"G20 finance ministers meeting in London next Friday will face concerted pressure to introduce a tax on financial transactions as a coalition of anti-poverty campaigners aim to force the issue onto the agenda. An unprecedented coalition of health charities and development campaigners will ratchet up pressure on the G20 in the wake of comments made todayby Financial Services Authority chairman, Lord Turner supporting a Tobin-style tax on foreign exchange transactions...Next week's G20 finance meeting will be followed by a co-ordinated push by campaigners to persuade leaders of the world's 20 most powerful countries meeting at Pittsburgh in four weeks to adopt a currency transaction levy. It comes as evidence of increasing international support for a currency transaction tax to help poor countries affected by the global economic crisis grows..." [The Guardian]

In related news on the financial crisis and recovery, the AFP reports "...The global economy is recovering from a severe downturn but it is too soon for governments to begin winding down stimulus efforts, an International Monetary Fund spokeswoman said Thursday.

'The global economy is of course improving... today's US GDP numbers I think support that,' IMF spokeswoman Caroline Atkinson said at a news conference. 'The outlook is improving but we do feel that it is very important to stress that it is no time for complacency,' she added..." [AFP]