The Starting Point: STD rates, free speech & conjoined twins

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: General Motors lost $1.2 billion from the time it left bankruptcy protection through Sept. 30, The Associated Press reported. The American carmaker also plans to begin repaying the $6.7 billion it received from the U.S. government. GM could pay off the full amount by 2011, which would be four years ahead of schedule.

In other news: Chlamydia, gonorrhea and syphilis are continuing to spread in the United States, Reuters reported. Nineteen million new sexually transmitted infections occur each year, almost half among 15- to 24-year-olds. Syphilis cases rose 18 percent from 2007 to 2008, with 63 percent of cases involving gay men. And although blacks represent 12 percent of the U.S. population, they accounted for about 71 percent of reported gonorrhea cases and almost half of all chlamydia and syphilis cases last year. John Douglas, director of the division of sexually transmitted diseases at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said better sex education could help stop the spread of these diseases. "We are not honestly and openly dealing with this issue," he said.

A radical Muslim imam who communicated with the Fort Hood shooting suspect reportedly said he didn't pressure Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan to hurt Americans, The AP reported. However, in an interview with a Yemeni journalist, Imam Anwar al-Awlaki did say that the Fort Hood attack was acceptable under Islam and denounced Muslims who condemned the violence. "America was the one who first brought the battle to Muslim countries," al-Awlaki said.

Lastly, a medical helicopter crashed near the Nevada-California state line over the weekend. All three crew members on board were killed. It was the second fatal crash of a Mountain Lifeflight helicopter returning to Susanville, Calif., after dropping off a patient at Renown Medical Center in Reno. Click here to view an AP report about the crash.

Most read stories: The pilot who guided a plane to a safe emergency landing in the Hudson River earlier this year has criticized the accuracy of a new book, The AP reported. Capt. Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger said the book, "Fly By Wire," by William Langewiesche greatly overstated the role of the plane's automation technology in the landing of US Airways Flight 1549. Langewiesche said he doesn't think the automated cockpit's role was critical, but that it was "part of the story."

Readers were also interested in this AP story about twin sisters who are joined at the top of the head. At the time of this writing, a team of Australian doctors are working to separate the 2-year-old Bangladeshi orphans, Trishna and Krishna. The complicated operation is expected to take at least 16 hours.

Looking ahead: Space Shuttle Atlantis is scheduled to lift off from Cape Canaveral today. Its crew will deliver two control moment gyroscopes, equipment and EXPRESS Logistics Carrier 1 and 2 to the International Space Station.

Today's poll: President Barack Obama urged the Chinese government to stop censoring the Internet access of its people. Do you consider unfettered access to the Internet a "universal right"? Click here to share your thoughts.

Last week's poll: Do you suffer from paraskavedekatriaphobia? While 6 percent of respondents said they were afraid of Friday the 13th, 90 percent said they weren't phobic about the day.

Today in history: In 1966, Dr. Samuel H. Sheppard was acquitted in a second trial for the murder his pregnant wife Marilyn. His story served as the inspiration for the TV show "The Fugitive."

Birthdays: Actor Noah Gray-Cabey, 14. Football player Osi Umenyiora, 29. Actress Maggie Gyllenhaal, 32. Singer Bryan Abrams (Color Me Badd), 40. Actress Lisa Bonet, 42. Singer Diana Krall, 45. Actress Marg Helgenberger, 51. Actress Joanna Pettet, 67. Author Jose Saramago, 87.

Note: Want to receive The Starting Point in your e-mail box? Subscribe to our new mailing list by sending a blank e-mail to ystartingpoint-subscribe@yahoogroups.com.

Reminder: 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.