Udupi: Deputy Commissioner Hephsiba Rani Korlapati on Tuesday evening declared holiday on July 24 in all government and private schools and colleges due to heavy rain.

The order comes in the wake of heavy downpour in the Coastal Karnataka since Thursday leading to reports of damages and flooding at several places in the region.

Schools and Colleges in Dakshina Kannada and Uttara Kannada also remained closed on Tuesday, but there was no official word as yet if it will remain closed on Wednesday.

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New Delhi: The Chinese Embassy in India has rolled out a new online visa application system beginning Monday, aiming to make the visa process easier and faster for Indian travellers.

According to a report published by NDTV, the announcement was made by the Chinese Ambassador, who said that from December 22, 2025, applicants can fill out visa forms and upload all required documents online. The new facility can be accessed through the embassy’s official website, offering a more convenient way to apply without lengthy paperwork.

With this system, applicants will be able to complete most of the documentation online, reducing the time spent at the visa centre.

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The Chinese Visa Application Service Centre in New Delhi will continue to assist applicants alongside the online system. The centre functions Monday to Friday between 9 am and 3 pm and is located at the Shivaji Stadium Metro Station in Connaught Place. Applicants can also contact the centre by phone if needed. The information was shared by the envoy on his post on X, too.

According to an important notice issued by the Chinese Visa Application Service Centre in New Delhi, applicants must now visit the official website of the centre to create or sign in to their accounts. After logging in, applicants are required to fill out the visa application form online and upload all necessary supporting documents through the portal.

As per the official notice, applicants must first create an account on the visa centre’s website, fill out the application form online, and upload all supporting documents. Before submitting their passport at the centre, they must ensure that their application status shows “online review completed” and that they have received the confirmation email.

The introduction of the online visa application system is seen as a step toward enhancing people-to-people exchanges and facilitating travel between India and China.

Recently, India also confirmed that the visa regime for Chinese nationals is now fully restored. Tourist visas, which were suspended after the 2020 border tensions, resumed globally in November 2025. Business visas had already restarted earlier.

As per the report, the resumption of visas is part of a series of "people-centric" confidence-building measures agreed upon by both sides in 2025, which also included the resumption of direct commercial flights in October 2025 and the revival of the Kailash Manasarovar Yatra pilgrimage.

The move is expected to encourage tourism, business travel, and cultural exchange between the two countries.