Hurricane Dorian: ‘We’re at the frontline of climate change but we don’t cause it’, says Barbados PM – live

Sarah St George, chairman of the Grand Bahama Port Authority, told the Guardian that the “force and size” of Dorian took everyone by surprise, a situation made worse by the hurricane stalling over the archipelago.

“Grand Bahama is not in good shape at all because 70% of it was under water,” St George said. “On the north side of the island the water was coming up to the second floor of their houses. My assistant Tammy was on the roof of her house for 30 hours hanging on to a coconut tree with her 8-year-old daughter Ariana. Her grandmother lost her grip and slipped off the roof and drowned. There was no way of getting to them. They’ve lost everything.”

In the president’s continuing battle against his own incorrect statement that Alabama was under threat from Hurricane Dorian, which has left at least 23 people dead, he has just now been tweeting what he claims is evidence he knew what he was talking about.

It is not.

Just as I said, Alabama was originally projected to be hit. The Fake News denies it! pic.twitter.com/elJ7ROfm2p

I was with you all the way Alabama. The Fake News Media was not! https://t.co/gO5pwahaj9

Over the weekend, projections for #HurricaneDorian have continually skewed further north and east, leaving Alabama outside the anticipated path. While we are thankful for that, we remain #AlwaysReady to help our sister states. #OneTeamOneFight #OneGuard pic.twitter.com/7TbFKpd2Zh

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Hurricane Dorian: aerial footage reveals extent of devastation in Bahamas – as it happened

Video shows the scale of catastrophe as the storm continues to move away from the Bahamas and towards Florida

Kari Paul logging off for the evening. Please stay tuned tomorrow for more updates as Dorian reaches the US coast and the picture of effects on the Bahamas become clearer.

Here are the latest updates from this afternoon:

The death toll for Hurricane Dorian climbed to seven, Prime Minister Hubert Minnis said on Tuesday night, according to CNN. The death toll, which was at five earlier in the day, has been expected to climb as survivors of the natural disaster face ongoing food and medicine shortages.

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Black US lawmaker says white man told her to ‘go back where you came from’

State representative Erica Thomas says she was verbally attacked in supermarket while shopping with her nine-year-old daughter

A pregnant African American lawmaker in Georgia said she was verbally attacked in a supermarket Friday by a middle-aged white man who used profanity, called her vulgar names and told her to “go back where you came from” as her nine-year-old daughter looked on.

Erica Thomas, a Democrat and Georgia state representative from Austell, said the man was irate that she was in an express line with too many items. Thomas said she was in a line for customers with 10 items or less because she cannot stand for long periods of time.

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Putin bans Russian airlines from flying to Georgia

‘National security’ measure seriously escalates tensions after clashes in Tbilisi during protests against visit by Russian MP

Vladimir Putin has banned Russia’s airlines from flying to Georgia, a day after a Russian lawmaker’s visit to the country prompted violent clashes between protesters and police.

The ban is a serious escalation in tensions between the neighbouring countries, which fought a war in 2008. The suspension of flights is designed to put pressure on Georgia’s tourism industry, which accounted for 7.6% of the country’s GDP in 2018. More than 1.4 million Russians visited Georgia last year.

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Georgians call for snap elections in second night of protests

Unrest sparked by anger at ruling party and Russian MP addressing parliament

Protesters gathered outside Georgia’s parliament for a second successive night of protests on Friday evening, demanding snap elections and the resignation of the country’s interior minister.

Clashes with police the previous night left more than 200 people injured and caused the parliamentary speaker to resign.

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Dozens injured after Georgia police fire rubber bullets at demonstrators

The unrest was sparked by the appearance of a Russian MP, who was allowed to chair a session of parliament

Police in Georgia used tear gas, rubber bullets and water cannon to stop protesters storming the country’s parliament early on Friday, leaving dozens requiring medical treatment. Thirty-nine police officers and 30 civilians had been treated in hospital for injuries after the clashes, with the number likely to rise, said David Sergeenko, an adviser to the prime minister.

Thousands had rallied through the night outside the building in the centre of the capital, Tbilisi, after a Russian MP was allowed to chair a session of parliament on Thursday.

