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Sri Lanka has three assets that could make it a logistics and energy hub in the Indian subcontinent comparable in concept, if not scale, to Rotterdam, Singapore, and Dubai.
The sight of over a dozen Iranian oil tankers gathered off the Sri Lankan coast, together with the sinking of an Iranian vessel by a United States submarine in March, has once again placed the nation at the centre of a geopolitical crisis far beyond its shores. More importantly, it has highlighted something Sri Lanka has too often taken for granted: its geography.

The island sits astride some of the world’s busiest sea lanes. Throughout history, its location has given Sri Lanka a strategic importance disproportionate to its size. The Portuguese, Dutch, and British understood this. During the Second World War, Admiral Lord Louis Mountbatten established his South East Asia Command headquarters in erstwhile Ceylon. The island also played a crucial role in maintaining Allied communications and supply lines across the Indian Ocean.

One of the most remarkable reminders of that role was the famous “Double Sunrise” service. From 1943, Qantas Catalina flying boats operated between Australia and Sri Lanka, maintaining an air link after the fall of Singapore. The flights were so long that crews and passengers saw two sunrises. As the 83rdanniversary of the service is commemorated, it is worth recalling that Sri Lanka once served as an indispensable logistical link across the Indian Ocean.

The question is whether the country can do so again.

What Sri Lanka lacks
Sri Lanka today possesses three extraordinary maritime assets. Colombo has become one of the world’s important transhipment centres, handling around 90 lakh TEUs a year, with a substantial share of its transhipment business connected to India. Trincomalee possesses one of the world’s greatest natural harbours, with enormous potential for energy, storage, and industrial development. Hambantota is close to the main east-west maritime routes and offers land and deep-water capacity for industries that cannot easily be accommodated around Colombo.

Together, these assets could form the foundation of something much larger: a logistics and energy hub in the Indian subcontinent comparable in concept, if not scale, to Rotterdam, Singapore, or Dubai.

Yet, Sri Lanka has never fully realised this potential.

Since independence, development has too often proceeded in fits and starts, driven by individual projects rather than a sustained national strategy. The country’s 30-year war was another major impediment. It diverted resources, discouraged investment, and made long-term infrastructure planning and development far more difficult.

But the war is over. Today, there are no comparable excuses. In the years since 2009, Sri Lanka has not lacked strategic geography. It has lacked the political will and continuity to convert geography into economic power.
That must now change. The international environment has offered the island an opportunity that may not come again.
The disruption surrounding the Strait of Hormuz and the wider Middle East is likely to accelerate the search for alternative logistics, energy, and supply-chain arrangements. Countries and companies are increasingly looking not simply for the cheapest routes, but for resilient and trusted ones.
This creates a potential space between the established hubs of the Gulf and Southeast Asia in which Sri Lanka could play a greaterrole.

But if Sri Lanka does not move, India will inevitably develop alternatives of its own.

A fundamental rethink
It would be a mistake to view India’s expanding maritime infrastructure simply as competition. Instead, it presents an opportunity for Sri Lanka to integrate into a much larger logistics ecosystem. Colombo and Trincomalee should become complementary to India’s ports rather than just competing with them.

This calls for a fundamental change in thinking.

Colombo needs further expansion, including new breakwaters, terminals, and efficient inter-terminal and hinterland connectivity. If Sri Lanka is to become a genuine multimodal hub, the airport too needs a major expansion, including a second runway.

There is also an opportunity to rethink Colombo’s role as an aviation gateway to India. Under such an arrangement, Indian customs and immigration facilities could operate at Colombo airport, along the lines of arrangements at international airports elsewhere, making travel and onward connectivity more seamless. Such an arrangement would require detailed negotiations between the two governments, but the strategic objective must be clear: Colombo should function increasingly as an extension of the economic space in the Indian subcontinent and the Middle East.

