The Starting Point: Rescued students & tainted cans of Red Bull

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 Pakistani army rescued 71 students and nine staff members who were kidnapped yesterday by the Taliban, Reuters reported. Javed Iqbal Piracha, the principal of the military-run college attacked by the militants, said 10 to 14 students are still missing.

In other news: North Korea is reportedly preparing to test-fire more missiles. According to The Associated Press, at least four missiles have been spotted on North Korean launch pads, including a Taepodong-2 capable of striking the United States. The regime also began preparations for Kim Jong Il's 26-year-old son, Jong Un, to eventually take over as leader.

A massive search continued today for the missing Air France jet that vanished over the Atlantic Ocean on Monday morning. Planes, ships and satellites looked for wreckage or any of the 228 people who were on board. Click here for a timeline of events surrounding the disappearance of Flight 447.

Finally, General Motors tentatively agreed to sell its Hummer brand to an undisclosed buyer, The AP reported. The Detroit-based company said the sale will likely save more than 3,000 U.S. jobs. Would you buy a Hummer? Click here to share your thoughts.

Most-read stories overnight: Just days after Taiwanese authorities ordered the removal of nearly 18,000 cases of Red Bull from store shelves, Hong Kong officials found traces of cocaine in cans of the popular energy drink. The Centre for Food Safety said its lab tested samples of the product and discovered tiny amounts of the illegal drug in "Red Bull Cola," "Red Bull Sugar-Free" and "Red Bull Energy Drink." Representatives from Red Bull disputed the findings.

Readers were also interested in this AP story about actor Peter Falk. The 81-year-old star of "Columbo" has advanced dementia, likely from Alzheimer's disease, his doctor said. On Monday, a judge placed him in a conservatorship to ensure that his daughter Catherine could continue to visit him. Falk's wife, Shera, will remain in control of his personal care and affairs.

Looking ahead: President Barack Obama will hold talks on health care, and sign a measure paving the way to honor former President Ronald Reagan. And Judge Sonia Sotomayor will make her Capitol Hill debut today with a marathon set of courtesy calls with lawmakers.

Last week's poll: We asked readers if they were planning to watch Jay Leno's final "Tonight Show" broadcast. Seventy-five percent of respondents said yes, 15 percent said no and 10 percent said maybe.

Today in history: In 1941, baseball player Lou Gehrig died at 37 of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. The degenerative disease was later named after him.

Birthdays: Musician Fabrizio Moretti (The Strokes), 29. Actor Justin Long, 31. Actress Nikki Cox, 31. Actor Zachary Quinto, 32. Actor Wentworth Miller, 37. Actor/comedian Wayne Brady, 37. Rapper B-Real (Cypress Hill), 39. Auto racer Kyle Petty, 49. Actor/comedian Dana Carvey, 54. Actor Dennis Haysbert, 55. Actor Jerry Mathers, 61. Director Lasse Hallstrom, 63. Composer Marvin Hamlisch, 65. Musician Charlie Watts (Rolling Stones), 68. Actor Stacy Keach, 68. Singer William Guest (Gladys Knight & the Pips), 68. Actress Sally Kellerman, 72.

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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.