Legal aid bill 'highest in world'
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Justice Secretary Jack Straw urges lawyers to help bring down the legal aid bill.
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LONDON : The British government on Thursday raised its pledge for aid to the tsunami disaster to 96 million dollars, more than tripling its offer from a day earlier, the Department for International Development said.
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The Red Cross federation, the world's  biggest humanitarian group, said on Wednesday it had raised a  record $1.167 billion in just 30 days for victims of the Asian  tsunami, enough to fund a 10-year recovery plan.
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Personal insolvencies in England and Wales have hit another record high as interest rate rises take their toll on already over-extended households.
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World leaders are realising that big donations for tsunami aid can yield political benefits, says the BBC's John Simpson.
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LONDON: The British public has donated 32 million pounds (45 million euros, US$62m) for victims of the Asian tsunami, with calls to an aid line hitting a peak of almost a million an hour, charity organisers said Friday.
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HEILIGENDAMM, Germany  - The Group of Eight industrialized nations have struck a deal to increase their global aid for the fight against HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis to $60 billion, a G8 diplomat said on Friday.
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Australia promised &#36;764 million &#151; the largest government pledge &#151; to the tsunami relief effort, topping a &#36;674 million German aid package on the eve of a crucial donors' conference Thursday. World leaders were competing to head the donors list as summit participants got firsthand looks at the apocalyptic landscapes carved out by south Asia's tsunami.
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ATHENS -- The bill arrived for the Athens Olympics yesterday -- about $11.6 billion, and it might climb higher.
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International donors have moved with  record speed to meet a near $1.0 billion appeal for immediate  aid to victims of Asia's tsunami, with over 70 percent already  raised, the United Nations said Tuesday.
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Aid pledges for Asia's tsunami victims topped 1.6 billion dollars on a tide of New Year sympathy, but the United Nations warned it would take weeks for help to reach many survivors and that the death toll would likely rise to 150,000.
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World leaders gathered here for an emergency summit with the United Nations saying aid pledges since the Asian tsunami disaster were near four billion dollars as the International Monetary Fund offered one billion dollars in aid.
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The United Nations is appealing for $1.5 billion for humanitarian assistance next year in conflict-ravaged Sudan. Lisa Schlein in Geneva reports almost half the money will go towards life-saving
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Stock market listings hit a record $227bn worldwide this year as London reinforces its global position, a report says.
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Hull tops the list for government cash to aid recovery from last month's floods.
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Australia committed &#36;764 million Wednesday to help Indonesia recover from the tsunami disaster, becoming the largest relief donor hours after Germany increased its aid to &#36;674 million as the second-biggest contributor.
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The number of people seeking advice on how to meet their debts has hit record levels, the Citizens Advice Bureau warns.