British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson, a leading campaigner for Brexit, dismissed as "ludicrous" allegations on Saturday that his side broke electoral spending rules during the 2016 EU referendum campaign.
A whistleblower claimed that Vote Leave, the main campaign group advocating Brexit, sought to avoid a legal cap on spending by diverting funds to a smaller group with which it had close ties.
Coordination between supposedly independent campaigns is not allowed under electoral law.
Mr Johnson condemned the claims, reported by the Observer newspaper and Channel 4 News, as "utterly ludicrous".
"#VoteLeave won fair & square – and legally. We are leaving the EU in a year," he wrote on Twitter.
Vote Leave was close to the £7 million (Dh36m) legal spending limit when it donated £625,000 in the final days of the referendum campaign to a smaller pro-Brexit group, BeLeave, the reports said.
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Shahmir Sanni, who worked on the BeLeave campaign, claimed that Vote Leave was heavily involved with the group's work, and "in effect they used BeLeave to over-spend, and not just by a small amount".
"They say that it wasn't coordinated, but it was. And so the idea that... the campaign was legitimate is false," he told Channel 4 News.
Vote Leave has denied this and a spokesman said it had "twice been cleared on this matter by the Electoral Commission".
An Electoral Commission spokeswoman said: "The commission has a number of investigations open in relation to campaigners at the EU referendum; it does not comment on live investigations."
In a further twist, Mr Sanni reportedly accused a senior Vote Leave figure, Stephen Parkinson – who is now Prime Minister Theresa May's political secretary – of having "outed" him in his response to the story.
Mr Parkinson was in a relationship with Mr Sanni at the time and earlier said that any advice he gave was in that context. He later said he was "saddened" at Mr Sanni's "factually incorrect and misleading" response.
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COMPANY PROFILE
● Company: Bidzi
● Started: 2024
● Founders: Akshay Dosaj and Asif Rashid
● Based: Dubai, UAE
● Industry: M&A
● Funding size: Bootstrapped
● No of employees: Nine
Joker: Folie a Deux
Starring: Joaquin Phoenix, Lady Gaga, Brendan Gleeson
Director: Todd Phillips
Rating: 2/5
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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Almnssa
Started: August 2020
Founder: Areej Selmi
Based: Gaza
Sectors: Internet, e-commerce
Investments: Grants/private funding
Coffee: black death or elixir of life?
It is among the greatest health debates of our time; splashed across newspapers with contradicting headlines - is coffee good for you or not?
Depending on what you read, it is either a cancer-causing, sleep-depriving, stomach ulcer-inducing black death or the secret to long life, cutting the chance of stroke, diabetes and cancer.
The latest research - a study of 8,412 people across the UK who each underwent an MRI heart scan - is intended to put to bed (caffeine allowing) conflicting reports of the pros and cons of consumption.
The study, funded by the British Heart Foundation, contradicted previous findings that it stiffens arteries, putting pressure on the heart and increasing the likelihood of a heart attack or stroke, leading to warnings to cut down.
Numerous studies have recognised the benefits of coffee in cutting oral and esophageal cancer, the risk of a stroke and cirrhosis of the liver.
The benefits are often linked to biologically active compounds including caffeine, flavonoids, lignans, and other polyphenols, which benefit the body. These and othetr coffee compounds regulate genes involved in DNA repair, have anti-inflammatory properties and are associated with lower risk of insulin resistance, which is linked to type-2 diabetes.
But as doctors warn, too much of anything is inadvisable. The British Heart Foundation found the heaviest coffee drinkers in the study were most likely to be men who smoked and drank alcohol regularly.
Excessive amounts of coffee also unsettle the stomach causing or contributing to stomach ulcers. It also stains the teeth over time, hampers absorption of minerals and vitamins like zinc and iron.
It also raises blood pressure, which is largely problematic for people with existing conditions.
So the heaviest drinkers of the black stuff - some in the study had up to 25 cups per day - may want to rein it in.
Rory Reynolds
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Our legal columnist
Name: Yousef Al Bahar
Advocate at Al Bahar & Associate Advocates and Legal Consultants, established in 1994
Education: Mr Al Bahar was born in 1979 and graduated in 2008 from the Judicial Institute. He took after his father, who was one of the first Emirati lawyers
How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
The bio
His favourite book - 1984 by George Orwell
His favourite quote - 'If you think education is expensive, try ignorance' by Derek Bok, Former President of Harvard
Favourite place to travel to - Peloponnese, Southern Greece
Favourite movie - The Last Emperor
Favourite personality from history - Alexander the Great
Role Model - My father, Yiannis Davos
Barbie
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The Limehouse Golem
Director: Juan Carlos Medina
Cast: Olivia Cooke, Bill Nighy, Douglas Booth
Three stars
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MORE ON TURKEY'S SYRIA OFFENCE
The specs
Engine: Long-range single or dual motor with 200kW or 400kW battery
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Max touring range: 620km / 590km
Price: From Dh250,000 (estimated)
