■ Moldova
Transdnestr backs Russia
Transdnestr, a tiny separatist region of ex-Soviet Moldova, has voted overwhelmingly in favor of a proposal to become part of Russia, according to official results yesterday from a referendum held over the weekend. The central electoral commission said that 97.1 percent of voters on Sunday backed the idea, with a turnout of 78.6 percent. The referendum has no legal value, because the government of Transdnestr is not internationally recognized. However, the poll was a new blow to Moldova's hopes of resolving the 15-year-old conflict in Transdnestr.
■ South Africa
Surfers claim record
Dozens of surfers on Sunday laid claim to setting the world record for the most riders on a single wave during a fundraiser for a shark-spotting project. A surf school in Muizenberg near Cape Town, famous for its waves but also for its great whites, organized the attempt to highlight awareness of sharks and safety measures to prevent attacks. Seventy-three surfers managed to stay up for more than five seconds on a single wave, organizer Dene Botha said, although the unofficial count had yet to be confirmed. "We have broken the world record. We don't know exactly by how many, but we have a record," Botha said. The previous world record, of 44, was set in Ireland.
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