Alexei Navalny, Russia’s most prominent opposition figure to President Vladimir Putin, has denied reports that he suffered an allergic reaction after falling ill in prison.
"I have never had an allergy. Not to food or pollen or anything else," Mr Navalny, 43, wrote in his blog.
He was taken to hospital with a swollen face, eye problems and rashes on his body on Sunday.
He had been in jail since Wednesday for calling unauthorised protests that took place over the weekend.
Mr Navalny, who is a fierce critic of the Kremlin, has since been discharged from hospital and has returned to jail, where he is serving the rest of a 30-day sentence.
"At night I woke up with a hot and prickly face, ears and neck," the activist said. "I felt like I'd had my face rubbed with glass wool."
"I had the thought, maybe I've been poisoned."
He said his doctors and lawyers were not given details of his illness.
Mr Navalny’s lawyer, Olga Mikhailova, said outside the hospital on Monday afternoon that her client was "poisoned by some unknown chemical substance".
The arrest of the activist was part of a huge police crackdown on protesters in Moscow.
Almost 1,400 people were detained in a police crackdown on Saturday's protest, the largest number in Moscow this decade, a Russian group that monitors police arrests said on Sunday
The anti-government protests were against the exclusion of independent candidates from the September 8 ballot for the Moscow City Council.
The rallies come amid wider public anger over declining living standards, which has damaged Mr Putin's approval ratings.
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Price, base / as tested: Dh48,000
Engine: 2.4-litre four-cylinder
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Our legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
What drives subscription retailing?
Once the domain of newspaper home deliveries, subscription model retailing has combined with e-commerce to permeate myriad products and services.
The concept has grown tremendously around the world and is forecast to thrive further, according to UnivDatos Market Insights’ report on recent and predicted trends in the sector.
The global subscription e-commerce market was valued at $13.2 billion (Dh48.5bn) in 2018. It is forecast to touch $478.2bn in 2025, and include the entertainment, fitness, food, cosmetics, baby care and fashion sectors.
The report says subscription-based services currently constitute “a small trend within e-commerce”. The US hosts almost 70 per cent of recurring plan firms, including leaders Dollar Shave Club, Hello Fresh and Netflix. Walmart and Sephora are among longer established retailers entering the space.
UnivDatos cites younger and affluent urbanites as prime subscription targets, with women currently the largest share of end-users.
That’s expected to remain unchanged until 2025, when women will represent a $246.6bn market share, owing to increasing numbers of start-ups targeting women.
Personal care and beauty occupy the largest chunk of the worldwide subscription e-commerce market, with changing lifestyles, work schedules, customisation and convenience among the chief future drivers.
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Rating: 3.5/5
How The Debt Panel's advice helped readers in 2019
December 11: 'My husband died, so what happens to the Dh240,000 he owes in the UAE?'
JL, a housewife from India, wrote to us about her husband, who died earlier this month. He left behind an outstanding loan of Dh240,000 and she was hoping to pay it off with an insurance policy he had taken out. She also wanted to recover some of her husband’s end-of-service liabilities to help support her and her son.
“I have no words to thank you for helping me out,” she wrote to The Debt Panel after receiving the panellists' comments. “The advice has given me an idea of the present status of the loan and how to take it up further. I will draft a letter and send it to the email ID on the bank’s website along with the death certificate. I hope and pray to find a way out of this.”
November 26: ‘I owe Dh100,000 because my employer has not paid me for a year’
SL, a financial services employee from India, left the UAE in June after quitting his job because his employer had not paid him since November 2018. He owes Dh103,800 on four debts and was told by the panellists he may be able to use the insolvency law to solve his issue.
SL thanked the panellists for their efforts. "Indeed, I have some clarity on the consequence of the case and the next steps to take regarding my situation," he says. "Hopefully, I will be able to provide a positive testimony soon."
October 15: 'I lost my job and left the UAE owing Dh71,000. Can I return?'
MS, an energy sector employee from South Africa, left the UAE in August after losing his Dh12,000 job. He was struggling to meet the repayments while securing a new position in the UAE and feared he would be detained if he returned. He has now secured a new job and will return to the Emirates this month.
“The insolvency law is indeed a relief to hear,” he says. "I will not apply for insolvency at this stage. I have been able to pay something towards my loan and credit card. As it stands, I only have a one-month deficit, which I will be able to recover by the end of December."
The Library: A Catalogue of Wonders
Stuart Kells, Counterpoint Press
