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Monday morning news briefing: Cash for trainees

Britain open for business: The Chancellor is preparing to deliver an economic statement. - SIMON WALKER 
Britain open for business: The Chancellor is preparing to deliver an economic statement. - SIMON WALKER

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£1,000 bonuses for firms that hire young trainees

Unemployment is rising faster than during the Great Depression. This week, the Chancellor will announce a package of measures to alleviate post-coronavirus joblessness. One of the most eye-catching schemes is for companies to be paid cash bonuses by the Government to hire young people as trainees. Rishi Sunak will deliver an economic statement on Wednesday, with the central focus of helping people get back to work. As part of a series of measures to help Britain recover, he will announce £1,000 cash "bonuses" for employers who hire young people into traineeship programmes. It is understood employers will be able to determine how to spend the money. Read what Mr Sunak told The Telegraph. And the regions hit hardest by Britain's growing unemployment crisis are highlighted in these maps.

Meanwhile, theatres, galleries and music venues are to receive a £1.57 billion rescue package, which Boris Johnson says will help while "doors remain closed and curtains remain down". The Prime Minister described the arts as the "beating heart of this country" as he announced a package of grants amid warnings that many venues could fold without urgent support. However, government sources said venues were unlikely to be allowed to open any time soon. Ben Lawrence argues that the arts simply cannot survive without live performances.

Was lockdown really a price worth paying?

Three and half months of strict rules have saved countless lives - but it has also come at a steep cost. What might have happened had the UK followed a different path? Have the last 15 weeks of hardship been worth it? It will take years to properly answer these questions. The pandemic is not yet over. But a series of Telegraph writers and experts give their early impressions. Meanwhile, Health Secretary Matt Hancock has threatened to shut down factories in Leicester - where there is an ongoing lockdown - after reports one is not enforcing social distancing. For a local lockdown Q&A, register here to join our webinar at midday.

Travel advice 'confusing' for holidaymakers

The Government has been accused of confusing holidaymakers after it emerged only 25 of the 74 destinations on its "travel corridor" list were fully accessible to English visitors without restrictions on arrival. A study found only a third had no form of quarantine, closed border or restriction that might impede English holidaymakers. Read the full list of countries. If you are planning a staycation, our travel experts have rounded up the UK places they cannot wait to head back to this summer.

At a glance: More coronavirus headlines

Also in the news: Today's other headlines

Huawei | The Government plans to phase out Huawei’s involvement in Britain’s telecoms networks by 2029, but faces a rebellion on the back benches by Conservative MPs who say this is not quick enough. A leaked GCHQ report has raised new security issues with Huawei technology being used in the UK. Tony Diver explains how it suggests that new US sanctions on Huawei will force the company to use untrusted technology that could increase the risk to national security.

Around the world: Tower residents confined

Thousands of residents in nine tower blocks in Melbourne, Australia, were dramatically confined to their homes for at least five days after a coronavirus surge led to swift and sudden action by the authorities. Giovanni Torre reports on how police swooped on people trying to leave and view our gallery of lockdown pictures from around the world.

A police officer grabs a woman's jacket as she tries to leave a tower block - DANIEL POCKETT/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock 
A police officer grabs a woman's jacket as she tries to leave a tower block - DANIEL POCKETT/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock

Comment and analysis

In case you missed it: Best from the weekend

Editor's choice: Features and arts

  1. How to reclaim your career | Our guide to getting things back on track at work

  2. Fever checks and perspex Inside Covid-proof gyms of the future

  3. Duchess of Cambridge | Message behind latest look? It's time to dress up again

Business and money briefing

Gorging on Covid debt fees | Banks have netted a £11bn windfall in deal fees in Europe so far this year as the plunge in takeovers is offset by companies and countries borrowing trillions of pounds to fight the coronavirus pandemic. The scramble to raise cash means bankers are enjoying higher investment banking fees than they did a year ago.

Sport briefing

F1 divided | Six Formula One drivers declined to join Lewis Hamilton in taking the knee ahead of the start of the Austrian Grand Prix. All 20 drivers wore End Racism t-shirts, apart from Hamilton - who wore a Black Lives Matter top. Tom Cary reports that it is understood those who remained standing are uneasy about the BLM movement's politics.

And finally... for this morning's downtime

Poetry in action | Intended as a consolation after the horrors of the Second World War, Viscount Wavell's poetry anthology has become a timeless classic. Simon Heffer writes about the Field Marshal who knew 200 poems by heart.