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

Continue reading...

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.

Continue reading...

Hurricane Dorian pounds northern Bahamas with ‘catastrophic’ winds

Hurricane Dorian grew into a “catastrophic” category 5 storm on Sunday as winds of more than 180mph pounded the northernmost islands of the Bahamas, the biggest storm to hit the island chain in modern times.

Related: Floridians not fazed as Hurricane Dorian’s path keeps state guessing

Continue reading...

Hurricane Dorian: where will the storm hit and what damage will it bring?

Dorian is one of the six strongest hurricanes recorded in the Atlantic, but meteorologists are finding its path difficult to predict

Hurricane Dorian is proving a slippery customer. Not only is it one of the six strongest hurricanes recorded in the Atlantic in the past 70 years, but meteorologists are finding its path very difficult to predict because of its wide “cone of uncertainty”. It is impossible to say just where the storm will hit – and with how much deadly force.

Within that fuzzy picture, Dorian has the potential to affect millions in the Caribbean and along the US coast. So what is the current thinking about its path?

Continue reading...

Hurricane Dorian: Trump flies to golf club as likelihood of direct hit recedes

  • National Hurricane Center warns of winds and storm surge
  • Bahamas set to be hit Sunday, US east coast remains on alert

Millions along the US east coast from Florida to North Carolina remained under threat of a deadly strike from Hurricane Dorian on Saturday, even as official predictions for the path of the 150mph monster storm pulled back from from a direct hit on land.

Related: The historic hurricanes that made landfall on Florida’s east coast

Continue reading...

Hurricane Dorian strengthens to category 4 as Florida braces for storm

Landfall anticipated early Tuesday on state’s east coast with maximum sustained winds of 140mph

Residents of Florida braced for what could be a historically damaging storm on Friday as Hurricane Dorian lingered in the western Atlantic, building strength in advance of its anticipated landfall early on Tuesday on the state’s east coast.

The storm strengthened into an “extremely dangerous” category 4 hurricane on Friday evening, amid fears it could prove to be the most powerful hurricane to hit Florida’s east coast in nearly 30 years. Forecasters warned that Dorian could wallop the state with “extremely dangerous” 140mph (225 kph) winds.

Continue reading...

The historic hurricanes that made landfall on Florida’s east coast

As Hurricane Dorian is projected to strike, the deadliest storms to hit the state recently approached from the Gulf, south and west

Hurricane Dorian is projected to make landfall on Florida’s east coast early next week as a potential category 4 storm with winds up to 140mph.

While hurricane activity on the Atlantic coast is not uncommon, the deadliest recent storms to strike Florida, including Michael (2018) and Irma (2017), approached from the Gulf side, the south and west.

Continue reading...

Hurricane Dorian: Florida declares state of emergency as it awaits storm’s arrival

Puerto Rico was spared, but storm is expected to land in Florida Sunday night, potentially as a category 4 hurricane

Florida is bracing for the arrival of Hurricane Dorian with weather experts on Thursday proclaiming the state’s entire east coast at risk.

A state of emergency has been declared and Donald Trump on Thursday canceled his forthcoming trip this weekend to Poland as the storm bears down. It was announced that the vice-president, Mike Pence, will travel to the eastern European nation in the president’s stead.

Continue reading...

Donald Trump pitches his own Miami resort as next G7 venue – video

Donald Trump has insisted he is not seeking to profit from the US presidency after revealing a resort he owns in Miami is in the running to host the next G7 summit in 2020. Trump claimed it had cost him '$3bn to $5bn' to be president and suggested hosting the event at his Trump National Doral Miami resort would not make him any money, before reeling off a list of facts about the property

Continue reading...

Nestlé plan to take 1.1m gallons of water a day from natural springs sparks outcry

Opponents fighting to stop the project say the fragile river cannot sustain such a large draw

The crystal blue waters of Ginnie Springs have long been treasured among the string of pearls that line Florida’s picturesque Santa Fe River, a playground for water sports enthusiasts and an ecologically critical haven for the numerous species of turtles that nest on its banks.

