The announcement was made following months of uncertainty over whether exports from the UK, and elsewhere across Europe, would be subject to steep charges. Via the policy update, the UK has become the only country in the world to secure a zero per cent tariff on pharmaceuticals exported to the US. Tariffs are taxes imposed on imports into a country. In return, the UK has agreed to increase the baseline threshold used to assess if medicines can be used by the NHS. Money latest: The earners most affected by £2k salary sacrifice cap The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) will increase the base threshold by 25%: from £20,000-£30,000 to £25,000-£35,000. It means NICE will be able to approve medicines that deliver significant health improvements but might have been declined purely on cost-effectiveness grounds, the government said. This ​​​​could include breakthrough cancer treatments, therapies for rare diseases, and innovative approaches to conditions that have long been difficult to treat, it added. This will give NICE the opportunity to approve more new medicines and allow a greater number of patients to benefit from them, the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPI) said. It pointed out that NICE's baseline cost-effectiveness threshold has not been increased for over 20 years. Read more:Virgin Media fined £24m for disconnecting vulnerable customersStarmer denies misleading public and cabinet ahead of budget A US government statement said the UK will "reverse the decade-long trend of declining National Health Service (NHS) expenditures on innovative, life-saving medicines, and increase the net price it pays for new medicines by 25%". US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said the US "will work to ensure that UK citizens have access to latest pharmaceutical breakthroughs". The background US President Donald Trump has long complained that Europe does not pay enough for US drugs. America and the UK agreed in May to seek a deal on the proviso that firms secured a better operating environment in Britain. Criticism includes the concern that firms lose out on revenue due to a pricing regime which prioritises low costs for the NHS over incentives to invest. In October, the science minister Patrick Vallance told MPs, as talks with the US continued, that many drugs available in the UK would see an "inevitable" price increase.

In an interview with Sky News lead presenter Wilfred Frost, Sir Salman said he thought the assassination of Mr Kirk, a conservative US activist, was an "appalling act of violence". "But it seems to me to be a characteristic or a consequence of America's terrifying gun culture," said the Booker-prize-winning author, who survived an attempt on his life at the Chautauqua Institution in New York in 2022. "When you have a situation where there are more guns in private ownership than there are people in the country, I mean, guns are everywhere. "When children are brought up being taught by their parents how to use guns, and guns are being left in the home in unlocked cabinets, it's a country in which violent gun-related crime happens almost every day. And this is one of the most brutal examples of it." The Indian-British author also addressed the attempted assassination of US President Donald Trump, saying: "Well, I guess I'm happy that it failed. Beyond that, I don't have a lot to say about it." Sir Salman was attacked by Hadi Matar, who stabbed him in the head, neck, torso and left hand, leaving him with damage to his liver and intestines as well as blind in one eye. Matar was jailed for 25 years in May. He wrote about the attack and his recovery in his 2024 memoir Knife. His new book, Eleventh Hour, is a return to fiction. Discussing the book and writing in general, he suggested that he doesn't think AI would be able to capture emotion, humour and creativity like humans can. Read more from Sky News:Hong Kong residents stunned by tower tragedyTrump's targeting of 'third world' immigrants is spreading fear "The couple of little experiments that I've carried out with AI suggest to me that at least this far, it doesn't have a sense of humour. And it's not original," he said. "What it can do is to duplicate things that have been fed into it. But good art is original, and I don't think that AI has an original bone in its body." Watch the full interview, including Sir Salman's comments on book bans and freedom of speech in the US, during Mornings with Ridge and Frost on Sky News.

