Lanka prez asks Mamata if she will lead INDIA
Kolkata (PTI): A smiling Sri Lanka President Ranil Wickremesinghe on Wednesday asked West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee whether she is going to lead the Opposition alliance, INDIA.
Banerjee who met Wickremesinghe at the Dubai airport was also amused by the question. "If people support us, we can be in a position (power) tomorrow," she replied.
The chief minister is on a 12-day official trip to Dubai and Spain.
Banerjee said that Wickremesinghe, seeing her at the airport lounge, called her to "join for some discussion" when she invited him to the state-organised Bengal Global Business Summit (BGBS) in November.
"His Excellency the President of Sri Lanka Ranil Wickremesinghe saw me at the Dubai International Airport Lounge and called me to join for some discussion. I have been humbled by his greetings and (have) invited him to the Bengal Global Business Summit 2023 in Kolkata," she posted on X, formerly Twitter.
Banerjee also said Wickremesinghe has invited her to visit the island country.
"It was a pleasant interaction with deep implications," she added.
Banerjee reached Dubai on Tuesday evening and was at the airport there this morning to board her flight to Spain.
This year's BGBS is scheduled for November 21-22.
Banerjee had on Tuesday morning left for the tour of Dubai and Spain, during which she will attend business summits to attract investments to the state.
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India bans sugar exports till Sept 30
New Delhi (PTI): India has banned the export of sugar till September 30 this year, according to a government notification.
The notification issued by the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) on May 13 said this order does not apply to sugar being exported to the European Union and the US under the tariff rate quota scheme.
The 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.
"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 DGFT said.
