A deluge of 90,000 rubber ducks poured out of a truck and into the Chicago River. They they bobbed along a stretch of the skyscraper-lined river in the annual Chicago Ducky Derby that raises thousands of dollars for charity. The truck dumped the ducks Thursday from one side of a half-raised bridge. After forming a yellow pool in the river, the ducks floated for around 15 minutes before a winner and runner-up were plucked from the water. The annual event, a fundraiser for Special Olympics Illinois, draws thousands of participants. The winning duck was picked by Becky Cavanagh, the Ducky Derby ambassador and a 13-year Special Olympics athlete.

One child has died and another is missing after the two 10-year-olds went into a rain-swollen New Jersey river. The mayor of Passaic says the 11-year-old sister of a 10-year-old boy had also gone into the water but was possibly saved by her brother before he drowned. The missing child, a 10-year-old girl, had not been located as of Thursday morning. The fire department chief referred to the search as a “recovery operation.” The trio had been seen in the Passaic River in Pulaski Park on Wednesday evening. The river was higher than usual due to heavy rainfall. A man in the park attempted a rescue but couldn't reach the children.

Mediators have made progress in efforts to bring the United States and Iran back to negotiations and prevent an all-out war in the Middle East. That's according to two regional officials who spoke to The Associated Press. But scattered attacks by armed groups across the region underscored the lingering tensions. Neither the U.S. nor Iran have claimed any strikes for three days. Mediators led by Qatar and Pakistan are working to bridge the gap between Washington and Tehran. The U.S. has paused attacks after targeting Iranian areas in response to Iran firing at ships in the Strait of Hormuz.

Before the war in Iran, roughly 15 million barrels of Persian Gulf oil were shipped each day through the Strait of Hormuz. Within a few years, much of that oil could bypass the strait. As Iran’s chokehold over the strait drags on and oil prices surge, countries across the Gulf are planning to spend billions of dollars to build pipelines enabling them to redirect more supplies to ports on the Red Sea, the Gulf of Oman and the Mediterranean. At least seven major pipeline projects are under construction, in the planning stage or being discussed as possibilities.

Honduran authorities have confirmed that four of the five people who drowned in an Ohio river over the weekend are Honduran citizens. A consular affairs director told reporters Tuesday that they were two married couples. Honduran authorities are working with U.S. authorities to bring their bodies home. One of the couples left behind two children, who were also at the river. The fifth adult's identity has not been released. Once all the victims have been identified by U.S. officials, the Honduran government will start the repatriation process. That process could take at least a month.

Iran has attacked a tanker in the Strait of Hormuz, forcing its crew to abandon the ship. That came early Tuesday even as the United States conducted yet-another round of airstrikes targeting the Islamic Republic over control of the key waterway. The 10 nights of U.S. airstrikes haven’t compelled Tehran to ease its grip on the strait. A fifth of all crude oil and natural gas traded once passed through the strait in peacetime. Iran’s interior minister traveled to Pakistan, a key mediator in the conflict, for talks. However, it remains unclear just what new deal could be reached to end the fighting.