BREXIT

Any trade deal reached by Barnier and Frost will have to be approved by the EU and UK parliaments, and special sessions may have to be held in the final days of this year.

After a slow start, Tokyo, Hong Kong and Shanghai were all well up, while Sydney put on more than one percent and Mumbai also enjoyed strong gains.

The pound was holding up as British and European Union negotiators pressed ahead with talks on a trade deal with just over two weeks until the December 31 deadline.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and EU chief Ursula von der Leyen had said after a crisis call that they would "go the extra mile" to find common ground.

In London, the government insists that Britain is ready to leave the union and handle its own affairs after 47 years of close economic integration.

Transport companies have also warned that EU member Ireland could see import volumes shrink in the event of new customs procedures for goods routed through Britain.

Failure to secure a deal in time for the end of the transition period on December 31 would see Britain revert to World Trade Organization rules, with tariffs and quotas, from January 1.

The EU fears Britain slashing its regulations, which could allow its companies to undercut European firms.

Johnson has insisted Britain will "prosper mightily" whatever the outcome of the talks, but he will face severe political and economic fallout if he cannot seal a deal.

Finance minister Rishi Sunak told Sky News that Britain was facing an "economic emergency" because of the pandemic.

London has been resisting signing up to the EU's vision of a post-Brexit "level playing field", with trade penalties if either side diverges from agreed standards.

It comes despite Britain's economy suffering a historic downturn this year due to the coronavirus crisis.

The PM intends to address the country during his confinement, Downing Street said.

The BBC quoted a senior source in Johnson's Downing Street office as saying the divisive top aide would leave his job by Christmas.

Biden and top Democrats have warned that Johnson can forget about a UK-US trade deal if Brexit scuppers the hard-won peace brokered by the US.

Lexicographers said they picked the word because it had become synonymous with the experience of populations across the world.

Without a deal, Britain would leave the EU single market and customs union on January 1.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson and EU chief Ursula von der Leyen will speak on the state-of-play of the "EU-UK negotiations".

HOPS Labour Solutions said that from 30,000 applications they received from local Britons, only 4% actually took up the jobs

The deal covers sectors from food to textiles and tech and largely replicates the existing EU-Japan arrangement.

London abruptly froze the talks on Friday after EU leaders said it was up to Britain, not the EU, to make concessions on state subsidies, etc.