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Pro-EU leader claims Moldova victory despite alleged Russian meddling
Moldova’s pro-EU President Maia Sandu has claimed a second term after a tense election run-off seen as a choice between Europe and Russia.
With most preliminary results counted, Sandu was leading with almost 55% of the vote, and in a late-night speech she promised to be president for all Moldovans.
Her rival Alexandr Stoianoglo, who was backed by the pro-Russian Party of Socialists, had promised a closer relationship with Moscow.
During the vote, the president’s national security adviser said there had been “massive interference” from Russia in Moldova’s electoral process that had “high potential to distort the outcome”.
Russia had already denied meddling in the vote, which came a week after another key Eastern European election in Georgia, whose president said it had been a “Russian special operation”.
Stoianoglo, who was fired as prosecutor general by Sandu, has denied being pro-Kremlin.
As polls closed, both Maia Sandu, 52, and her rival thanked voters, with Stoianoglo speaking in Russian as well as Romanian. Although Romanian is Moldova’s main language, Russian is widely spoken because of its Soviet past.
Voting ended in Moldova at 21:00 (19:00 GMT), with a 54% turnout higher than four years ago, and especially high among expat voters at polling stations abroad.
Stoianoglo took an early lead and won the vote in Moldova itself with more than 51%, according to the preliminary results. Sandu was far ahead in the capital Chisinau, and was completely dominant among expat voters.
As she overtook her challenger late on Sunday night, there was cheering at her campaign headquarters and chants of “victory”.
In a hoarse voice she praised her compatriots for saving Moldova and giving “a lesson in democracy, worthy of being written in history books”.
Then, moving into Russian, she said: “I have heard your voice – both those who supported me and those who voted for Mr. Stoianoglo. In our choice for a dignified future, no-one lost… we need to stand united.”
Maia Sandu’s foreign policy adviser, Olga Rosca, told the BBC she was proud of the result.
Asked whether she was surprised that Stoianoglo had won in Moldova itself, she said the vote in Moldova and abroad should be seen as one and the same: “We never divide people into Moldovans at home and expatriates – we see Moldovans as one family.”
With elections coming next year she said the president had “clearly indicated she has heard the mood for change. On several occasions between the [two presidential] votes she said the fight against corruption must be intensified and justice reform must be accelerated – she’s committed to this work”.
The final result will be declared on Monday.
EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen congratulated Sandu, saying “it takes a rare kind of strength to overcome the challenges you’ve faced in this election.
“I’m glad to continue working with you towards a European future for Moldova and its people,” her message on X said.
Casting his ballot, Alexandr Stoianoglo had promised to be an “apolitical president”, and that he had voted for “a Moldova that should develop in harmony with both the West and the East”.
Stoianoglo polled particularly well in rural areas and the south, while Sandu was ahead in the cities and with young voters.
After casting her ballot, Sandu had warned of “thieves” who sought to buy their vote and their country.
Presidential national security adviser Stanislav Secrieru said Russia had organised buses and large charter flights to bring voters to polling stations.
Bomb scares had briefly disrupted voting in Moldova, at UK polling stations in Liverpool and Northampton and at Frankfurt and Kaiserslautern in Germany, he added.
Moldova’s authorities have long warned that a fugitive oligarch called Ilan Shor has spent $39m (£30m) trying to buy the election for Moscow with handouts to 138,000 Moldovans.
Shor, who is based in Moscow, denies wrongdoing but did promise cash payments to anyone prepared to back his call for a “firm No” to the EU.
Commentators and politicians had warned that a Stoianoglo victory could radically change the political landscape in the Danube and Black Sea region, not because he was some kind of “Trojan horse”, but rather because Russia has thrown its weight behind him.
There were queues at polling stations in Moscow, Italy and among voters from a mainly Russian-speaking breakaway region of Transnistria, who had to cross the River Dniester into Moldovan-controlled territory to vote. Transnistria is home to a Russian military base and a huge arms depot.
Moldova’s election commission said it was aware of reports of organised and illegal transports of voters by air and land in Russia, Belarus, Azerbaijan and Turkey, and appealed to the public to report further violations.
Although Sandu had easily won the first round of the vote, several candidates swung behind Stoianoglo, although the third-placed candidate refused to back either of the two.
The first round coincided with a nail-biting referendum on backing a change to the constitution embracing the commitment to join the EU.
In the end the vote passed by a tiny margin in favour, and Maia Sandu said there had been clear evidence of attempts to buy 300,000 votes.
[BBC]
Three people have died after a helicopter crashed off the Hawaiian island of Kauai, police said.
The helicopter was carrying one pilot and four passengers, police said in a statement. Two survivors were taken to a hospital for treatment.
Police said the helicopter was operated by Airborne Aviation, a company whose website advertises “a doors-off thrill seekers adventure tour” of the picturesque island’s waterfalls, canyons, and beaches.
The US Coast Guard said the helicopter crash-landed about 100 yards off Kalalau beach. Authorities have not yet identified the victims.
Police said they responded to an alert of the crash at around 15:45 local time (01:45 GMT), along with the Coast Guard and fire department.