Ms Siddiq was accused of using her influence over her aunt, Sheikh Hasina, the country's former prime minister, to illegally secure plots of land for her family members in the suburbs of the capital, Dhaka. She was being tried in absentia. Her aunt, Sheikh Hasina, was ousted last year and has since been sentenced to death, although she fled to India before she could be arrested. Ms Siddiq, her niece, has described herself as "collateral damage" in the new Bangladesh government's campaign against Ms Hasina, and previously said the trial was based on "fabricated accusations and driven by a clear political vendetta". In response to the sentence on Monday, Ms Siddiq said the "whole process has been flawed and farcical from the beginning to the end". "The outcome of this kangaroo court is as predictable as it is unjustified," she added. "I hope this so-called 'verdict' will be treated with the contempt it deserves. "My focus has always been my constituents in Hampstead and Highgate, and I refuse to be distracted by the dirty politics of Bangladesh." The Labour MP resigned her ministerial post earlier this year after facing calls to step down over links to Ms Hasina. She was later accused of illegally receiving a plot of land from her aunt. An investigation by Sir Keir Starmer's ethics adviser, Sir Laurie Magnus, did not find "evidence of improprieties". However, he said it was "regrettable" that Ms Siddiq had not been more alert to the "potential reputational risks" of the ties to her aunt. The UK does not have an extradition treaty in place with Bangladesh. Former prime minister: Investigation 'corrupt' Awami League, a banned political party in Bangladesh, led by Ms Hasina, said that the verdicts were "entirely predictable... just as other recent ACC (Anti-Corruption Commission) cases have been," and accused the commission of being led by "desperate, unelected men". Ms Hasina then added in a statement through the party: "No country is free from corruption. But corruption needs to be investigated in a way that is not itself corrupt. "The ACC has failed that test today. It is controlled by an unelected government run by the Awami League's political opponents. "It has exclusively targeted members of the Awami League, or those seen to be sympathetic to our party, and done nothing to prosecute or even investigate the cronyism that has escalated in Bangladesh since Dr Mohammad Yunus and his so-called interim government took power." The former prime minister was handed a combined 21-year prison sentence in other corruption cases last week. 'Profound concerns' raised by British lawyers Last week, a group of prominent British lawyers and former cabinet ministers wrote an open letter raising "profound concerns" over Ms Siddiq's trial in Bangladesh. Barrister Cherie Blair, who is married to ex-prime minister Tony Blair, Sir Robert Buckland, who served as justice secretary, and Dominic Grieve, an ex-attorney general, wrote that the criminal proceedings against Ms Siddiq were "artificial and a contrived and unfair way of pursuing a prosecution". Read more from Sky News:Chancellor: 'Of course I didn't' lie about budget forecastsZelenskyy to make first official visit to Ireland The lawyers wrote that Ms Siddiq did not have a "proper opportunity of defending herself". "She is being tried in her absence without justification and… the proceedings fall far short of standards of fairness recognised internationally," they said. The letter was also signed by high-profile lawyers Philippe Sands and Geoffrey Robertson. They called for the Bangladeshi authorities to put all the allegations to Ms Siddiq's lawyers "so that she has a fair opportunity to address them".

Antonelli was fending off Norris until he ran wide on the penultimate lap which allowed the championship leader through to take fourth place, gaining two more crucial points ahead of this week's title decider in Abu Dhabi. The pass means McLaren's Norris takes a 12 - rather than 10 - point lead over Max Verstappen into the final race of the season, with the Brit's team-mate Oscar Piastri also still in contention, four points further back in third. F1 title permutations for three-way Abu Dhabi GP deciderWhen to watch Abu Dhabi GP on Sky | F1 championship standingsDownload the Sky Sports app for expert analysis, best video & more📱Not got Sky? Get Sky Sports or stream with no contract on NOW📺 It means a top three finish at this Sunday's Abu Dhabi Grand Prix for Norris will seal the title, rather than a top two had he not overtaken Antonelli. Clearly frustrated that race winner Verstappen's points gain on Norris had been reduced, the Dutchman's race engineer Gianpiero Lambiase told him over the radio that it looked like Antonelli had "just pulled over and let Norris through." Red Bull motorsport advisor Helmut Marko then said after the race that Antonelli had "waved" Norris past. Toto Wolff says he talked to Lambiase post-race and the engineer apologised for his comment, while Sky Sports News understands Marko has also apologised. Red Bull said in a statement: "Comments made before the end of and immediately after the Qatar GP suggesting that Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli had deliberately allowed Lando Norris to overtake him are clearly incorrect. "Replay footage shows Antonelli momentarily losing control of his car, thus allowing Norris to pass him. We