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The government has been urged to rescue the local film industry and safeguard stakeholders’ interests, consult them to help maintain the industry for present and future generations.

They claim that the film industry has been ignored completely in post-COVID recovery, look in to reopen cinemas with rapid national vaccination program and take action to increase in occupancy  rate to at least 50% post-restrictions

The film industry yesterday said COVID-19 and travel restrictions had put several cinemas out of business, prompting fresh calls for help.

“There are a number of small and medium-scale cinemas countrywide that have gone bankrupt. Most of them are unable to maintain their business with no operations to pay rents and salaries,” film industry sources said.

Sri Lanka National Film Corporation (NFC) has now become a liability to the modern local cinema due to malpractices, irregularities and inefficiency since its inception in 1971, industry stakeholders complained.    

They demanded the government to maintain this corporation as a regulator of the Cinema Industry stripping of its additional role as a film distributor and film hall owner as its bureaucratic bungling has prevented the development of the industry for over three decades.

The need of the hour is to fully liberalise the distribution and import of films and allow cinemas to operate without any undue influences, they said.

Sri Lanka has vehemently opposed a Resolution introduced in the United States House of Representatives, the Foreign Ministry said.

The Government has allowed several local companies to import certain agro chemicals urgently needed for the plantation sector, reversing its ban on importing herbicides and pesticides with immediate effect.

The Finance Ministry has issued a gazette notification allowing the importation of certain agro chemicals including a range of herbicides under special import license regulations after 6th of this month.

The Gazette was issued under the Imports and Exports (Control) Act, by Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa in the capacity of Minister of Finance.

According to the gazette, importation of certain insecticides, herbicides including glyphosate as well as certain nitrogenous and potassium mineral or chemical fertilisers and nitrogenous, would be legal. However, certain agro chemicals were not listed either under the banned list or the positive list.

The Department of Imports and Exports also issued operating instructions to commercial banks not to proceed with any items that are not allowed under the gazette notification and without a valid import control licence.

Meanwhile, the government is yet to announce the date on when the proposed ban would come into force in terms of usage in chemical fertilisers and agro chemicals.

Agriculture Minister Mahindananda Aluthgamage recently stressed that the government policy is to ban all imports of chemical fertilisers and agro chemicals in order to move into organic farming.

According to him, the country already has sufficient resources to manufacture organic phosphate and potassium based fertilisers.

The Minister expects to meet nitrogen fertiliser requirements through resources from the country’s sea beds, waste collections of local governments and animal waste in poultry and dairy industries.

The government’s decision to suspend the import of 399 vehicles including 227 luxury vehicles with the approval of the Cabinet of Ministers has taken a new twist as the government is compelled to import these vehicles as the required vehicles have already been manufactured by the respective company according to specifications.

A Chinese company has been given the long term petroleum supply contract for the first time surpassing other locally registered fuel suppliers, Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (CPC) sources said.      

The Cabinet of Ministers has cleared the path to award three long-term petroleum import bids to PetroChina International and one remaining bid to Swiss Singapore Overseas Enterprises.

Accordingly, PetroChina International, a wholly owned subsidiary of Beijing-based State-owned PetroChina secured the contract to supply approximately 1.12million barrels of diesel (maximum percentage of Sulphur 0.05) to Muthurajawela Single Point Mooring (SPM) owned by Ceylon Petroleum (CPC) during the period starting from 1st of June this year to 31st of January next year.  

PetroChina also secured the contract to supply approximately 1.341 million barrels of petrol (92 Unl) and 0.46 million barrels of petrol (95 Unl) to the country during the same period.

In addition, PetroChina will also be unloading approximately 1.12 million barrels of diesel (maximum percentage of Sulphur 0.05) to Colombo Dolphin Tanker Berth (DTB) and Muthurajawela SPM during the period.

Meanwhile, Swiss Singapore Overseas Enterprises Pte Ltd, a unit of India-based Aditya Birla Group,secured the other remaining bid to supply approximately 2.7 million barrels of Petrol (92 Unl) during the same period.

The relevant resolutions to award these contracts were submitted by the Power Minister in terms of the recommendations of the Special Standing Procurement Committee appointed by the Cabinet of Ministers in relation to the procurement of fuel, according to the Government Information Department.

Minister Namal Rajapaksa was sworn in as the State Minister of Digital Technology and Entrepreneur Development before President Gotabaya Rajapaksa at the Presidential Secretariat today.

He also holds the portfolios of Youth Affairs and Sports.

The Sri Lanka Agricultural Economics Association has warned that there is a grave risk in using imported organic fertilisers which are likely to have seeds of weeds, pathogenic bacteria, fungi, nematodes, etc.

Such organisms could cause disease outbreaks in crops, livestock, and human society, leading to heavy economic losses, it said in a letter addressed to the President.

“Imported organic fertilisers also pose a high risk of contaminating our soils and water resources. Once the pollutants enter into our eco-system and destroy it, it is not easy to recover from the damage,” the statement added.

The Sri Lanka Agricultural Economics Association predicts massive economic losses due to potential yield losses, in the absence of proper substitutes for chemical fertilisers and pesticides, with the implementation of the import ban on fertilisers and pesticides.

They further went on to note that the immediate adverse impacts on food security, farm incomes, foreign exchange earnings, and rural poverty can be detrimental.

It will not be possible to counter the 30 per cent to 50 per cent drop in paddy production and the resulting increase in the price of rice.

Farmers confirm the massive reduction in output, with many wondering how they could survive unless expected prices more than double at the farm gate.

If the ban in chemical fertiliser is implemented, there will be a massive reduction in agricultural output in the near term creating shortages, riots and unprecedented price rises of products and we will simply not be able to feed the population without a substantial increase in imports

The islandwide travel restriction will be extended till June 14, Army Commander General Shavendra Silva said.

He said the restriction will not be relaxed any day in between and it will be lifted on June 14 at 4 am. 

The number of total confirmed COVID-19 cases surpassed the 200,000 mark with 3,094 more cases being reported today.

Accordingly, the toll of COVID-19 cases stands at 201,534.

Meanwhile, 166,132 COVID-19 patients have so far recovered and been discharged from hospitals.

The investigations into the 2019 April 21st Attacks are not going on with a sense of determination to find those responsible, alleged His Eminence Malcolm Cardinal Ranjith on Wednesday (02) in Colombo.

Speaking to reporters His Eminence said the Grand Conspiracy mentioned by the Former Attorney General needs to be investigated adding that certain elements connected to the 2019 April Attacks have not been investigated in a proper manner.

His Eminence said he hopes to go to the international fora for a thorough investigation into this Grand Conspiracy.

He went on to note that matters relating to one suicide bomber meeting an army officer and the whereabouts of Sarah Jasmine have not been investigated and called on authorities to investigate these matters.

” We are left with no other options but to carry on with our campaign against the present government for its neglect of duties because I was given a promise by the President that he would give top priority to the security issue, but he has not done that,” he said.

The Disaster Management Center (DMC) warns that the upper catchment areas of the Kelani River basin may cause flooding in the next 24 hours.

Accordingly, the residents in the relevant areas are urged to remain vigilant.

Meanwhile, the prevailing adverse weather has claimed 10 lives while another person has gone missing.

Further, two more individuals have sustained injuries due to the inclement weather.

A total of 219,027 have been afflicted by the adverse climate conditions so far, DMC said.

The Government’s plan to merge LAUGFS Gas and the state-owned Litro Gas company under one banner will lead towards injecting public money in a wasteful Public–Private Partnership to rescue the financially ailing LAUGFS Gas company, financial analysts said.