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British MP Debbie Abrahams denied entry to India

DEBBIE ABRAHAMS, a Labour Party Member of British Parliament, who also chairs a Parliamentary group focused on Kashmir, was reportedly denied entry to India on Monday (17) after she landed at Indira Gandhi International Airport in New Delhi.

Her aide Harpreet Upal told the Associated Press that the MP was unable to clear customs after her valid Indian visa was rejected.


"Just to be clear, I have Indian relatives who I was meant to be visiting with & have Indian members of staff accompanying me. The reason I got into politics is advance social justice & human rights FOR ALL. I will continue to challenge my Government & others on these issues," Debbie Abrahams wrote on Twitter.

Upal said the immigration officials did not cite any reason for denying Abrahams entry and revoking her visa, which was valid till October 2020.

Abrahams has been a member of Parliament since 2011 and was on a two-day personal trip to India.

Abrahams has been an outspoken critic of the Indian government's move last August to scrap Article 370 in Kashmir.

"I'm prepared to let the fact that I have been treated like a criminal go and I hope they will let me visit my family and friends," she said in a statement.

Incidentally, India took more than 20 foreign diplomats on a visit to Kashmir last week, the second such trip organized by Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government in six months.

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Lancashire warned health pressures ‘not sustainable’ without stronger prevention plan

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  • Lancashire’s public health chief says rising demand on services cannot continue.
  • New prevention strategy aims to involve entire public sector and local communities.
  • Funding concerns raised as council explores co-investment and partnerships.
Lancashire’s public sector will struggle to cope with rising demand unless more is done to prevent people from falling ill in the first place, the county’s public health director has warned.
Dr. Sakthi Karunanithi told Lancashire County Council’s health and adult services scrutiny committee that poor health levels were placing “not sustainable” pressure on local services, prompting the authority to begin work on a new illness prevention strategy.

The plan, still in its early stages, aims to widen responsibility for preventing ill health beyond the public health department and make it a shared priority across the county council and the wider public sector.

Dr. Karunanithi said the approach must also be a “partnership” with society, supporting people to make healthier choices around smoking, alcohol use, weight and physical activity. He pointed that improving our health is greater than improving the NHS.

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