The turbines that powered pumps at the New Orleans Sewerage & Water Board facility have failed, leaving some areas of the city at risk of flooding Gerald Herbert/Associated PressNew Orleans A state of emergency has been declared in New Orleans as the city struggles to cope with flooding and a power crisis that has knocked out pumping stations. Heavy rain has already caused some localised floods, and thunderstorms are forecast. Mitch Landrieu, the mayor, said that two back-up generators were being brought in to try to restore some pumping capacity. (AP)Activist says Chinese agents tortured himHong Kong A pro-democracy activist has described being abducted and tortured by people he believed to be Chinese agents before being dumped on a remote beach in the former British colony. Howard Lam, a prominent member of the Democratic Party in Hong Kong, told reporters that he had been snatched in the street by men who…

Source: The Times August 11, 2017 22:52 UTC