U.S. CONGRESS PASSES ANTI-HATE CRIME BILL AMID RISING ATTACKS ON ASIAN-AMERICANS

WASHINGTON: US lawmakers on Tuesday sent an anti-hate bill to President Joe Biden’s desk that aims to prevent violence against Asian-americans, following an alarming rise in attacks including murders during the coronavirus pandemic.

The House of Representatives passed the Covid-19 Hate Crimes Act with a strong bipartisan vote of 364 to 62, weeks after it cleared the Senate with nearly unanimous support.

Biden backs the legislation, which will speed up reviews of Covid-related hate crimes against Asian-americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPI), expand public awareness about the problem, and provide governments with guidance on how to combat hate crimes. White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki tweeted that Biden “looks forward to signing this important legislation into law at the White House later this week”.

More than 6,600 incidences of anti-aapi discrimination and violence were reported between March 2020 and March 2021, House speaker Nancy Pelosi said.