sincerely regret that this has led to Kimi receiving online abuse." Antonelli changed his Instagram profile picture on Monday morning to a black circle which Sky Sports News understands was done to make a point against the abuse. Mercedes flagged over 1100 "severe or suspect comments" across Antonelli's social media accounts, which included death threats, with 330 similarly abusive comments on the team's own accounts. The team will present the numbers to the FIA for their United Against Online Abuse campaign. Mercedes team principal Wolff called the initial comments from Marko "utter nonsense that blows my mind". "We are fighting for P2 in the [Constructors'] Championship, which is important for us. Kimi is fighting for a potential P3 [race finish]," said Wolff. "How brainless can you be to even say something like this? It annoys me because I'm annoyed with the race itself, how it went. "I'm annoyed with the mistake at the end. I'm annoyed with other mistakes, and then hearing such nonsense blows my mind." Sky Sports F1's live Abu Dhabi GP schedule Thursday December 411am: Drivers' Press Conference2pm: Paddock Uncut Friday December 57am: F2 Practice9am: Abu Dhabi Grand Prix Practice One (session starts at 9.30am)*10.55am: F2 Qualifying*11.40am: Team Bosses' Press Conference*12.45pm: Abu Dhabi Grand Prix Practice Two (session starts at 1pm)*2.15pm: The F1 Show* Saturday December 610.15am: Abu Dhabi Grand Prix Practice Three (session starts at 11:30am)*12.10pm: F2 Sprint*1.15pm: Abu Dhabi GP Qualifying build-up*2pm: ABU DHABI GRAND PRIX QUALIFYING*4pm: Ted's Qualifying Notebook* Sunday December 79.10am: F2 Feature Race11.30am: Grand Prix Sunday: Abu Dhabi GP build-up*1pm: THE ABU DHABI GRAND PRIX*3pm: Chequered Flag: Abu Dhabi GP reaction*4pm: Ted's Notebook *also on Sky Sports Main Event The 2025 F1 season concludes with the title-deciding Abu Dhabi Grand Prix live on Sky Sports F1 from Friday. Stream Sky Sports with NOW - no contract, cancel anytime

The extreme weather last week has killed at least 366 people in Sri Lanka, 604 in Indonesia, and 176 in Thailand, according to authorities. Rescuers in Sri Lanka are still searching for 367 people after a cyclone hit the island nation, with downpours flooding homes, fields and roads and triggering landslides in the hilly central region. Nearly a million people have been impacted by the heavy rains and floods, which forced nearly 200,000 into shelters, the country's disaster management centre said. People were seen salvaging belongings from flooded homes along the banks of the Kelani River, near capital Colombo on Monday. Meanwhile, train and flight services have resumed after being disrupted last week, but schools stayed closed, officials said. Cyclone Ditwah was the "largest and most challenging" natural disaster in Sri Lanka's history, President Anura Kumara Dissanayake said. The cyclone also brought heavy rain to India's southern state of Tamil Nadu over the weekend, with authorities saying three people were killed in rain-related incidents. The storm, which is currently 50km (30 miles) off the coast of the state capital Chennai, has already weakened into a "deep depression" and is expected to weaken further in the next 12 hours, weather officials said on Monday. Hundreds still missing In Southeast Asia, close to 700 people were killed as two different cyclones hit the region. Rescuers in Indonesia are still searching for at least 464 people missing, according to official figures. People have started clearing mud, trees and wreckage from roads on the weekend as recovery operations continued. More than 28,000 homes have been damaged, with 1.4 million people affected by the rare tropical storm. The country's president, Prabowo Subianto, called it a catastrophe and pledged to rebuild infrastructure as he visited the three affected provinces on Monday, where nearly 300,000 people have been displaced by the flooding. 'Nothing remains' "The water just rose up into the house and we were afraid, so we fled. Then we came back on Friday, and the house was gone, destroyed," said Afrianti, 41, who only goes by one name and lives in West Sumatra's Padang city. She and her family of nine have made their own tent shelter beside the single wall that remains of their home. "My home and business are gone, the shop is gone. Nothing remains. I can only live near this one remaining wall," she said. In Thailand, flooding in eight southern provinces affected about three million people and led to a major mobilisation of its military to evacuate critical patients from hospitals and reach people stuck in floodwaters for days. In the worst-affected city of Hat Yai, a southern trading hub, 335 mm (13 inches) of rain fell on 21 November, its highest single-day tally in 300 years, followed by days of unrelenting downpours. Prime Minister Anutin Charnivirakul expects residents to be able to return home within seven days, a government spokesperson said on Monday. Read more from Sky News:Zelenskyy to make first official visit to IrelandDignitas founder dies by assisted suicide aged 92 The first batch of compensation payments is set to be distributed on Monday, starting with 239m baht (£5.6m) for 26,000 people, the spokesperson added. In Malaysia there have been at least three deaths and authorities are still on alert for a second and third wave of flooding as 11,600 remain in evacuation centres.

