The Starting Point: Pirates, poker champs and dress codes

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: A suspected car bomb exploded near a crowded market in northwest Pakistan this morning, The Associated Press reported. At the time of this writing, 20 people were killed and at least 55 others wounded. Today's bombing in Charsadda city was the third attack in as many days in or close to Peshawar, the capital of Pakistan's North West Frontier Province. Militants have increased attacks in recent weeks in retaliation for an army offensive along the Afghan border.

In other news: Somali pirates who hijacked a Panamanian ship and its 18-member crew 10 days ago have made a ransom demand. According to The AP, they want $3 million. This latest capture means pirates are currently holding 11 ships and more than 200 people, including a British couple who were seized from their yacht last month.

The NBA's all-time leading scorer has been diagnosed with cancer, The AP reported. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, 62, said he became concerned last year after feeling odd sensations. After conducting numerous tests, doctors learned he had chronic myeloid leukemia. While undergoing treatment, the six-time NBA MVP intends to post updates to his Facebook and Twitter accounts and stay connected through a Website for those afflicted by the disease.

Lastly, a 21-year-old Michigan man won the World Series of Poker main event this morning in Las Vegas, The AP reported. Joe Cada of Shelby Township, Mich., took home $8.55 million and set a record as the youngest player to ever win the tournament. "I ran really well and I never really thought this was possible," Cada said. "It was one of those dreams and I'm thankful it came true."

Most read stories: A Brazilian college that took heat for expelling a woman on a dress code violation has reinstated her, The AP reported. Geisy Arruda, 20, became an Internet sensation when Bandeirante University kicked her out of school for wearing a mini-dress on campus. Videos of students ridiculing and cursing Arruda went viral online, and prompted the public to file complaints with the national student union. The dean of the private college announced the school's reversal, but did not give a reason for why it was letting Arruda return to classes.

Readers were also interested in this AP story about a domestic violence incident in rural Texas. San Jacinto County investigators said Oliver Bills Jr., 43, fatally shot his girlfriend, 27-year-old Shara Torres, her 4-year-old daughter, Sara Whitmire, and his adopted mother, 71-year-old Gloria Bills, before taking his own life over the weekend. According to the Houston Chronicle, several non-emergency calls were placed to authorities saying Bills was sick, but the small sheriff's department was too busy dealing with a major car accident to respond.

Looking ahead: President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama will attend a memorial service for the victims of the Fort Hood attack. Senate Banking Committee Chairman Christopher Dodd will unveil legislation on financial regulation reform. John Allen Muhammad, the D.C. sniper who killed 10 people in 2002, will be executed tonight at 9 p.m. And the TV news producer accused of blackmailing David Letterman will ask the court to dismiss the extortion case.

Today's poll: Forty years ago, "Sesame Street" debuted on PBS. Did you watch the show as a child? Click here to share your thoughts.

Yesterday's poll: Is sentencing a juvenile to life in prison with no chance of parole cruel and unusual punishment? Forty-six percent of respondents said no; 38 percent voted yes and 15 percent chose maybe.

Today in history: In 1951, direct-dial, coast-to-coast telephone service began when the mayor of Englewood, N.J., called his counterpart in Alameda, Calif.

Birthdays: Actor Josh Peck, 23. Actress Heather Matarazzo, 27. Musician Chris Jannou, 30. Actress Brittany Murphy, 32. Musician Jim Adkins (Jimmy Eat World), 34. Baseball player Shawn Green, 37. Rapper Warren G, 39. Actress Ellen Pompeo, 40. Actor/comedian Tracy Morgan, 41. Baseball player Kenny Rogers, 45. Football coach Mike McCarthy, 46. Actor/comedian Tommy Davidson, 46. Author Neil Gaiman, 49. Actress Mackenzie Phillips, 50. Actor/comedian Sinbad, 53. Director Roland Emmerich, 54. Lyricist Tim Rice, 65. Sen. Saxby Chambliss (R-Ga.), 66. American Indian activist Russell Means, 70. Composer Ennio Morricone, 81. Actor Russell Johnson, 85.

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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.