Sri Lankan Airlines must be privatised without further delay and placed with a strategic airline investor capable of developing Colombo as an aviation hub for the Indian subcontinent and the Middle East. A national airline cannot be an end in itself; connectivity comes first.
Trincomalee should become the centre of an integrated energy strategy. Its oil-storage capacity could be expanded and connected to India. The oil pipeline proposal now under discussion involving India, Sri Lanka, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) could become an important example of how the island’s strategic location can facilitate trilateral cooperation. Refining, petrochemical, and other energy-storage possibilities should also be examined.

The electricity connectivity discussions now taking place between India and Sri Lanka must be implemented quickly. Combined with large-scale investment in the island’s wind and solar resources, such connectivity could transform Sri Lanka from an energy importer into an important regional producer of renewable electricity. Green hydrogen could eventually become part of this strategy.

Sri Lanka’s mineral resources, including graphite, ilmenite, and phosphate, also need to be incorporated into this broader strategic vision.

The Japanese proposal for an India-Sri Lanka export-oriented industrial corridor provides another opportunity. Rather than a simple industrial development project, it could become a model trilateral initiative between India, Japan, and Sri Lanka, linking Japanese technology and investment, India’s enormous market and manufacturing capabilities, and Sri Lanka’s strategic location and connectivity.

India must win Sri Lanka over
Ultimately, the boldest step would be physical connectivity between India and Sri Lanka.
A road and rail connection across the Palk Strait would be politically sensitive and would require careful consideration of environmental concerns. But if designed appropriately, it could become the ultimate catalyst for Sri Lanka’s transformation into a regional logistics and manufacturing platform.

This would also symbolise a larger change, from thinking of Sri Lanka and India as two economies separated by a narrow stretch of water to seeing them as interconnected components of a larger economic system extending across the subcontinent, toward the Middle East and beyond.

There are precedents.

After the Second World War, the Netherlands made a strategic decision to build itself into Europe’s distribution and logistics centre. Rotterdam port and Amsterdam airport became the physical expressions of that decision. Singapore’s leaders similarly recognised that the city-state’s survival depended upon turning geography into an economic asset. The UAE later pursued a comparable strategy, transforming Dubai into a global centre for trade, aviation, logistics, and finance.

None of these transformations occurred automatically. They required political will, consistency, foreign investment, infrastructure, and, above all, a national decision about what the country wanted to become.

Sri Lanka faces a similar choice.

The current crisis in the Middle East should therefore not be viewed solely through the narrow lens of immediate security risks. It is also a warning about the vulnerability of global supply chains and an opportunity to rethink the architecture of the Indian Ocean.
The post-Hormuz world may be more fragmented and multipolar. That makes trusted regional partnerships all the more important.

For Sri Lanka, the most important of those partnerships will inevitably be with India. No ambitious strategy for the island can succeed without Indian confidence. Equally, India has an interest in a stable, prosperous, and economically integrated Sri Lanka located immediately across its southern maritime approaches.

Trust, however, cannot be assumed. India too will need to win the confidence of Sri Lankan sceptics. This will require sensitivity, patience, and a willingness to address Sri Lankan concerns gently—not cold economic logic. The success of deeper integration will depend as much on political and people-to-people trust as on ports, pipelines, and railways.

The Iranian tankers now lying off Sri Lanka are a dramatic reminder of the island’s location. Eight decades after the Double Sunrise flights connected Australia and Ceylon across the Indian Ocean, Sri Lanka again finds itself at the intersection of major global currents.

The choice is whether to remain a strategically located island or become the strategic hub that its geography has always made possible. The post-Hormuz period may be Sri Lanka’s last great opportunity to make that choice.

(Milinda Moragoda is founder of the Pathfinder Foundation, a strategic affairs think tank. can be contacted via This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. courtesy The Print https://l1nq.com/7mjv2dr)

Thirty young voices that have spent weeks challenging themselves to think boldly, speak confidently and inspire others will take centre stage on September 5 as Future Voices 2026 reaches its Grand Finale in Kandy.

