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Pension funds and investors on the London stock market are expecting a £145 billion boost following the Brexit accord, according to a top City firm. Businesses and financial markets experts greeted Boris Johnson's agreement with the European Union with relief. Analysts at financial data giant Bloomberg said the deal was a 'double dose of good news' for the country as excitement also swept the market over the anticipation that vaccines would begin to turn the tide against Covid. Pension funds and investors on the London stock market are expecting a £145 billion boost following the Brexit accord, according to a top City firm The analysts said the markets may remain subdued for the first six months of next year until the pandemic receded, but the value of shares listed on the FTSE should increase eight per cent during 2022 as markets gain fresh confidence. Businesses and financial markets experts greeted Boris Johnson's agreement with the European Union with relief. EU Chi

A pair of adorable lorikeets have been left confused after coming across a lookalike doll.   Two rainbow lorikeets, native to Australia, were filmed perching on an apartment windowsill in eastern Sydney and observing the soft toy inside.  The encounter was shared to Reddit on Saturday with the caption 'I introduced a fuzzy friend to my local lorikeets'.     Adorable footage captured two rainbow lorikeets observing a lookalike toy (pictured above) The rainbow lorikeet doll was placed in the window of an apartment in Potts Point, east of Sydney's CBD, with a view of the city.  One of the lorikeets stood next to the window and chirped loudly at the parrot toy.  He walked forward and could be seen observing the doll from different angles. A second lorikeet could be seen stretching out his neck to get a better look from behind the doll. Both lorikeets chirped inquisitively as if trying to make contact with the other bird. The apartment-owner explained the soft toy had been pur

The stay-at-home order imposed on residents of Sydney's northern beaches has been reinstated after the conclusion of Christmas festivities. New South Wales recorded nine new locally-acquired cases of COVID-19 on Saturday from almost 40,000 tests.  Eight of those cases were connected to the 116-strong Northern Beaches cluster. After a three-day reprieve for small indoor Christmas gatherings, the Northern Beaches has from Sunday at 00.01 returned to restrictions barring indoor gatherings. The changes mean Northern Beaches residents will be bound by the same rules they were on December 23. If you live in the northern part of the Northern Beaches, you are allowed to have outdoor gatherings of just five, while southern areas can gather in groups of ten outside.  Exactly what Sydneysiders will be allowed to do this New Year's Eve hangs in the balance, with Gladys Berejiklian (pictured on Saturday) rumoured to make an announcement on Sunday NSW recorded nine new locally-acquired cases

Canadian health officials have confirmed on Saturday the first two cases of a more contagious COVID-19 mutant strain that was first detected in the United Kingdom and has now spread to Denmark, Belgium, Australia, Holland, and other countries. The announcement was made on Saturday by Dr. Barbara Yaffe, the associate chief medical officer of health for the Province of Ontario, the most populous in the country. Yaffe said that the first two cases detected in Canada are a couple from Durham, Ontario, just outside of Toronto. The couple has no known travel history, exposure or high-risk contacts.  Both individuals have been informed and are now in self-isolation as per public health protocols, according to Yaffe.  Canadian health officials on Saturday confirmed the first two cases of a new variant of COVID-19 first detected in the United Kingdom. A couple from metropolitan Toronto were found to be carrying the new variant. The image above shows a traveler at Pearson International Airport i

China's ambassador to Britain – who sparked fury by insisting that the country’s oppressed Uighur Muslims live in ‘peace and harmony’ – is to retire. Earlier this year, Liu Xiaoming, who has served as ambassador since 2010, denied that China persecutes minority Uighurs, despite being confronted on BBC1’s The Andrew Marr Show with video footage appearing to show shackled prisoners being herded on to trains. He claimed that the footage, showing men kneeling and blindfolded, was ‘fake’. Liu Xiaoming, China's ambassador to the UK, pictured, is to retire, Beijing has announced  Mr Xiaoming tried to defend China's treatment of Uighur Muslims, many of whom who have been sent to camps Mr Liu, 64, who was highly critical of the Government’s decision to ban Chinese tech giant Huawei from involvement in the construction of UK’s 5G network, will be succeeded by China’s foreign vice-minister Zheng Zeguang, a specialist in US affairs. During the furore over Huawei, Mr Liu warned Britain

Concerns are growing that some older and vulnerable people are not taking up the Pfizer vaccine. At one health centre in South London, The Mail on Sunday has learned that 75 doses of the vaccine were left over as uptake had been so low.  Managers were left scrambling to find other patients to vaccinate and even offered a jab to healthy volunteers working there. Concerns are growing that some older and vulnerable people are not taking up the Pfizer vaccine The Pfizer vaccine must be used within five days of being thawed or it offers no protection. Experts suggested that elderly people may be struggling with transport or are nervous about venturing outdoors.  Caroline Abrahams at Age UK, said: 'Simply getting to and from hospital is a huge challenge for a lot of older people.' The Pfizer vaccine must be used within five days of being thawed or it offers no protection But an NHS spokesman insisted: 'Uptake has been strong so far.' The fears follow reports that care home re

Dressing up for dinner makes you eat more healthily, researchers have discovered. A series of experiments found that diners wearing suits and other formal dress made healthier food choices than those who ate while wearing T-shirts and jeans. The research team think that wearing smarter clothes while eating makes consumers more conscious of the impression they are making, leading them to opt for better choices, such as a salad in preference to a hamburger. In one test, 79 students at a university in southern China were divided into those wearing business suits or jeans and offered a choice between crisps and cherry tomatoes as an afternoon snack. Researchers in China have found that people wearing formal clothes make more healthy food choices than those in casual attire  Nearly half the formally dressed participants refused anything, while only two per cent sampled the crisps. By contrast, almost 40 per cent of those in jeans ate both, with a quarter having only crisps. Nearly half the

A Texas college student has vanished while driving back to spend Christmas with his family with his crashed car found in a ditch at the side of the road. Texas State student Jason Landry, 21, went missing on Sunday, December 13, just as he set off on the 165 mile drive from San Marcos east to his parents' home in Houston. Texas EquuSearch announced on Saturday that it was suspending its search efforts for the man but could resume once law enforcement had determined a more specific area in which to conduct a search.  Jason Landry's family say his belongings were found in his crashed car, but there was no sign of the 21-year-old. He disappeared on December 13th Texas EquuSearch has combed the area for Landry, using scent dogs that tracked the 21-year-old to a pond but there was no sign of the man It's believed Landry was on the wrong road and was somehow he ended up on Salt Flat Road which parallels Highway 86, the route he should have taken. Landry's vehicle had been spo

After a year in the making, the historic agreement between Britain and the EU was signed by Boris Johnson and Ursula von der Leyen at 2.30pm on Thursday.  Five hundred pages long – and not yet published – it sets out the future relationship between the UK and the continent.  Policy Editor DANIEL MARTIN looks at the deal and key provisions: After a year in the making, the historic agreement between Britain and the EU was signed by Boris Johnson and Ursula von der Leyen at 2.30pm on Thursday TRADE VERDICT: A UK win. Britain is given highly advantageous access to the single market for a country which is outside it – avoiding the threat of 10 per cent tariffs which would have come in under No Deal. Mr Johnson likened it to the ‘Canada-plus-plus’ arrangement he had been striving for. CUSTOMS AND RED TAPE VERDICT: A narrow win for the EU. Britain had argued for trade to be as ‘frictionless’ as possible, but this deal means there will be some significant non-tariff barriers TRADE: A UK win.