Ukraine election: Voters to choose between comedian and president

BBC - Ukrainians will head to the polls on Sunday in a run-off election to pick the country's next president.

Voters face a stark choice between incumbent President Petro Poroshenko and television comedian, and political newcomer, Volodymyr Zelensky.

The celebrity is favourite in the polls, having dominated the first round of voting three weeks ago when 39 candidates were on the ticket.

Poll stations will open 08:00 local (05:00 GMT) and close 12 hours later.

A court in the capital, Kiev, has rejected a lawsuit calling for Mr Zelensky to be barred from standing.

A man had complained that the distribution of free tickets for a presidential debate by Volodymyr Zelensky's candidacy amounted to bribery.

On Friday the two candidates appeared at Kiev's Olympic stadium to debate for the first time.

The televised event was their first face-off after an usual campaign where Mr Zelensky has primarily used social media to communicate with the voting public.

The winner of Sunday's vote will be elected for a five-year term as president.

The position holds significant powers over the security, defense and foreign policy of the country.

Large flightless bird in captivity kills Florida man in ‘horrible’ accident

- A captive cassowary, the large flightless bird considered the most dangerous of its species, killed a man Friday near Gainesville.

The Alachua County Sheriff’s Office is conducting a death investigation, spokesman Lt. Brett Rhodenizer said Saturday.

About 10:30 a.m., authorities received a call from a witness stating the man fell and had been attacked by the bird at a property off Alachua County Road 235 — northwest of the University of Florida in Gainesville — where the cassowary and other captive wildlife are housed.

The man, whose name was not released, had sustained “serious injuries” and was transported to a local hospital, said Alachua County Fire Rescue Deputy Chief Jeff Taylor in an email. He later died.

Read more here: https://www.miamiherald.com/news/state/florida/article229233764.html#storylink=cpy

Brexit: UK and EU agree delay to 31 October

BBC - European Union leaders have granted the UK a six-month extension to Brexit, after late-night talks in Brussels.

The new deadline - 31 October - averts the prospect of the UK having to leave the EU without a deal on Friday, as MPs are still deadlocked over a deal.

European Council President Donald Tusk said his "message to British friends" was "please do not waste this time".

Theresa May, who had wanted a shorter delay, said the UK would still aim to leave the EU as soon as possible.

The UK must now hold European elections in May, or leave on 1 June without a deal.

The prime minister will later make a statement on the Brussels summit to the House of Commons, while talks with the Labour Party, aimed at reaching consensus on how to handle Brexit, are set to continue.

Mrs May tweeted: "The choices we now face are stark and the timetable is clear. So we must now press on at pace with our efforts to reach a consensus on a deal that is in the national interest."

So far, MPs have rejected the withdrawal agreement Mrs May reached with other European leaders last year and they have voted against leaving the EU without a deal.

The EU has ruled out any renegotiation of the withdrawal agreement.

Before the summit, Mrs May had told leaders she wanted to move the UK's exit date from this Friday to 30 June, with the option of leaving earlier if Parliament ratified her agreement.