Abu Dhabi, May 15: India is ready to extend all possible support for the earliest restoration of peace and stability in West Asia, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Friday, as he condemned the attacks on the UAE while praising the Gulf country’s leadership for its handling of the situation with restraint.

During his meeting with UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed in Abu Dhabi, Modi also assured him that India stands shoulder to shoulder with the UAE in every situation and will continue to do so in the future.

Underlining that the impact of the volatile situation in West Asia is being felt across the globe, Modi said India has always given priority to dialogue and diplomacy to resolve the issues.

“India is ready to extend all possible support for the restoration of peace and stability at the earliest,” the Prime Minister said.

Prime Minister Modi also conveyed India’s clear position in favour of ensuring safe transit passage and unimpeded navigation through the Strait of Hormuz, which is vital for enduring regional peace and stability, as well as energy and food security.

He said that keeping the Strait of Hormuz free, open and safe is our highest priority and added that adherence to international laws is essential.

Iran shut down the Strait of Hormuz, a key waterway between the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman, following the launch of the US-Israeli attacks on February 28.

The UAE, which hosts a US military base, has been at the receiving end of Iranian strikes during the ongoing US-Israeli war on Iran.

Modi and Mohamed bin Zayed held a series of detailed discussions, during which the Prime Minister reaffirmed India’s strong condemnation of the attacks on the UAE, as well as its solidarity with the leadership and the people of the Gulf country.

“We strongly condemn the attack that took place in the UAE. The way the UAE was targeted is unacceptable in any form,” Modi said, without naming any country.

Last week, three Indian nationals were injured after a fire broke out on the Fujairah Petroleum Industries Zone (FOIZ) in the UAE following a drone strike. The UAE’s Ministry of Defence blamed Iran for the attack.

“In these difficult circumstances, the restraint, courage and wisdom demonstrated by you are highly commendable,” Modi told the UAE president.

Modi also thanked him for taking care of the Indian community like members of his own family in such challenging times.

The ongoing conflict in West Asia has heightened concerns in India over potential disruptions to crude oil and gas supplies, particularly through the Strait of Hormuz.

The conflict has severely destabilised global energy markets, primarily due to Tehran’s blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, through which approximately 20 per cent of the world’s total petroleum supply flows.

New Delhi, May 15: Likening some unemployed youngsters to cockroaches, Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant on Friday said they go on to “become” media, social media and RTI activists and start attacking the system.

The comments came while a bench of CJI Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi was pulling up a lawyer for “pursuing” a senior advocate designation. It said there were already “parasites” in society who attack the system and asked the petitioner whether he wanted to join hands with them.

“The entire world may be eligible to become senior (advocate), but at least you are not entitled,” the bench told the petitioner lawyer.

A visibly anguished CJI observed that if the Delhi High Court would confer senior advocate designation upon the petitioner, the apex court would set that aside seeing his professional conduct.

The CJI also referred to the kind of language used by the petitioner on Facebook.

“There are already parasites of society who attack the system and you want to join hands with them?” he said.

“There are youngsters like cockroaches, who don’t get any employment or have any place in profession. Some of them become media, some of them become social media, RTI activists and other activists and they start attacking everyone,” he said.

The bench also asked the petitioner whether he did not have any other litigation.

“Is this the conduct of a person who seeks to be designated as a senior advocate?” the bench asked.

It said senior advocate designation is something that is conferred on a person and is not to be pursued.

“You are pursuing it. Does it look proper?” the top court said, asking whether a senior advocate designation was a status symbol to be kept ornamentally.

It also observed that it wanted to ask the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to verify the degrees of many of those who were wearing black robes as there were serious doubts over the genuineness of their degrees.

It said the Bar Council of India would never do anything on this issue as they “need their votes”.

The petitioner apologised to the bench and sought permission to withdraw the petition. The bench allowed the withdrawal of the petition.

New Delhi, May 15: India and Iran on Wednesday agreed to expand cooperation in the economic, political and energy sectors, saying continued dialogue is important for securing common interests and strengthening regional stability and security.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, who was in New Delhi in connection with the BRICS foreign ministers’ meeting, held wide-ranging discussions with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar and National Security Adviser Ajit Doval on the current security scenario in the Gulf and matters of mutual interest.

