Israel's strike on Beirut killed 37, Lebanon says

22/9/2024 7:19

        Leaders of Australia, India, Japan and the United States are taking new security steps in the Indian Ocean as outgoing U.S. President Joe Biden hosts counterparts from the Quad grouping established due to shared concerns about China.
        
        Biden welcomed Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida for a four-way meeting near his Delaware hometown on Saturday to stress the importance of maintaining the Quad, which he sees as a signature foreign policy achievement, before he leaves office after the Nov. 5 U.S. presidential election.
        
        Leaders from the four nations were rolling out plans to expand an Indo-Pacific Partnership for Maritime Domain Awareness launched two years ago to include the Indian Ocean region, senior Biden administration officials said.
        
        The leaders are planning joint coast guard operations that will see Australian, Japanese and Indian personnel spend time on a U.S. coast guard vessel. The countries also plan increased military logistics cooperation, the officials said.