India news: Delhi rejects Dutch concerns on minority rights

India has indicated that it is purchasing Russian oil regardless of US sanctions waivers according to news reports.

Sujata Sharma, joint secretary in the petroleum ministry, clarified this during a media briefing.

"Regarding (the) American waiver on Russia, ​I would like to emphasize ​that ‌we have been purchasing from Russia earlier ... ‌I mean before waiver also, ‌during ​waiver also, and now also," the Reuters news agency quoted Sharma as saying.

"It is ​basically the commercial sense which should be ⁠there for ​us to ​purchase ... There is no shortage ​of crude. ‌Enough crude has been tied up repeatedly ... ​and ⁠this, whatever waiver or no waiver, ⁠it ​will not affect," she said.

On Saturday, US President Donald Trump allowed a sanctions waiver to lapse.

It had allowed countries — including India — to buy Russian seaborne ​oil.

Previously, the waiver was renewed in April amid criticism from US lawmakers that it undermines efforts to deprive Russia of its oil revenue as it continues a full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

In August last year, the Trump administration said it would impose a 50% tariff on some Indian exports to the US over continued purchases of Russian oil.

Authorities in the southern state of Andhra Pradesh have announced fresh financial incentives for families with a third child and more for those with a fourth.

The move comes amid concern over the declining fertility rate, with the Total Fertility Rate (TFR) having fallen to 1.9 births per woman, placing it below the replacement level of 2.1.

Andhra Pradesh's Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu announced over the weekend that there would offer a one-time cash ‌incentive of 30,000 rupees ($311, €267) for a third child and 40,000 rupees for a fourth.

This is a revision of an ​earlier proposal for 25,000 rupees for a second child and no direct support for a first-born.

"In the past, we worked extensively on family planning,” Naidu said. "Now, given the changed circumstances, we are calling for children to be seen as wealth."

There was no indication as to when the plan would be implemented.

India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived in Oslo on Monday in the first visit to the Scandinavian country by an Indian Prime Minister in over 40 years.

"I am grateful for the warm welcome from Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre at the airport … I am confident that the visit will strengthen the friendship between India and Norway," Modi said in a post on social media platform X including pictures of his arrival.

Modi said he would be meeting King Harald V and Queen Sonja, and hold bilateral talks with Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store.

The Indian leader is in Norway for the third India-Nordic Summit being held in Oslo.

"Norway is a valued partner for India," India's spokesperson for the Ministry of External Affairs, Randhir Jaiswal said a post on X.

"The visit is set to add fresh vigour to the India-Norway partnership," Jaiswal added.

The ministry said the summit would build on previous meetings in Stockholm and Copenhagen and would focus on "technology and innovation, green transition and renewable energy, sustainability, blue economy, defence, space and the Arctic."

Modi kickstarted his four-nation European tour in The Netherlands over the weekend. 

India on Monday condemned a drone strike targeting the Barakah Nuclear Power Plant in the UAE, deeming the attack as a "dangerous escalation."

The foreign ministry called on all sides to exercise restraint and return to dialogue and diplomacy, news agency ANI reported.

"India is deeply concerned at the attack targeting the Barakah nuclear facility in the UAE. Such actions are unacceptable and represent a dangerous escalation. We urgently call for restraint and a return to dialogue and diplomacy," ANI cited the ministry statement as saying.

On Sunday a fire broke out after a drone strike hit an electrical generator outside the inner perimeter of the Barakah nuclear power plant in the Al Dhafra region. The facility is the sole nuclear power plant on the Arabian Peninsula. 

New Delhi has issued a strong rebuttal to criticism in The Netherlands over press freedom and minority rights in India, saying that the concerns arise from a "lack of understanding" of the country's history and diversity.

The response came during a press briefing in The Hague on Sunday, where senior Indian officials were questioned by journalists ahead of a meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Dutch counterpart Rob Jetten at the Catshuis, the official residence of the Dutch prime minister.

Indian media reports, citing Dutch newspaper De Volkskrant, said Jetten had expressed concerns about declining press freedom in India and the rights of minorities in the country being under "severe pressure." However, it was not immediately clear whether the Dutch leader had publicly made those remarks.

Responding to queries from journalists over the issue, India's Ministry of External Affairs secretary (West), Sibi George, said that questions stem from "a lack of understanding" of India's history and social tapestry. 

"India is a country of 1.4 billion people, the largest populated country in the world. A country of civilization of more than 5000 years old. It's a diverse country… diversity in terms of culture, diversity in terms of languages, diversity in terms of food, diversity in terms of religion," he said. 

"Every religion. Whenever any part of the world there was persecution in the past, they all came to India and thrived in India. This is the beauty of India. This question comes because of the lack of understanding of this," the senior diplomat continued to say. 

On the concerns over press freedom, George said that India is a very "noisy democracy" because "everyone has the freedom of expression, freedom of press in the country."

This is Dharvi Vaid Dhulia from DW's studio in New Delhi, bringing you our daily capsule of all the biggest headlines creating a buzz in India. 

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is in the middle of a four-nation Europe tour to shore up energy and technology ties in the midst of a global disruption caused by the Iran war and the wider Middle East conflict. 

After visiting the Netherlands and Sweden, Modi has now jetted off for a maiden trip to Norway.

Meanwhile, India's foreign ministry rebuked Dutch concerns over minority rights and press freedom in the South Asian country.

In other news, India has condemned a drone attack on a nuclear facility in the UAE.

Stay tuned as we unpack these developments and more.