Top headlines: Govt responds to WhatsApp's lawsuit; BPCL posts profit in Q4

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BPCL reports Rs 11,940 cr Q4 profit

Privatisation-bound Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd (BPCL) on Wednesday reported a net profit of Rs 11,940.13 crore for the quarter ended March 31, 2021, as against net loss of Rs 1,361.01 crore in the corresponding quarter last year.

The total income of the company during Q4 FY21 saw a robust jump to Rs 1,00,419.63 crore from Rs 82,452.99 crore seen in the same quarter of previous year.

The Board of Directors of the company have recommended a final dividend of Rs 58 per equity share. READ HERE.

New IT rules not against privacy; tracing messages only for "very serious offences": Govt

The government on Wednesday said it respects the right to privacy and the requirement of tracing origin of flagged messages under the new IT rules is for prevention and investigation of "very serious offences" related to the sovereignty of India or public order.

In a statement, the IT Ministry termed WhatsApp's last moment challenge to the intermediary guidelines as an unfortunate attempt to prevent norms from coming into effect. READ HERE.

Govt seeks compliance report from social media cos

The government on Wednesday staunchly defended its new digital rules, saying the requirement of messaging platforms such as WhatsApp to disclose origin of flagged messages does not violate privacy, and went on to seek a compliance report from social media firms.

A day after WhatsApp filed a lawsuit in the Delhi High Court challenging the new digital rules on grounds that the requirement for the company to provide access to encrypted messages will break privacy protections, IT Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said the new norms will not impact normal functioning of the popular free-messaging platform. READ HERE.

Cyclone Yaas ravages Bengal, Odisha as over 2 mn evacuated

Cyclone 'Yaas', packing winds of up to 130-145 kmph, whiplashed the country's eastern coasts on Wednesday, dumping heavy rain, damaging houses and farmlands, and leaving at least four persons dead - three in Odisha and one in Bengal -- officials said.

Thick sheets of rain blurred the vast coastline, as the cyclone made landfall around 9 am near Dhamra port in Odisha, with surging waters swamping the mud-and-thatch houses in the low-lying areas, where a massive evacuation drive has been undertaken to move more than 2 million people to safety. READ HERE.