New Delhi, Dec 3 : India and Russia have taken a significant step to boost Defence Cooperation at their first meeting of the India-Russia High Level Monitoring Committee (HLMC).

The two-day meeting, co-chaired by the Defence Secretary Vijay Singh and Mikhail Dmitriev, Director, FSMTC from the Russian side, ended here today.

Both sides discussed issues related to ongoing projects such as Fifth Generation Fighter Aircraft, Multi-role Transport Aircraft, T-90 tanks, AWACS, SU-30MKI upgrade, aircraft carrier Admiral Gorshkov and Medium Lift Helicopters.

New Delhi, Dec. 3 : U. S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice on Wednesday said that Washington is ready to co-operate with India in its fight against terrorism , and added that jumping to premature conclusions as who was behind last week’s terror attacks on Mumbai would serve no purpose.

Refraining from commenting on India’s demand that Pakistan hand over 20 dreaded terrorists, including Dawood Ibrahim and Jaish-e-Muhammad chief Maulana Masood Azhar, Rice said ‘We don’t want to jump to any conclusions on whether Pakistan is behind the attacks that shook Mumbai last week’.

Mumbai, Dec. 3 : A Mumbai terrorist captured by police has confirmed to interrogators that a woman in Islamic dress guided him around the city before and after the attackers went on a shooting spree.

Investigators said that an urgent alert had been issued to officers to find the woman referred to by Azam Amir Qasab as "sister."

Eyewitnesses had seen Qasab buying dried fruit with the burqa-wearing woman near Mumbai''s main train just minutes before the attack was launched.

A shopkeeper also insisted at least one woman had accompanied the pair.

New Delhi, Dec. 3 : Deepak Sandhu, the Principal Director General of the Press Information Bureau (PIB), is to be the new media advisor to the Prime Minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh.

A source in the Prime Minister'' Office (PMO) said that a formal order on her appointment as the next media adviser is expected by this evening.

Mrs Sandhu will succeed Dr. Sanjay Baru, who left the PMO four months ago to join the academic world in Singapore.

New Delhi, Dec 3 (ANI): Russia''s Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Zhukov met External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee today ahead of India Russia Summit.

Zhukov and Mukherjee chaired the 14th session of the India-RussiaInter-Governmental Commission on Trade, Economic, Scientific, Technological and Cultural Cooperation (IRIGC) on Thursday.

Both the countries are seeking to increase economic and energy cooperation amidst the growing fears of a recession.

New Delhi, Dec 3 : Vice President Hamid Ansari understand the need for crashing a barrier free environment for persons with disabilities.

After presenting the ‘National Awards for the Empowerment of Persons with the Disabilities’ at a function organised by the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment here today, Ansari said that disability needs to be part of all programmes, policies and legislation with the objective to achieve equality in all political, economic and social spheres.