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UK’s Sunak to provide 5bln pounds of grants to pandemic hit businesses
British finance minister Rishi Sunak will announce 5 billion pounds ($7 billion) of additional grants to help businesses hit hard by pandemic lockdowns in his budget statement next week, the government said on Saturday. Shops, bars, clubs, hotels, restaurants, gyms and hair salons would be among nearly 700,000 companies eligible for new direct cash grants of up 18,000 pounds. The government said the funding takes the total spent on direct grants to businesses during the crisis to 25 billion pounds. Encouraged by the rapid roll-out of vaccines, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has unveiled a route out of lockdown ... (full story)