Voting began Friday in Russian-held regions of Ukraine to decide whether these regions should become part of Russia. The Kremlin-Orchestrated referendums, which have been widely denounced by Ukraine and the west as shams without any legal force, are seen as a step toward annexing the territories by Russia.

The voting, overseen by Moscow-installed authorities, is scheduled to run through Tuesday. The votes are expected to almost certainly go the Kremlin’s way.

Fiona, a category three hurricane, pounded Bermuda with heavy rains and powerful winds early Friday. Authorities in Bermuda opened shelters and closed schools and offices ahead of Friday.

The hurricane is on track to hit Canada late Friday as what the U.S. National Hurricane Center described as a “large and powerful post-tropical cyclone with hurricane-force winds. Fiona reportedly has sustained winds of up to 125 mph. The hurricane-force winds extend up to 115 miles from the center of the storm.

Derek Badger can be reached at badg7629@stthomas.edu.