Soon, however, it is feared there could be substantially less water flowing through, if a plan by the food and beverage giant Nestlé wins approval.

Continue reading...

‘His conduct left an impression that lingered’: the life of Jeffrey Epstein

The wealthy financier, who died by apparent suicide, lived freely for years despite the multitude of sex abuse allegations

When Jeffrey Epstein first appeared in Manhattan federal court to face sex trafficking charges last month, gone were the trappings of a high-flying financier who had once counted the rich and powerful as his associates and for whom the whole world seemed a fantasy playground.

Epstein, whose navy blue jail scrubs and mussed-up hair gave him an air of fatigued dishevelment, pleaded not guilty to allegations that he “sexually exploited and abused dozens of minor girls” between 2002 and 2005 at his homes in Manhattan and Palm Beach, Florida.

Continue reading...

Who were the rich and powerful people in Jeffrey Epstein’s circle?

The wealthy financier was connected to well-known names including Trump, Clinton and Prince Andrew before his July arrest

Wealthy financier Jeffrey Epstein, whose apparent suicide in jail has stunned the US, courted many rich, powerful and famous people over his lifetime as a mover and shaker on the party circuits of New York and Florida

Related: Jeffrey Epstein: sex abuse allegations against billionaire socialite began in 2005

Continue reading...

Florida city constantly plays Baby Shark to deter homeless from civic building

Official praises ‘effective temporary measure’ using looped children’s song to drive away people from banqueting venue

City officials in West Palm Beach, Florida, are using extremely catchy children’s music to try and drive away homeless people from one of its civic buildings.

The city’s mayor, Keith James, confirmed to Fox News that the songs Baby Shark and Raining Tacos were being played at the patio of the Waterfront Lake Pavilion, where homeless people have been living.

Continue reading...

Jeffrey Epstein charged with sex trafficking, reports say

US billionaire will reportedly appear before a federal magistrate on Monday

Jeffrey Epstein, the politically well-connected US billionaire, has been charged with sex trafficking, according to reports.

The New York Times reported that Epstein, a wealthy Florida financier, was arrested in the New York area and was in custody. He is expected to appear before a federal magistrate on Monday. The NYT cited two anonymous sources.

Continue reading...

‘Massive explosion’ at Florida shopping plaza leaves 21 injured

  • Blast demolished building, leaving behind only metal frame
  • Witness: ‘It was almost like the world was ending. It was nuts’

A vacant pizza restaurant exploded on Saturday in a thundering roar at a south Florida shopping plaza, injuring more than 20 people as large chunks of concrete flew through the air.

The blast flung debris widely along a busy road in Plantation, west of Fort Lauderdale. The restaurant was destroyed, and nearby businesses and cars were damaged.

Continue reading...

Trump sets stage for 2020 fight with false claims and recycled attacks

President kicked off his bid with lies, attacks on the press and claims a Democrat president would ‘shut down your free speech’

Donald Trump has set the stage for the nastiest US presidential race in modern times with a campaign rally that recycled old themes and stoked resentment towards Democrats and the media.

Related: Trump's 2020 campaign launch: the key takeaways

Continue reading...

Trump’s 2020 campaign launch: the key takeaways

After two and a half years in office, Trump remains fixated on the same grievances – and successes

Donald Trump launched his 2016 presidential campaign on 16 June 2015, by descending an escalator in front of a small crowd in Trump Tower. Four years on, he launched his 2020 pitch to be re-elected to the White House to 20,000 people at Orlando’s Amway Center on a humid, rainy Florida night.

Related: Trump 2020 launch: Bernie Sanders attacks president's 'lies' and 'distortions' – live

Continue reading...

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?

Continue reading...

‘I wanted to look him in the eye’: serial killer’s survivor witnesses execution

Lisa Noland, who helped police capture Bobby Joe Long, was 17 when he abducted her

A woman who survived an attack by a notorious Florida serial killer, and helped police to capture him, watched on Thursday evening as he was put to death for his crimes.

Lisa Noland looked on from the front row as Bobby Joe Long, whose 1984 killing spree claimed the lives of 10 women, was executed by lethal injection at Florida state prison.

Continue reading...