The Meteorology Department says several spells of showers will occur in the Western, Sabaragamuwa and North-western provinces and in Nuwara-Eliya, Kandy, Galle and Matara districts today (June 19).

Showers or thundershowers may occur at a few places in the Uva province and in Ampara and Batticaloa districts during the afternoon or night.

Fairly strong winds of about 30-40 kmph can be expected at times over Western slopes of the central hills and in Northern, North-central, Southern and North-western provinces and in Trincomalee district.

The general public is kindly requested to take adequate precautions to minimize damages caused by temporary localized strong winds and lightning during thundershowers.

The Chinese Embassy in Sri Lanka has announced that they will officially launch the “China Visa Online Application System” from June 30, 2025.

An embassy spokesperson has addressed the following FAQs with regard to the new system. 

For further details and enquiries, please visit https://consular.mfa.gov.cn/VISA/.htm or contact the Consular Office (Tel: 0094-112676658；Email: [email protected]), the embassy adds.

Q1: After the system upgrade, where should I go to apply for a visa? What changes have been made to the application process?

A: Applicants can visit the website https://consular.mfa.gov.cn/VISA/ to fill out the visa application form online, upload the required documents, and the application will enter the preliminary review phase. During this period, applicants can log into the website to check the application status and, as required, modify the form or supplement application documents. When the status of the order changes to “Passport to be submitted”, please submit the application in person with passport and documents, provide biometric information (e.g. fingerprints). The application will now enter the final review stage. If approved, the applicant is required to visit the Chinese Embassy again to collect the passport and visa and pay visa fees.

Q2: Do I need to create an account for the online visa application system? How to register?

A: Yes, the online visa application system requires an account registration and login. Currently, only email registration is supported.

Q3: What changes have been made to the expedited processing service? How long does the review period take?

A: When filling out the application form online, applicants can still select “Normal” or “Express” processing method. However, this selection does not affect the timeline of the preliminary review phase. The expedited processing will only accelerate the procedure after the online preliminary review is approved and physical documents have been submitted offline. An additional fee is required for expedited processing, and the request cannot be revoked once submitted. If the consular officer decides to extend the processing time based on a case-by-case review, the expedited service fee will not be refunded.
Generally, the online preliminary review takes about 1-3 working days, and the review after submitting the passport takes 3-4 working days. Submitting an application too early (e.g. 1 month or more in advance) may cause a backlog in the visa system and may not be processed in a timely manner.It is recommended to apply for a visa two or three weeks in advance.

Q4: Can I apply for someone else? Can someone else submit passports on my behalf?

A: Online applications can be processed by yourself or by someone else.
Except for those who meet the conditions for exemption from fingerprints collection, after the online preliminary review is passed, applicants must leave fingerprints when submitting passports and other materials to the Embassy. Those who are exempt from fingerprint collection can entrust others to submit passports, collect visa and pay for the fees.

Q5: I submitted an application form in the previous Chinese visa application system before June 30, but did not submit the documents at the Embassy, do I need to reapply via the upgraded system from June 30?

A: The visa application system will be undergoing an upgrade from 17:00 on June 27 to 08:00 on June 30. Any applications submitted during this period are invalid. After 08:00 on June 30, apply via the new procedure.
Visa application forms submitted through the original system before June 27 remain valid. You may submit your documents in person using the existing procedure by 17:00 on June 27. After this time, applicants must reapply online through the new process.

Q6: Does the new system apply to visa applications for Hong Kong, China and Macao, China?

A: No. The new system is only applicable to visas for mainland China. Applicants who are eligible to apply for Hong Kong and Macao visas at our Embassy still submit their application documents to the Embassy in the original way.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has told US President Donald Trump that Delhi will never accept third-party mediation with Pakistan on the issue of Kashmir, India’s senior-most diplomat said.

Foreign secretary Vikram Misri said that Modi “strongly” conveyed India’s long-held stand to Trump during a phone call between the two leaders on Tuesday.

Trump has repeatedly offered to mediate between India and Pakistan to solve the “Kashmir issue” since a four-day conflict between the nuclear-armed neighbours in May.

The White House has not commented on India’s statement.

Mr Misri also said that Modi told Trump “clearly” that during the duration of the conflict, “no talks were held at any level on the India-America trade deal or on the mediation between India and Pakistan by America”.

Trump has repeatedly claimed that India and Pakistan ended the conflict after a ceasefire brokered by the US and also that he used trade as a lever to make them agree. Pakistan has backed US claims of brokering the ceasefire but India has denied it.

“The talks regarding cessation of military action were held directly between India and Pakistan under the existing channels established between both militaries,” Mr Misri said.

Last month, Trump told reporters: “I said, ‘Come on, we’re going to do a lot of trade with you guys [India and Pakistan]. Let’s stop it. Let’s stop it. If you stop it, we’ll do a trade. If you don’t stop it, we’re not going to do any trade.'”

Delhi is rushing to negotiate a trade deal with the Trump administration before a 90-day pause on higher tariffs ends on 9 July.

Kashmir is a contentious issue for both India and and Pakistan, who claim the region in whole, but administer it only in part. Bilateral talks over several decades have not led to any resolution.

India treats Kashmir as an integral part of its territory and rules out any negotiation, particularly through a third party.

Tensions escalated between the South Asian neighbours after India blamed Pakistan for a 22 April attack on tourists in Indian-administered Kashmir in which 26 people, mainly tourists, were killed. Islamabad denied the charge.

In May, India carried out air strikes on what it called terrorist infrastructure inside Pakistan, leading to four days of intense military action from both sides of the border.

Both countries accused each other of targeting airbases and other military sites.

As the conflict between the two nuclear-armed nations threatened to escalate further, Trump announced on 10 May that India and Pakistan had agreed to a “full and immediate ceasefire”, brokered by the US.

Later, in a post on Truth Social, he said: “I will work with you both to see if, after a thousand years, a solution can be arrived at, concerning Kashmir.” (The Kashmir issue only dates back to 1947).

A statement by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio the same day said that the two countries had also agreed “to start talks on a broad set of issues at a neutral site”.

On 11 May, Trump repeated praise for India and Pakistan’s leaders for understanding it was “time to stop the current aggression”, adding that he was proud the US “was able to help you arrive at this historic and heroic decision”.

After Trump’s statement on the ceasefire, Pakistan’s foreign minister said the agreement had been reached by the two countries, adding that “three dozen countries” were involved in the diplomacy.

India has, however, consistently denied any intervention by the US.

Analysts say Trump’s very public statements on offers of mediation over Kashmir have tested Delhi’s red lines on the issue.

Delhi has always encouraged its Western partners not to treat India and Pakistan as equals. It also discourages western leaders from undertaking visits to India and Pakistan at the same time.

But Trump’s tweets often hold India and Pakistan as equals. This has caused some discomfort in Delhi’s diplomatic circles but analysts believe it’s too early to say whether this will affect ongoing trade deal talks between Washington and Delhi.

(BBC News)