Kauai’s Mayor Derek Kawakami praised the recovery effort, telling local media: “Here on Kaua’i, whenever somebody puts their feet on our soil, they are one of ours.
“We treat them like one of ours, they are a part of our family, and our first responders respond with that spirit in mind.”
Andrew Williams, search and rescue mission co-ordinator for the Coast Guard in Honolulu, said: “We are greatly saddened by the loss of three lives in this helicopter crash and thinking of those individuals’ families and friends.”
Helicopter tours are a popular way for visitors to tour the island, which is where the blockbuster film Jurassic Park was shot.
Airborne Aviation’s 50-minute tour of the island offered a maximum of four passengers and costs $348 (£262) per passenger, according to its website.
BBC News has contacted Airborne Aviation for comment.
The incident is the latest fatal crash in Kauai involving a tour helicopter. Three people were killed when a helicopter operated by a different tour company crashed in July 2024.
The 2024 crash was caused by “an encounter with turbulence due to downdraft winds that resulted in mast bumping and an inflight breakup”, a report by the National Transportation Safety Board said.
[BBC]
Tiger Woods has been charged with driving under the influence after rolling his car in a crash in Florida, police have confirmed.
The Martin County Sheriff’s Office said the 15-time major champion was also charged with property damage and refusal to submit to a lawful test.
Woods, 50, rolled his Land Rover after clipping a pressure cleaner truck while trying to overtake it at “a high rate of speed”, according to Sheriff John Budensiek.
The golfer, who had to crawl out of the passenger door of his vehicle, passed a breathalyser test after the crash but refused a urine test.
No-one sustained any injuries in the incident which took place on Beach Road in Jupiter Island just before 14:00 local time on Friday (about 19:00 GMT).
Sheriff Budensiek told a news conference: “The DUI investigators came to the scene and Mr Woods did exemplify signs of impairment.
“They did several tests on him. He did explain the injuries and surgeries that he’s had and we did take that into account, but they did some in-depth roadside tests.
“When it was determined, he was placed under arrest and taken to the Martin County jail.
“At the Martin County jail, and even on scene, we were really not suspicious of alcohol being involved in this case and that proved to be true.
“Mr Woods did a breathalyser test with triple zeros, but when it came time for us to ask for a urinary analysis test, he refused.”
Budensiek also said Woods had been “co-operative but was trying not to incriminate himself”.
“He has a right to refuse that test,” added the sheriff. “There is a statute which he will be charged with for refusing to take that test, but we will never get definitive results as to what he was impaired on at the time of the crash.”
US president Donald Trump was asked about the crash on Friday, saying: “I feel so badly. [Woods has] got some difficulty. There was an accident. That’s all I know.
“He’s a very close friend of mine, he’s an amazing person, an amazing man.”
Sheriff Budensiek said Woods would remain in jail for eight hours then be released on bond. The charges are misdemeanours, not felonies.
The BBC has contacted the golfer’s representatives for comment.
This is not the first time Woods has been involved in a car accident – he has played a limited schedule since the serious crash in 2021 that left him with extensive injuries and fortunate to be alive.
In 2017 police officers also found him slumped at the wheel of his parked Mercedes-Benz not far from his Florida home.
A toxicology report found Woods had several legal medications in his system and marijuana’s active ingredient, and he was sentenced to a year’s probation after pleading guilty to reckless driving.
In 2009 Woods hit a fire hydrant, a tree, and several hedges in a bizarre collision outside his home.
The incident sparked accusations of extramarital affairs which led to the end of his seven-year marriage and the loss of lucrative sponsorship deals.
[BBC]
Latest News
Heat Index at Caution Level in the Western, Sabaragamuwa, Southern, Eastern, North-western, Northern and North-central provinces and in Monaragala district
Warm Weather Advisory
Issued by the Natural Hazards Early Warning Centre of the Department of Meteorology
Issued at 3.30 p.m. on 27 March 2026, valid for 28 March 2026.
The ‘Heat index‘, the temperature felt on human body is likely to increase up to ‘Caution level’ at some places in the Western, Sabaragamuwa, Southern, Eastern, North-western, Northern and North-central provinces and in Monaragala district
The Heat Index Forecast is calculated by using relative humidity and maximum temperature and this is the condition that is felt on your body. This is not the forecast of maximum temperature. It is generated by the Department of Meteorology for the next day period and prepared by using global numerical weather prediction model data.
Effect of the heat index on human body is mentioned in the above table and it is prepared on the advice of the Ministry of Health and Indigenous Medical Services.
ACTION REQUIRED
Job sites: Stay hydrated and takes breaks in the shade as often as possible.
Indoors: Check up on the elderly and the sick.
Vehicles: Never leave children unattended.
Outdoors: Limit strenuous outdoor activities, find shade and stay hydrated.
Dress: Wear lightweight and white or light-colored clothing.
Note:
In addition, please refer to advisories issued by the Disaster Preparedness & Response Division, Ministry of Health in this regard as well. For further clarifications please contact 011-7446491.
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