Amazon under fire after bikini having colours of Karnataka flag, emblem on sale
Bengaluru: Following outrage against e- commerce giant Amazon after users claimed that a bikini having colours of the Karnataka flag and emblem was available for sale on its Canada site, state's Kannada and Culture Minister Aravind Limbavali has said the government would take legal action.
Calling it a matter of Kannadigas' self-pride and that the government would not tolerate such things, the Minister asked Amazon Canada to apologise.
This comes close on the heels of an outrage against tech giant Google over a search result that showed Kannada as Indias "ugliest language".
"We experienced an insult of Kannada by @Google recently.
Even before the scars could heal, we find @amazonca using the colours of #Kannada flag and the kannada icon on ladies clothes," Limbavali has said.
"Multinational companies should stop such repeated insult of #Kannada This is a matter of Kannadigas' self-pride and we will not tolerate the rise in such incidents. @amazonca should, therefore, apologise to Kannadigas. Legal action will be taken immediately against @amazonca," he tweeted on Saturday.
The Minister had directed for similar action against Google following uproar last week against search result showed Kannada as Indias "ugliest language", but later decided against going ahead with it, as the tech giant tendered an apology.
Terming it an insult to the government, JD(S) leader and former Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy has asked the government to look into possibilities of taking action against Amazon, and it was necessary to stop the recurrence of such things in future.
He also demanded that Amazon should apologise to Kannadigas.
The bikini had the colours of unofficial state's flag, in hues of yellow and red, and has the state's emblem 'Gandaberunda', a two-headed mythological bird, which now seems to have been removed by Amazon from its Canada site following uproar.
There was no immediate comment from Amazon.
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Indians in US rush to schedule preterm deliveries ahead of Trump’s birthright citizenship order
With the February 19 deadline for President Donald Trump’s executive order ending automatic birthright citizenship fast approaching, Indian parents in the United States are scrambling to arrange preterm deliveries. The new order challenges the long-standing interpretation of the 14th Amendment, which grants citizenship to all children born on U.S. soil, except for children of foreign diplomats.
The executive order impacts not only undocumented immigrants but also non-citizens legally residing in the U.S. on temporary visas, such as H-1B, L1, tourist, and student visas. Children born after February 19 to non-citizen parents will no longer qualify for automatic U.S. citizenship, disrupting long-term plans for thousands of families.
Indian-origin families, many of whom are awaiting green cards, are especially anxious. Some parents were counting on their children’s U.S. citizenship as a potential pathway to secure residency. Priya, an Indian woman expecting her baby in March, expressed her distress: “We’ve been waiting for green cards for six years. Our child being born here was the only way to secure stability. Now, we’re terrified of what’s to come.”
Maternity clinics and doctors are reporting an unusual spike in requests for preterm C-sections. Dr. SG Mukkala, an obstetrician in Texas, shared concerns over the health risks of preterm births, including underdeveloped lungs, feeding difficulties, and neurological complications. “I’ve spoken to 15-20 couples in the past two days, trying to explain the risks,” he said.
In New Jersey, Dr. SD Rama noted a surge in calls for early deliveries. “A seven-months pregnant woman came with her husband, asking to schedule a preterm birth, even though she isn’t due until March,” she revealed.