Mr Araghchi also met Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on the sidelines of the meeting and apprised him of Iran’s position on the Strait of Hormuz and the ongoing peace negotiations with the United States.

The BRICS foreign ministers exchanged views on bilateral relations, regional developments and multilateral cooperation during the meeting in New Delhi.

Araghchi thanked India for hosting the BRICS foreign ministers’ meeting and said “very good discussions and meetings” had taken place during the event, according to Iran’s Tasnim News Agency.

The Iranian foreign minister, during his meeting with Jaishankar, further apprised him of the latest developments following the 40-day conflict involving Iran, the United States and Israel, and the course of negotiations related to ending the war.

Referring to the historic and friendly ties between Tehran and New Delhi, Araghchi described continued consultations and close cooperation between the two countries as important for securing common interests and strengthening regional stability and security.

He stressed the need for effective action by the international community to stop the conflicts and prevent the spread of instability in the region.

During his meeting with NSA Ajit Doval, Araghchi expressed concern over the continuing tensions and conflict in the region and emphasized the importance of preserving regional stability and security.

He also conveyed India’s readiness to help restore security in the region and support efforts aimed at ending the conflict.

New Delhi, May 15:  India has banned the export of sugar till September 30 this year with immediate effect, a move which would help enhance domestic availability and contain prices.

Earlier, the exports were under a restricted category, under which a license was required for the outbound shipments.

“The export policy of Sugar (Raw Sugar, White Sugar and Refined Sugar)… is amended from ‘Restricted’ to ‘Prohibited’ with immediate effect till September 30, 2026, or until further orders, whichever is earlier,” the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) said in a notification dated May 13.

This order, however, does not apply to sugar being exported to the European Union and the US under the CXL and Tariff Rate Quota (TRQ) arrangement, respectively.

The arrangements allow exporters to ship specified quantities of sugar to these destinations at significantly reduced or zero customs duties.

The DGFT’s order is also not applicable to the shipments under the advance authorisation scheme, government-to-government exports and consignments already in the physical export pipeline.

For the 2025-26 sugar marketing year (October to September), the Food Ministry initially allowed 15 lakh tonnes in exports, then opened an additional 5,00,000-tonnes pool, of which only 87,587 tonnes were approved.

So, nearly 16 lakh tonnes of sugar export were allowed.

The food ministry and sugar mills were expecting 7.5-8 lakh tonnes of shipments in the entire 2025-26 marketing year.

India’s sugar production rose 7.32 per cent to 27.52 million tonnes till April in the 2025-26 marketing season, driven by higher output in Maharashtra and Karnataka, according to industry body ISMA.

ISMA projected total production for the 2025-26 marketing season at 29.3 million tonnes after ethanol diversion, up from 26.12 million tonnes recorded in 2024-25.

Banning exports of a commodity helps prevent a rise in prices amid inflation concerns and uncertainty caused by the West Asia conflict.

In October 2022, India imposed export restriction on sugar and then it was extended from time to time..

The world’s second-largest sugar producer keeps exports under government control through quotas distributed proportionally among mills.

Commenting on the decision, Pushan Sharma, Director, Crisil Intelligence, said the ban is a response to tightening domestic supplies.

Domestic sugar prices have risen about 4 per cent year-on-year between October 2025 and April 2026 and are expected to be overall about 5 per cent higher for sugar season 2026, he said.

Production is now estimated at 28 million metric tonnes, about 8 per cent lower compared with 30.5 MMT (million metric tonnes) expected earlier, as unseasonal showers in October 2025 triggered flowering of sugarcane and lowered recovery rates in Maharashtra and Karnataka..

With closing stocks projected at just 3.8 MMT—equivalent to 1.5 months of consumption—versus the five-year average of 2.5 months, the government’s priority is clearly to preserve domestic availability and contain prices, Sharma said.

He added that the impact on millers, however, is limited, as exports have accounted for less than 5 per cent of sales over the past two years..

Additionally, stagnant distillery volumes, slow offtake by oil marketing companies and the absence of clear blending targets will weigh on profitability, he said.