The Starting Point: Swift victory and a bomb-sniffing dog

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: President Barack Obama is reportedly unsatisfied with the four Afghanistan War options that have been presented by his national security team, The Associated Press reported. Officials say he has asked for revisions to clarify how and when U.S. troops would turn over responsibility to the Afghan government. Earlier today, Anders Fogh Rasmussen, the secretary general of NATO, recommended that alliance troops should begin handing over security responsibilities to Afghan forces next year. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said she's concerned about this plan because of Afghanistan's "corruption, lack of transparency, poor governance (and) absence of the rule of law."

In other news: Gunmen assassinated a top Somali judge who jailed many pirates, human traffickers and militants, The AP reported. High Court Judge Mohamed Abdi Aware was shot in the head and chest several times yesterday as he left a mosque in Bossaso. Authorities arrested three men today for the slaying.

President Obama topped Forbes Magazine's annual list of the world's most powerful people, Reuters reported. Editors selected Obama for his popularity at home and abroad, and for boosting the image of the United States. Rounding out the top 10 are: Chinese President Hu Jintao, Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, U.S. Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke, Google founders Sergey Brin and Larry Page, Carlos Slim, chief executive of Mexico's Telmex, Rupert Murdoch, chairman of media group News Corp., Michael T. Duke, chief executive of Wal-Mart, Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz and Bill Gates, co-chairman of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Click here to view the entire list.

Finally, musician Taylor Swift won the entertainer of the year award at the Country Music Association Awards last night, The AP reported. Swift is the youngest person to ever take home that honor. The teen sensation also won awards for top female vocalist, album of the year for "Fearless," and music video of the year for "Love Story." Click here to view images from the ceremony.

Most read stories: A pilot has been accused of trying to assault two police officers -- with his plane. According to The AP, the officers reportedly tried to stop Dan Wayne Gryder, 48, for allegedly driving his car across the runway at Griffin-Spalding Airport in Griffin, Ga. After refusing to sign the tickets, Gryder boarded a small plane and threatened to strike the officers with the aircraft, police said. Sgt. John Hayes said Gryder then attempted to fly away but didn't have enough fuel and was arrested.

Readers were also interested in this AP story about a missing black Labrador named Sabi. The bomb-sniffing dog was working with a joint Australian-Afghan army patrol in Sept. 2008 when insurgents ambushed them. After the battle, the troops searched for the talented canine, but they couldn't find her. Fourteen months later, a U.S. soldier located Sabi at an isolated patrol base elsewhere in Uruzgan. She has now been returned to the Australians' base and appears to be in good condition.

Looking ahead: A jury that convicted a man of capital murder in the beating death of an Arkansas TV anchorwoman will consider whether to impose the death penalty.

Today's poll: More than 60 percent of Americans who live with families sit down for dinner at least five nights a week, a new AP-iVillage Food poll showed. However, the modern dinner comes with a heaping helping of bells and whistles. How distracted is your family during dinner? Click here to share your thoughts.

Yesterday's poll: Many retail establishments are decorating their stores and holding early sales for the holidays. What are your thoughts on this trend? Seventy-five percent of respondents said it was way too early and 20 percent said they didn't mind because they love the holidays.

Today in history: In 1954, Ellis Island closed after processing more than 20 million immigrants.

Birthdays: Actress Anne Hathaway, 27. Actor Ryan Gosling, 29. Actress Cote de Pablo, 30. Singer Tevin Campbell, 33. Figure skater Tonya Harding, 39. Baseball player Sammy Sosa, 41. Musician David Ellefson (Megadeth), 45. Actor Sam Lloyd, 46. Olympic gold medal gymnast Nadia Comaneci, 48. Actor Vincent Irizarry, 50. Actress Megan Mullally, 51. Sen. Jack Reed (D-R.I.), 60. Musician Donald Roeser (Blue Oyster Cult), 62. Sportscaster Al Michaels, 65. Musician Booker T. Jones (Booker T. & the MGs), 65. Actor/playwright Wallace Shawn, 66. Former Secretary of Transportation Norman Y. Mineta, 78.

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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.