Under the inspiring belief that “Every great voice begins with the courage to speak,” the programme has brought together talented young people from across the school and higher education sectors, creating a platform where ideas, confidence and leadership can take centre stage.

The Grand Finale will be held from 8.30 a.m. at the Level 5 Banquet Hall of Kandy City Centre (KCC), marking the culmination of a journey that began with 30 participants — 15 representing leading schools and another 15 from prominent educational institutions.

Throughout the competition, participants have been pushed beyond the comfort zone of the classroom, taking on public speaking challenges that tested not only their communication skills but also their ability to think critically, respond under pressure and connect with an audience.

Representing the school category are students from institutions including Gateway College, Swarnamali Girls’ College, St. Sylvester’s College, Pushpadana Girls’ College, Viharamahadevi Girls’ College, Badi-ud-din Mahmud Girls’ College, Ecole Internationale and Wariyapola Sri Sumangala College.

The higher education category has brought together students from institutions including APIIT, ANC Education, American College of Higher Education, the Sri Lanka Institute of Marketing (SLIM) and the Sri Lanka Institute of Information Technology (SLIIT).

For many of the participants, however, the significance of Future Voices 2026 goes beyond competition rankings.

Standing before an audience and expressing an idea requires more than memorising a speech. It demands confidence, preparation, the ability to think independently and, perhaps most importantly, the courage to be heard.

That journey has been at the heart of Future Voices 2026.

From the preliminary rounds through to the Grand Semi-Final, participants have progressively developed their ability to communicate ideas with clarity and conviction. Every appearance at the microphone has represented another step towards becoming a more confident speaker and a more capable young leader.

The Grand Finale will now provide the final stage for these emerging voices to demonstrate how far they have come.

While the competition will ultimately recognise individual winners, organisers say the programme is also intended to celebrate the schools and educational institutions that create environments where young people are encouraged to express themselves, question ideas and develop leadership qualities.

Certificates and cash prizes will be presented to the winners, while participating schools and institutions will also receive recognition for their contribution to nurturing young talent.

The larger message of the event, however, is reflected in the young people who have already stepped forward.

In an era where young voices can influence communities, shape conversations and inspire change, the ability to communicate effectively has become an increasingly important leadership skill.

Future Voices 2026 seeks to make that skill accessible not simply as a competition advantage, but as a foundation for the future.

As the 30 participants prepare for the final showdown in Kandy, the stage is set for more than a contest of speeches.

It is a celebration of confidence, ideas and potential — and a reminder that tomorrow's leaders may already be finding their voice today.

Two categories. One stage. One future.

And on September 5, Kandy will hear those future voices.

A lake that formed near to the China-Nepal border after Wednesday's floods has overflowed, causing rescue operations in the area to be halted, Chinese state broadcaster CCTV reported.

The incident brings risks of further flooding to the region after it was hit by the flash floods earlier this week.

The lake formed upstream from Gyirong Port in Tibet after debris formed a dam and blocked a river at an earlier flood site.

Chinese authorities have warned three million cubic meters of water were expected to flow into the lake over the next three days, with peak flow expected ‌on 1 September.

Source: Sky News

Nepal police has just issued another update, saying 332 people have died as of 15:50 local time (11:05 BST) on Thursday following the floods.

It came shortly after its earlier update from 14:30 local time (09:45 BST), which placed the death toll at 289.

Source: BBC

US President Donald Trump on Thursday (local time) said that the United States has offered Nepal "any help that they need" following the devastating flash floods in the country's Rasuwa district, as Washington works to locate American citizens reported missing in the disaster.

Addressing reporters on the sidelines of signing an executive order, Trump said the US had spoken with Nepalese leadership and offered assistance following the floods, describing the situation as one that "nobody's ever seen anything quite like that."