The film's first-time feature writer and director Harry Lighton was also named best debut screenwriter at the ceremony, held at the Roundhouse in Camden, London, on Sunday evening. Starring Harry Melling as sweet and timid Colin, and Alexander Skarsgard as rugged biker Ray, the film picked up four prizes in total - including craft wins for best costume design and make-up and hair. Tom Basden and Tim Key took home the BIFA awards for best joint lead performance and best screenplay, for their debut feature The Ballad Of Wallis Island. Also starring Carey Mulligan, the film tells the story of a faded folk musician and his former partner who reluctantly reunite for an eccentric fan. Elsewhere in the acting categories, Robert Aramayo was honoured with the best lead performance award for his portrayal of Tourette's campaigner John Davison in I Swear, with the supporting performance award going to Jay Lycurgo for his role in pressure-cooker school drama Steve, also starring Oscar-winner Cillian Murphy. Newcomer Posy Sterling's portrayal of a mother fighting for custody of her children in Lollipop earned her the breakthrough performance award, while the best ensemble performance prize went to the cast of Warfare - including Will Poulter, Kit Connor, Joseph Quinn and Charles Melton. This year's ceremony also celebrated cinema itself, with the inaugural cinema of the year award going to The Magic Lantern Cinema in the Welsh coastal town of Tywyn. The BIFA for best international independent film was awarded to Sentimental Value, Joachim Trier's intimate exploration of family, memories and the reconciliatory power of art. Behind the camera, Akinola Davies Jr was named best director for his debut feature My Father's Shadow, a story of two brothers who first come to understand their father at a pivotal moment in both his life and Nigerian history, while The Douglas Hickox Award for best debut director went to Cal McMau for prison drama Wasteman. And in the documentary categories, Myrid Carten's exploration of mental health and addiction within her family, A Want In Her, picked up three BIFAs - best feature documentary, The Raindance Maverick Award, and best debut director for a feature documentary. Elsewhere, Emily Watson, star of films including Gosford Park, Punch-Drunk Love and War Horse, and TV series including Chernobyl and Dune: Prophecy, was awarded the outstanding contribution to British film prize. Production company Warp Films - behind films such as Dead Man's Shoes and This Is England, as well as the recent critically acclaimed series Adolescence - was honoured with the BIFA special jury prize for its "unflinching and uncompromising" commitment to telling "raw and relevant stories". Read more from Sky News entertainment:King pays tribute following death of Tom StoppardAI actress creator insists she's not out to steal jobs Founded in 1998, the BIFAs aim to celebrate, promote and support talent and creativity in British independent film. Previous winners of the best independent film award include Kneecap, the semi-autobiographical story of Irish-language rappers Kneecap, and Oscar winner The Favourite. This year's ceremony was hosted by comedians Lou Sanders and Harriet Kemsley, with Carey Mulligan, Stephen Merchant, Ruth Wilson, Billy Crudup and Celia Imrie among the star presenters.

