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The Starting Point: Bombings, falls and medical record privacy

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: Explosions at the Ritz-Carlton and J.W. Marriott hotels in Jakarta killed at least eight people and wounded dozens more, The Associated Press reported. The blasts blew out windows and reduced the facades of the hotels to twisted metal. At the time of this writing, no person or organization has claimed responsibility for the attacks; however, police are investigating whether the blasts were caused by suicide bombers, planted explosives or both. Click here for a list of deadly attacks targeting hotels in recent years.

In other news: A roadside bomb exploded in southern Afghanistan and tore through a vehicle carrying civilians toward a shrine. According to The AP, 11 people were killed, including five children. Three women were also injured.

While vacationing in the Italian Alps, Pope Benedict XVI took a spill in his bedroom and broke his right wrist, The AP reported. The 82-year-old pope is expected to undergo surgery today to reduce the fracture.

Finally, the hospital where Nadya Suleman's octuplets were born has been fined for failing to protect the children's privacy, The AP reported. Kaiser Permanente's Bellflower hospital must pay $187,500 because eight staff members improperly accessed the babies' records. This is the second time the hospital has been punished for employee snooping; in May, the hospital received a $250,000 fine when it was determined that employees had looked at Suleman's medical files without authorization.

Most-read stories overnight: A woman was murdered aboard a luxury cruise to Mexico and her husband is the prime suspect, The AP reported. Robert McGill was taken into custody yesterday and charged with stabbing his wife to death. Shirley Jean McGill, 55, was found dead on Tuesday evening in the couple's cabin aboard the Carnival Elation cruise ship. An autopsy is expected to occur later today.

Readers were also interested in this AP story about James Caviezel. The 40-year-old actor, who's best known for playing Jesus Christ in "The Passion of the Christ," was injured on Thursday when a man hurled a bicycle into the path of his motorcycle. Caviezel was wearing a helmet and only suffered cuts and bruises in the accident. It is not known why the bike was tossed into his path.

Looking ahead: A Florida couple known for adopting more than a dozen special needs children, will be laid to rest today as the investigation into their slaying continues. Byrd and Melanie Billings were shot to death and a safe was taken from their home last week. At the time of this writing, six men and a one teenager have been charged with murder. One woman was also charged with being an accessory after the fact.

Today's poll: After three days of hearings, the Judiciary Committee has scheduled a confirmation vote for Judge Sonia Sotomayor. Do you think she will be confirmed as the first Hispanic justice and third woman to take a seat on the Supreme Court? Click here to share your thoughts.

Today in history: In 1996, TWA Flight 800 exploded and crashed off Long Island, N.Y. All 230 people aboard were killed.

Birthdays: Singer JC (PM Dawn), 38. Actor Andre Royo, 41. TV producer Mark Burnett, 49. Hockey Hall of Famer Bryan Trottier, 53. German Chancellor Angela Merkel, 55. Actor/singer David Hasselhoff, 57. Terry "Geezer" Butler (Black Sabbath), 60. Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, 62. Basketball Hall of Famer Connie Hawkins, 67. Actor Donald Sutherland, 74. Actress/singer Diahann Carroll, 74. Former International Olympic Committee President Juan Antonio Samaranch, 89. Comedian Phyllis Diller, 92. TV personality Art Linkletter, 97.

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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.