Less than a week before the Budget, a large number of import curbs by the Central Bank on Friday --- including a 100 percent margin (deposit) on a range of popular consumer items -- to save on dwindling foreign exchange reserves have stunned businesses and could lead to a slowdown in traditional Christmas sales.
India has given an “open cheque” to Sri Lanka as part of its contribution towards the relief programme for the displaced people caught up in the fighting in the Wanni, a senior official said yesterday.