Mr Jones, chief secretary to the prime minister, told Mornings with Ridge and Frost the chancellor was "right all the way through that we needed to raise more money than was available... through the OBR forecast". Some ministers have told The Times Ms Reeves did not tell the cabinet "the reality" of the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) forecasts. But asked if he felt misled by the chancellor, Mr Jones said: "No, not in the slightest. "The chancellor didn't say anything of the kind." Two days after last Wednesday's budget - when Ms Reeves set out a record-breaking £26bn in tax rises - the OBR took the unusual step of revealing the figures it sent to the Treasury to dispel suggestions of a significant hole in public finances. The chancellor and Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer had spent weeks saying public finances were in such a dire state they would need to break their manifesto pledges and raise taxes. Ms Reeves is now facing accusations she lied to the public, with opposition parties demanding she answer an urgent question in parliament over their claims they misled voters and the markets. On Sunday, when asked by Sky's Trevor Phillips if she lied, Ms Reeves said: "Of course I didn't." Mr Jones defended the chancellor, saying the OBR's calculations did not take into account fiscal headroom and said Ms Reeves had been "very clear" this needed to be increased to deal with any shocks. The former Chief Secretary to the Treasury said the calculations produced by the OBR moved around ahead of the budget and "you don't actually know the final number until the very end of the process". Mr Jones added: "The chancellor was very clear we needed more [headroom] than we've had in the past, so she took it from £10bn to over £20bn. "That means that if there's a shock in the future, we have more cash put aside to be able to respond to it." Read more:Reeves says 'of course I didn't' lie about budgetReeves accused of deliberately making UK finances look worse The OBR told the chancellor on 31 October the spending gap had closed and the government would be running a £4.2bn surplus. That was a few days before she suggested at a news conference she was likely to have to break a manifesto promise and raise income tax rates to secure the UK's economic future - a plan that was dropped before the actual budget. By 26 November, the day of the budget, the headroom had risen to £21.7bn, the OBR's forecast states. On Monday, Sir Keir will deliver a speech in which he is expected to defend the decisions made in the budget and say it "moves forward the government's programme of national renewal".

The Sky Sports pundit described Wirtz's performance against West Ham on Super Sunday as one of his best in the Premier League since his big money move to the Reds this summer. The Germany international lined up on Liverpool's left-hand side - where he played for Bayer Leverkusen - rather than in a more central role across the Reds attacking midfield. Carragher compared Wirtz's potential impact to that of Premier League great De Bruyne, who played in a similar inside-midfield position. Speaking on Super Sunday Extra Time, Carragher said: "I think it was the first sign of seeing, not just a player for Liverpool, but I said when he came in he could be a replacement for Kevin De Bruyne in terms of the Premier League - getting on the ball, causing problems for the opposition. West Ham 0-2 Liverpool - Report and highlightsLiverpool news & transfers🔴 | FREE Liverpool PL highlights▶️Got Sky? Watch Liverpool games LIVE on your phone📱Not got Sky? Get Sky Sports or stream with no contract on NOW📺 "He didn't lose possession often, he was very clever with the ball. But he had penetrating passes - 42 out of 45, which is a lot for a player who is supposed to make key passes to try and put people in, so at times you take chances. "It's about getting him into his role where he's best suited. We can talk about the knock-on effect for other players because I don't think the squad is that well balanced. "We've spoken about Wirtz being a No 10, but he likes the side left channel. When you think of De Bruyne, you think of him on the inside right position and that's where Wirtz needs to play. "At times, I thought he would start on the right and come in from the side and he has done in a few games when he's replaced Mo Salah, but this was better. This is exactly where they want him on the pitch, this is where he's at his best and that's why today was his best Liverpool performance so far in the Premier League." Another summer signing, Alexander Isak, scored his first Premier League goal for Liverpool at the London Stadium on Sunday. "The make-up of the squad is not right," Carragher added. "The best way to explain it is from a Liverpool perspective, we're delighted Wirtz looks like the real deal now and Isak's got his first goal. "But then how does Wirtz affect Dominik Szoboszlai, who has been Liverpool's best player this season? Then you have Isak up and running, but how does that affect Ekitike, who has been Liverpool's best signing. "Without Salah, Liverpool didn't play with a real right winger, which is fine because Szoboszlai can come inside, but it's not perfect for Joe Gomez going forward. "So there's a knock on effect with players playing well on other people. But right now, that will be the last thing on the manager's mind." Liverpool face two further games this week. They play Sunderland on Wednesday before travelling to Leeds on Saturday, with both matches live on Sky Sports.