N.Y.C. Crane Collapse, Anti-American Protests in Iraq, and More

Construction Crane Collapses

In the second Manhattan crane collapse in two months, a construction crane fell on New York's Upper East Side this morning, tearing off balconies and sending broken brick and shattered glass onto the street below. Two people were killed, including the operator of the crane. Peter Barba, who lives on the seventh floor of a building facing the accident site, said, "the sound was like a thunder clap. Then, an earthquake." Mayor Michael Bloomberg called the collapse, which came on the heels of an extensive review of the safety of the city's cranes, "unacceptable" and said the city would investigate.

Anti-American Protesters Take to the Streets in Iraq

Tens of thousands of Shiites in Baghdad and other Iraqi cities marched Friday to protest plans for a long-term security agreement with the United States. The rallies after prayer services followed a call by anti-U.S. cleric Moqtada al-Sadr for weekly protests against the deal, which is supposed to be finished by July and replace the current U.N. mandate overseeing U.S.-led troops in Iraq.

Rising Water Threatens 1.3 Million People in China

A lake that formed in the aftermath of China's May 12 earthquake has put an estimated 1.3 million residents in potential danger. Chinese officials were working Friday to drain the lake, which formed when a landslide triggered by the earthquake blocked a river. A three-day test of the government's evacuation communication system will begin tomorrow. According to one official, about 200,000 people are being relocated to higher ground, but a mass evacuation has not been ordered. "People will only be evacuated in case of actual collapsing of the whole bank," the official said.

When Will the Children Go Home?

A week ago today, the Texas Supreme Court held that the state must return children seized from a polygamist sect's ranch to their parents. But it remains unclear when parents will be able to get their children out of foster care and what restrictions may follow. "I'm happy (when) all the children are back to their mothers and we're home," said Martha Emack, a mother who was visiting her 1-year-old and 2-year-old in foster care in Austin when word of the ruling arrived. The high court upheld an appellate court's order that Texas District Judge Barbara Walther return the children from foster care to their parents. The appellate court ordered Walther to do it within a reasonable time period.