It's un-American and must stop': Joe Biden addresses growing attacks on Asian Americans
Washington, Mar 12: US President Joe Biden has said that the "vicious" hate crimes against Asian Americans in the country amidst the pandemic was "un-American" and it must stop.
Denouncing "violent" attacks on the Asian Americans, Biden in his first prime-time address to the nation since assuming office in January, said that members of the community were harassed, blamed and scapegoated.
A surge in anti-Asian attacks has been reported since the start of the pandemic. It has left Asian Americans across the country scared and concerned. The actual number of hate incidents against them could be even higher, according to a civil rights group.
Stop AAPI Hate, a coalition aimed at addressing anti-Asian discrimination during the COVID-19 pandemic, received more than 2,800 firsthand reports of anti-Asian hate, including physical and verbal assaults, between March 19 and December 31, 2020, the National Public Radio (NPR) reported.
Recent attacks, including multiple violent attacks on elderly Asian Americans, have sparked outrage and activism in the Asian American community and spurred lawmakers and organisers to respond to the threat.
Biden said that during this coronavirus pandemic too often, Americans turned against one another.
A mask, the easiest thing to do to save lives sometimes, it divides us. States pitted against one another instead of working with each other; vicious hate crimes against Asian Americans who have been attacked, harassed, blamed, and scapegoated, Biden said.
At this very moment, so many of them are our fellow Americans on the front lines of this pandemic trying to save lives, and still they are forced to live in fear for their lives just walking down streets in America. It's wrong, it's un-American, and it must stop, Biden said.
Biden's reference to the hate crime against Asian Americans was welcomed by Indian-American Congressman Ro Khanna.
Thank you President Biden for speaking up clearly and forcefully against the scapegoating of Asian Americans, Khanna said in a tweet.
Congressman Ted Lieu also thanked Biden for the strong words to protect Americans of Asian descent, and for the executive order to combat hate crimes.
"This is in stark contrast to the former President who made racist remarks like Kung Flu that inflamed prejudices against Asian Americans, Lieu said.
Last week, Vice President Kamala Harris said that hate of any kind is simply unacceptable.
Right now, Asian Americans and Asian immigrants in our country are facing an increase in hate and violence, the first Asian-American US Vice President said.
Biden and Harris said are committed to working with the community to ensure all Americans are protected and respected.
On January 26, Biden issued the Presidential Memorandum Condemning and Combating Racism, Xenophobia, and Intolerance Against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in the United States.
It mandates that the Attorney General shall explore opportunities to prevent discrimination, bullying, harassment, and hate crimes against Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) individuals, and expand collection of data and public reporting regarding hate incidents against such individuals.
The reported incidents range from verbal harassments to physical altercations.
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Indian startup's 'Drishti' satellite launched aboard SpaceX rocket
New Delhi (PTI): Bengaluru-based space start-up GalaxEye's Mission Drishti satellite was launched on Sunday aboard SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket from California.
Mission Drishti is the world's first OptoSAR satellite, integrating electro-optical (EO) and synthetic aperture radar (SAR) sensors into a single operational platform, according to the company.
While EO sensors capture high-resolution images during sunlight and clear skies, SAR sensors provide all-weather and all-time images, using radar pulses.
In a statement, Suyash Singh, founder and CEO of GalaxEye, said, "With the satellite (Mission Drishti) now successfully in orbit, our immediate focus is on completing its commissioning. As we move through this phase, we are already witnessing strong global interest in the differentiated datasets enabled by our OptoSAR payload."
The satellite will help address long-standing limitations of conventional systems and enable more reliable and consistent data acquisition across diverse environmental conditions, the company said.
As a dual-use Earth observation satellite, the mission will support use cases across defence, agriculture, disaster management, maritime monitoring, and infrastructure planning.
The satellite is also expected to complement India's broader initiatives, including the 29 active Earth Observation satellites outlined in ISRO's recent annual report.
The launch came after five years of indigenous research and development, and extensive environmental testing and performance validation of the Mission Drishti.
In a statement, Lt Gen AK Bhatt (Retd), director general of Indian Space Association (ISpA), said, "GalaxEye has achieved what only a few global players have, which is seamlessly combining optical and SAR capabilities on a single platform to enable persistent, all-weather intelligence."
What stands out is not just the technology, but its broader impact on how downstream applications will increasingly define value in the space economy, particularly in Earth observation, where timely, decision-grade insights are critical," he added.
ISpA is the premier industry association of space and satellite companies in the country.
Union Minister Jitendra Singh also took note of the Mission Drishti launch, saying the development marked a significant milestone in India's space journey.
In a post on X, the minister said, "The successful launch of the world's first OptoSAR satellite, and the largest privately-built satellite in the country, reflects the immense potential of our young innovators driving nation-building."
GalaxEye aims to scale up Mission Drishti to a constellation of 10 satellites by 2030, developing a robust and sovereign Earth observation infrastructure for India.
