News Headlines - 30 January 2012

▽France plans Tobin tax on financial transactions - The Guardian
http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2012/jan/30/france-tobin-tax-nicolas-sarkozy?newsfeed=true
Nicolas Sarkozy has announced plans to impose a tax on financial transactions.
The French president said a new 0.1% tax would come into force in August regardless of whether or not the European Union agrees to impose a 'Tobin tax' across the EU.

▽Britain officially drops opposition over use of European Union courts to enforce fiscal pact, says William Hague - Telegraph.co.uk
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/financialcrisis/9048721/Britain-officially-drops-opposition-over-use-of-European-Union-courts-to-enforce-fiscal-pact-says-William-Hague.html
William Hague, the Foreign Secretary, admitted that Britain had dropped its threat to formally block use of the EU institutions by the fiscal pact.

▽Ex-UBS trader pleads not guilty to ￡1.5bn fraud - The Guardian
http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2012/jan/30/ubs-trader-pleads-not-guilty?newsfeed=true
A City trader has denied gambling away a record ￡1.5bn in Britain's biggest banking fraud.
Kweku Adoboli, of east London, will go on trial accused of losing the money while working for the Swiss banking giant UBS.

▽Boris Johnson backs calls for parents to be allowed to smack their children - Telegraph.co.uk
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/law-and-order/9048654/Boris-Johnson-backs-calls-for-parents-to-be-allowed-to-smack-their-children.html
Boris Johnson has supported calls for a change in the law to allow parents to smack their children to instil discipline in their homes.

▽Taliban, US Negotiators Meet in Qatar - Voice of America
http://www.voanews.com/english/news/Taliban-US-Negotiators-Meet-in-Qatar-138311684.html
Taliban officials say Afghan Taliban negotiators are meeting with U.S. officials in Qatar for a series of discussions aimed at building trust between the two sides ahead of the upcoming peace talks.