Wheeler Army Airfield in Hawaii on Wednesday, The AP reported. Two soldiers were killed when the OH-58D Kiowa Warrior went down. Cause of the crash is currently under investigation.

Finally, Toys R Us acquired troubled high-end toy retailer FAO Schwarz for an undisclosed amount, The AP reported. Toys R Us plans to take over operations at the flagship store in New York City and at a second store in Las Vegas. The FAO Schwarz Website and catalog will continue as well.

Most-read stories overnight: A 2004 report into detainee abuse at Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq apparently includes photographs showing sexual abuse, Britain's Daily Telegraph reported. U.S. Major General Antonio Taguba, who conducted an investigation into the incidents, confirmed the existence of the photos and said he supported President Barack Obama's decision not to release them to the public. "These pictures show torture, abuse, rape and every indecency," Taguba said. Do you think the images should be released to the public? Click here to share your thoughts.

Readers were also interested in this AP story about a suburban Pennsylvania mother who allegedly faked her own abduction. Bonnie Sweeten called 911 and said she and her 9-year-old daughter had been carjacked by two black men. Although a nationwide search was launched, authorities soon learned that Sweeten had actually boarded a plane and flown to Orlando, Fla., with the girl. The pair was taken into custody on Wednesday night. Sweeten now faces charges of identity theft and making false reports.

Looking ahead: President Obama is scheduled to meet with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas and discuss the Mideast conflict today.

Today in history: In 1998, comedian Phil Hartman ("Saturday Night Live," "NewsRadio") was shot to death by his wife Brynn. She later took her own life.

Birthdays: Actor Jesse Bradford, 30. TV host Elisabeth Hasselbeck, 32. Actor Justin Kirk, 40. Singer Kylie Minogue, 41. Musician Chris Ballew (Presidents of the USA), 44. Actor Brandon Cruz, 47. S.C. Gov. Mark Sanford, 49. Musician John Fogerty, 64. Singer Gladys Knight, 65. Former NYC mayor Rudolph Giuliani, 65. Actress Beth Howland, 68. Basketball Hall of Famer Jerry West, 71. Director Irwin Winkler, 78. Musician Sonny Burgess, 80.

Note: The Starting Point Twitter feed is available @ystartingpoint. Sign up today!

--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.