From the Newsroom: Ahead of lockdown, chaos and panic buying in Karnataka

In your evening news brief, BCCI says it would do everything to ensure foreign players competing in the IPL reach their respective countries seamlessly once the tournament ends; TikTok plans to allow European researchers and policymakers to see how its teams moderate content, and rush at railway stations and bus terminus in Karnataka before lockdown begins in the state.

Here is the top news of April 27, 2021:

Hours before the stringent lockdown to contain Covid-19 in Karnataka came into effect on Tuesday, people flocked to railway stations, central bus terminus and waited in serpentine queues at toll plazas on national highways to board vehicles to reach their homes. There was a mad scramble at vegetable markets and grocery shops in all major cities to stock up on essentials.

Health Minister K Sudhakar said there will be no curbs on the movement of people to get Covid-19 vaccines.

Sudhakar told reporters that even if the lockdown was in place, there would be skeletal movement of vehicles for essential services.

The BCCI on Tuesday said it would do everything to ensure that foreign players competing in the IPL reach their respective countries seamlessly once the tournament ends, a day after three Australians quit the event amid an upsurge of Covid-19 cases in India.

Andrew Tye (Rajasthan Royals) and the duo of Kane Richardson and Adam Zampa (both Royal Challengers Bangalore) withdrew as apprehension set in after a couple of weeks went by smoothly for the league held in front of empty stands across six venues.

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison on Tuesday said cricketers competing in the IPL will have to make their "own arrangements" to return home after his country banned all flights from India in the wake of a deadly second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic.

TikTok plans to allow European researchers and policymakers to see how its teams moderate content, how its recommendation technology works and how it handles data as it seeks to address concerns over the privacy and safety of its young users.

The social media app said on Tuesday it would open a European Transparency and Accountability Centre, at first virtually and later at a facility in Ireland expected to open next year.

Source: DHNS/ PTI/ Reuters