What’s in the news?

• Foreign Ministers of the Quad group of countries – India, the U.S., Australia, and Japan – signed a Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) partnership into effect.
• The Quad’s origins have their roots in a HADR partnership in 2004 in the wake of the devastating Indian Ocean tsunami.
• Quad grouping comprises Japan, India, Australia and the United States. The four countries had in 2017 given shape to the long-pending proposal of setting up the “Quad” or the Quadrilateral coalition to counter China’s aggressive behaviour in the Indo-Pacific region.

Reference:

1. https://www.thehindu.com/news/international/quad-countries-sign-humanitarian-assistance-and-disaster-relief-agreement/article65928032.ece