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Georgia prepares for first LGBT pride amid threats of violence

After being beaten in Tbilisi six years ago, the country’s LGBT activists are ready to be bold

Six years on, the violent scene remains imprinted in the minds of Georgia’s LGBT community: dozens of gay rights demonstrators being beaten in the streets of Tbilisi by black-frocked priests and far-right protesters, some bearing clubs and other weapons. The modern-day pogrom in 2013 seemed like a warning: whatever Georgia’s aspirations to join Europe, its queer community would be left behind.

But this week activists are planning the country’s first LGBT pride events in a gambit to convert the underground explosion of queer culture in Georgia into political change. Arrayed against them are conservative and Christian activists and a police force that says they can’t guarantee the safety of the protesters. Many fear the violence of 2013 could be repeated.

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Memorial Day: sweltering heat and storms follow tornadoes and flooding

Sweltering heat, storms and possible twisters were expected to hit the southern plains and south-eastern states on Memorial Day, on the heels of deadly tornadoes and flooding.

Related: Are hurricanes getting stronger – and is the climate crisis to blame?

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My family will pay off your loans, billionaire tells graduating students – video

Robert Smith, a billionaire investor, surprises students at Morehouse College in Atlanta, Georgia, by using his speech at a commencement ceremony to pledge to wipe the debts of the 2019 class. 'This is my class – 2019 – and my family is making a grant to eliminate their student loans. I know my class will make sure they pay this forward,' he said

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Rapper 21 Savage did not talk about being British for fear of US deportation

  • Star tells ABC mother brought him to the US when he was seven
  • Lawyers say application for new visa filed in 2017

The Atlanta-based rapper 21 Savage did not talk about his British citizenship before because he didn’t want to get deported.

Related: 21 Savage is being detained, but he’s not a threat – except to white supremacy | Rashad Robinson and Jose Antonio Vargas

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Rapper 21 Savage arrested by US immigration – for being British

  • Atlanta rapper held early on Sunday in Super Bowl city
  • Star is nominated for two awards at Grammys next week

The rapper 21 Savage was arrested in Atlanta early on Sunday morning by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (Ice).

Related: 'I'm the gay Tupac': Jussie Smollett plays first concert since alleged attack

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Super Bowl: 33 arrested for sex trafficking in Atlanta in run-up to game

Four victims have been rescued, authorities say, as more than 600 DHS officials will be in the city on Sunday for protection

Federal authorities say 33 people have been arrested in Atlanta, Georgia, on sex trafficking charges before the Super Bowl this weekend.

Related: The NFL is 70% black, so why is its TV coverage so white?

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Man who killed woman in speedboat crash arrested in Georgia

Jack Shepherd, convicted of killing Charlotte Brown, had been on the run for six months

A fugitive who was convicted of killing a woman in a speedboat crash on the Thames has been arrested in Georgia.

Jack Shepherd, 31, was sentenced in his absence to a six-year jail term for the manslaughter by gross negligence of 24-year-old Charlotte Brown. Police issued an arrest warrant after he failed to attend his trial at the Old Bailey in July.

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Vice President Mike Pence arrives in Georgia to survey storm damage

ALBANY, Ga. - Vice President Mike Pence is visiting southwest Georgia today where he is surveying storm damage from Hurricane Michael, a day after President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump did the same thing.

Commissioner Adam Putnam Briefs Vice President Mike Pence and…

Hurricane Michael devastated the Florida Panhandle, and today Florida Commissioner of Agriculture Adam H. Putnam briefed Vice President Mike Pence and Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue on the initial agricultural damage assessment. "Hurricane Michael devastated the Florida Panhandle, and the safety of all Floridians is our top priority.

Buckhead Republicans hosting Raffensperger, Klavohn, Bentley

The Buckhead Republicans will host three GOP candidates - secretary of state hopeful Brad Raffensperger, District 38 Georgia Senate candidate Travis Klavohn and District 40 State House hopeful Matt Bentley - for its monthly meeting today from 6:30 to 8:15 p.m. at the Cross Creek CafA in Buckhead.