US Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld was involved in a car accident on Tuesday. There were no casualties. The minister's car crashed into a car in front of him, which as a result of the collision ran into a fence separating two lanes of the road, AFP reports. After the accident, Rumsfeld's car continued from the Pentagon to Andrews Air Force Base, from where the Secretary of Defense was supposed to fly to New York. An investigation is underway into the circumstances of the incident.

US President George W. Bush's talks with Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas will be held next week in Jordan. This was confirmed to the BBC by Jordanian Minister of Information Mohammed Affash Al-Udwan. The summit will discuss the Middle East settlement plan proposed by the "quartet" of international mediators, known as the "Road Map".

The Moscow City Duma at a meeting on Wednesday adopted an appeal to Russian President Vladimir Putin "On tax reform in the Russian Federation in 2003-2005," Interfax reports. The deputies are asking the head of state to recommend that the Russian government reconsider the decision to abolish the sales tax and keep it as one of the most important regional budget-forming taxes.

Investigative actions at the Moscow Organ Donation Coordinating Center revealed the fact that an operation to remove a kidney had begun before the patient's death was declared.

Ukrainian President Leonid Kuchma intends to publish a book this year, which will be called "Ukraine is not Russia." According to Interfax, Kuchma wrote this essay with the help of historians, but promised that he would be "responsible for everything" himself. Kuchma emphasized that this book "in no way opposes Ukraine and Russia." According to him, the book includes his reflections "about what is happening today, taking into account the past."

On Wednesday, the Czech government decided to send 400 troops to Iraq, RIA Novosti reports. According to the press service of the Cabinet of Ministers of the country, the Czech contingent in the British sector will include doctors and specialists from the military field hospital in Basra and 50 military police. The government's decision is to be approved by the country's parliament in the coming days.

In southern India, 430 people died from overheating and sunstroke in a week of extreme heat, and this is only official data. Andhra Pradesh has been hit the hardest by the heat, according to AFP. There, during the day, the temperature exceeds the mark of 50 degrees Celsius, and in the city of Kottagudam, a record of 52.1 degrees was recorded. Forecasters promise that the heat will stay for another week.

On Wednesday, Russia celebrates Border Guard Day. In Moscow, public order in places where former border guards usually meet will be maintained by almost 2,000 policemen, Ekho Moskvy reports. The Central Internal Affairs Directorate noted that usually "green caps" are found in Gorky Central Park, on Poklonnaya Hill and at the All-Russian Exhibition Center.

Moscow police detained 12 protesters against the plans of Russia and the United States to use weapons-grade plutonium in civilian nuclear power. As RBC was informed in the international environmental group Ecodefense, the protest action organized by it took place on May 27 on Bolshaya Ordynka Street, near the building of the Ministry of Atomic Energy. Also, similar events were held in Tomsk, Chelyabinsk, Krasnoyarsk, Washington and Savannah (USA).

The head of the apparatus of the government of the Russian Federation, Minister of the Russian Federation Igor Shuvalov, was appointed assistant to the President of Russia on Wednesday with the release from his previous position. It is reported by RIA Novosti with reference to the press service of the President of Russia. According to the press service, Konstantin Merzlikin has been appointed head of the government apparatus - Minister of the Russian Federation.

On May 27, the Cassation Commission of the Moscow City Court considered the case of A. B. Borodina's textbook "Fundamentals of Orthodox Culture" and canceled the decision of the Meshchansky District Court, which refused the all-Russian movement "For Human Rights", which appealed against the refusal of the prosecutor's office to initiate a criminal case on the fact of distribution of the textbook.

In Vladivostok, a fire broke out near one of the berths on the ship, which firefighters were able to quickly eliminate, the press service of the State Fire Service Administration for the Primorsky Territory told RIA Novosti. On the ship Kombrig Kuznetsov, which was moored at berth 42, a propane cylinder exploded during welding, resulting in a fire. The fire damaged the lining between the workshop and the living quarters. There were no casualties.

Interrogation of witnesses at the trial in the case of Colonel Budanov continues at the North Caucasian Military Court. According to Ekho Moskvy, on Wednesday the court heard the testimony of four witnesses, fellow villagers of the murdered Elza Kungayeva. They confirmed that Budanov had visited their village more than once. The colonel was seen there, in particular, 2 days before the murder of the girl.

A group of medical researchers from Hong Kong and China are trying a way to block the infection of SARS through the nose, reports Reuters. They propose, as a preventive measure, to force people to inhale the neutralized acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus through the nose. This will cause a response of the body's immune system, it will develop antibodies, and then the virus will not be afraid of a person.

The Tverskoy Court of Moscow on Wednesday dismissed another 12 lawsuits from victims of the events of October 23-26 at Dubrovka. This was reported to Ekho Moskvy by the lawyer of the victims, Igor Trunov. Thus, 36 former hostages and relatives of the victims have already been refused. According to Trunov, 25 lawsuits remain in court, and now other hostages are preparing new lawsuits, but he sees no point in filing them in court until the court makes at least one positive decision.