"We've called Nepal, and we've offered any help that they need. And we have a very good relationship with Nepal, and that was a brutal... that wasn't just... that was mud and water. It's a mixture that nobody's ever seen anything quite like that, where very powerful, strong, you know, strong, well-built buildings were wiped out like they were toothpicks," Trump said.

"It's a terrible thing. No, we are sending aid, and we've spoken to the leadership, and we let them know anything they want, we'll have," he added.

Trump also said that dozens of Americans were in the affected areas and that the US had not yet received a complete list of those affected.

"And there were 50, maybe 60 Americans over there who we haven't gotten the full list yet, but hopefully they're okay. But that looks pretty... that looks like something that people will not be... somebody will be lost, unfortunately," Trump said.

According to CNN, the US State Department has said that 90 Americans are 'missing' following the floods in Nepal.

Former White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt, speaking to Fox News on Thursday (local time), said the administration's immediate priority was ensuring the safety of US citizens in Nepal.

"We've offered our help and our assistance, but of course the first priority for this president and Secretary Rubio will always be Americans. So, we're focusing on rescuing every American that we possibly can, and that effort will continue," Leavitt said.

The US State Department, in a media note issued on Wednesday (local time), said it was closely monitoring the situation and had deployed a disaster response advisor to the region to support response efforts.

"The United States extends its deepest condolences to the families and loved ones of those who lost their lives in the devastating flash floods in the Rasuwa district of Nepal. Our thoughts are with all those affected by this disaster," the State Department said.

The department also announced USD 500,000 in assistance through its global award with Catholic Relief Services. The assistance will support emergency shelter, relief items, and water, sanitation and hygiene assistance for communities affected by the floods.

"The U.S. Embassy in Kathmandu is working closely with local authorities to locate and assist U.S. citizens in the affected areas," the State Department said.

It urged US citizens in Nepal who require urgent assistance related to the flooding to contact the US Embassy and encouraged Americans in affected areas to monitor local news, follow instructions from local authorities and enrol in the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP) to receive safety and emergency information.

The remarks come as the death toll in Nepal reaches 389, with 977 people reported to remain missing following the Bhote Koshi flood in Nepal's Rasuwa district, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority (NDRRMA) said in its latest status report released on Thursday.

Of the 977 people reported missing, 517 are foreign nationals, and 127 are Nepali citizens living abroad who had come to Nepal to visit.

Meanwhile, Nepal's Ministry of Foreign Affairs has established an Emergency Response Team to coordinate search, rescue, information verification and consular assistance concerning foreign nationals affected by the Rasuwa flash flood.

The authorities continue to conduct search and rescue operations across the affected districts as efforts intensify to locate those still missing, assist stranded people and restore damaged infrastructure. 

Source: ANI

According to the latest statement issued by the Nepal Tourism Board, no Sri Lankan nationals are among the foreigners reported missing following the devastating flash floods that struck Nepal’s Rasuwa area.

Accordingly, a total of 644 people are currently reported missing, including 517 foreign nationals from 32 countries and 127 Nepalese nationals.

Indian nationals account for the highest number of missing foreigners, with 178 reported missing. 

The latest list also includes 65 Americans, 53 Ukrainians, 51 Malaysians and 35 Australians, while 33 British nationals and 25 Canadians are also reported missing.

The report further states that nine Singaporeans, eight Germans, eight Russians, six Latvians, six South Africans, five Japanese, five New Zealanders, four French nationals, three Belgians and three Spaniards are among those missing.

Two nationals each from Italy, Ireland, Kazakhstan, the Netherlands and Portugal are also reported missing, while one person each from Belarus, Bulgaria, Finland, Hungary, Israel, Lithuania, Philippines, Serbia, Sweden and Switzerland is listed as missing, according to the statement. 

The Nepal Tourism Board said security forces and relief teams are continuing search and rescue operations and relief efforts to locate the missing persons.

(Adaderana.lk)

Nepalese police say the death toll in the floods has risen to 469.

In the previous update yesterday, the number was at 389.

Police have also provided details on the areas where the casualties are:

Rasuwa - 12

Dhading - 33

Gorkha - 44

Nawalparasi East - 110

Nuwakot - 37

Chitwan - 178

Tanahun - 28

Nawalparasi West – 27

It adds that 1,545 people have been injured and rescued by authorities, covering the following areas:

Rasuwa - 644

Nuwakot - 898

Dhading – 3

Police also say 84 injured people are either currently receiving treatment or have been discharged across hospitals in the Kathmandu Valley.

In Tibet, the death toll remains at three.

Source: Sky News

Sri Lanka must immediately overhaul its national disaster preparedness strategies to shield its vulnerable population from the severe ecological and economic threats posed by the impending El Niño–La Niña climate transition, Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa said.

He made these remarks on Wednesday (26) during an event in the Matara–Hambantota region, where he attended the Akthapathra presentation ceremony for Venerable Sapugasyaye Dharmapala Thera following his appointment as Deputy Chief Sanghanayake of Talpe-Pattuwa.

Warning that unpredictable climate events could trigger severe droughts swiftly followed by intense torrential rainfall, the Opposition Leader urged the government to abandon reactive relief measures in favour of a modern, institutionalised framework.

Drawing attention to international crisis points including recent forest fires in France and Greece, he explained that the Parliamentary Committee on Climate Change, which he co-chairs with Prof. L. M. Abeywickrama, has been evaluating scientific predictions indicating an abnormally destructive climate cycle this year.

He added that the island has already endured five major national crises in recent history, ranging from the Easter Sunday terror attacks to global geopolitical fallout, and risks facing a sixth major crisis if environmental risks are ignored.

Pointing to India’s Odisha state as an exemplary model of proactive disaster risk reduction, Premadasa said that Sri Lanka has failed to build a modern management apparatus despite the tragic loss of forty thousand lives during the 2004 tsunami.

He also observed that economically vulnerable and bankrupt nations remain exceptionally susceptible to external manipulation, highlighting that unified action involving government bodies, non-state institutions, and civil society is crucial to withstand interference from international financial institutions and multinational corporations.

*Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hKnSFPPexlk*

The Sri Lankan public has been systematically misled by political promises, leaving all strata of society in severe economic distress and paralysis. Speaking at a Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) membership drive in Rambewa within the Medawachchiya constituency of Anuradhapura district, Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa said that 21 million citizens, ranging from farmers and entrepreneurs to women and children, are experiencing widespread frustration.

He highlighted that the populace was deceived in 2019 leading to national bankruptcy, and again in 2024, resulting in societal stagnation across the island.

Premadasa challenged official economic statistics, arguing that the government is operating on inaccurate data.

Pointing to figures from the Department of Census and Statistics, he criticized district-level surveys claiming that seventeen thousand three hundred and fifteen rupees is sufficient for a person to live on for thirty days. Turning to agricultural concerns, the Opposition Leader noted that election promises guaranteed paddy at one hundred and fifty rupees per kilogram, yet the current market price remains at one hundred and twenty rupees.

He observed that the Minister of Agriculture himself admitted in Parliament that producing a single kilogram of paddy costs Rs. 137, proving that farmers are being forced to sell at a loss.

Furthermore, he outlined several other unfulfilled commitments, including pledges to reduce electricity tariffs by thirty-three per cent, sell fuel at landed cost, and make compact vehicles available for Rs. 1.2 million.

The death toll has risen to 162, according to Nepali police. Among those killed, 64 were found in downstream areas in the Chitwan district while another 26 were found in Nawalparasi East, police said in a statement this morning.

Twenty-eight police officers are among the hundreds still unaccounted for, it added.

Chitwan, a tourism hotspot known for its jungle safaris, is one of several municipalities that have been placed on high alert as floodwaters rise.

Source: BBC